“Martinez can you provide assistance?” Taylor asked him.
“Sir that will not be easy unless I have help.”
“Alright I’ll provide the assistance.” Taylor responded. By that point in time only Vaistll was left to attempt her mission or help her teammates. But she too got caught in the same situation as the others. And now everything rest upon both Martinez and Taylor. And both of them nearly got killed on two occasions.
Since Wexler was too busy keeping the battle-droid preoccupied, Martinez needed Taylor to get the gun turret that was protecting the weapon storage area to target him so that Martinez could take it out. Combined with the spider-bots that was coming, it was indeed a miracle of their skills that kept both Martinez and Taylor alive. Martinez had to shoot the large cable wire behind the gun turret in order to disable it. Three minutes later (what felt like an eternity) the gun was down. Taylor had to go in, equip himself with the Electro Auto-Rifle, while Martinez was defending himself from the spider-bots.
“Holy shit!” Martinez yelled out when he saw Taylor come out without any rubber boots on. He then ran over and tackle Taylor who just shot and destroyed one of the spider-bots. Both of them landed in the storage area which had a concrete floor.
“Were you trying to electrocute us sir?” Martinez asked Taylor.
“I never used one of these things before.” Taylor responded.
“Yeah, it shows. Hey Wexler, are you okay?”
“Not now!” Wexler responded.
“We need you in here. Now!” Martinez ordered him.
“Yes sir.” Wexler responded.
“Gear up.” Martinez ordered Wexler. Martinez was holding the Electro Auto-Rifle. After Wexler gear up he went back outside to deal with the battle-droid first before he dealt with the spider-bots. He had a score to settle with it.
“Hey Martinez. . . you forgot your rifle.” Taylor mentioned to Martinez who ran pass his rifle that he drop when he tackle Taylor.
“It’s useless sir. It’s been magnetized.” Martinez responded.
“I’m sorry about using that thing. I didn’t know.” Taylor said feeling guilty since he realized that he almost killed Martinez.
“Come on sir. We got some spider-bots to destroy.”
It was slow going but they were capable of destroying those spider-bots. Martinez when asked about his beloved sniper rifle he lied and said that he’d dropped it. They knew that he was lying but they said nothing about it. (He was also carrying the rubber boots for his teammates in a backpack.) It was the look in Taylor eyes that told them that he had something to do with it. And they basically knew what it was. (Since they were wearing their helmet [they had a neuro-implant that allows them to consciously decide upon what to send as opposed to pushing a button or hearing everything] they could send what they wanted to their teammates.)
Because they had the only Electro Auto-Rifle in the weapon storage area, it was a plus in the sense that it stop them from killing each other, but it also slowed them down considerably. Nevertheless they will be able to complete their mission without further interruptions. But because the facility was just so huge it will take some time before they will finish their mission and the factory is no longer a threat.
(7)
“Hey guys, I could really use your help. For some unknown tactical reason these damn machines are getting suicidal.” Martinez mentioned. He was doing recon. After five minutes he added, “What’s the hold up!? I do need your help like now! Get here ASAP or I’m finished!”
The reason why nobody responded because they were lost. It took almost another five minutes before they finally got to his position. And they quickly learned that he wasn’t kidding when he mentioned that they are getting suicidal. They gave up a strong fortified position to rush at the team only to lose all of their spider-bots. The heavier machines called Goliaths stood upon platforms that could not fully support their combined weight. As hard as it was for the team to do it, they were able to take out those Goliaths simply by destroying the platform. It was made all the more easier to do given their combined weight. And then came the dragons, large flying machines that shoot hot plasma at it’s enemies in an effort to incinerate them. (It actually didn’t incinerate them because their suit would not burn that easy. Instead it was more like turning their suits into a pressure cooker.)
“What is this shit!? Some stupid retard boss fight within some shitty video game!?” Coté mentioned. Nobody said anything because they knew that in a matter of speaking, she is right. It had that feel to it. The dragons are used primarily indoors because they are completely vulnerable outside. But they have no value if (like in the current situation) they are in a confined environment.
“They most definitely don’t want us to go in that direction. Which means we must, I do mean must, go in that direction.” Ramirez informed everyone. It now became obvious that the machines so-called “suicidal attack” was just nothing more than a ruse to trick them into doing their dirty work which was to block the team’s efforts to go to where the machines did not want them to go.
“Jesus effing Christ. Would you look at the size of this place?” Ellis mentioned when he was the first to see the area that the machines did not want the team to go to. From the “roof” to the “floor” look to be at least a thousand feet or more. The whole area had large machines, some as large as a few hundred feet or more.
“I’m deeply concerned now more than ever about the function of this place.” Ramirez mention after he too took a look at the place.
“And why is that?” Taylor asked him.
“Sir, this place is just too big to imply as to what we see on the surface. It’s hiding something that is very serious and is very dangerous.” Ramirez responded.
“Any ideas?” Vaistll asked him.
“Yeah, your worst nightmare. And I don’t say that lightly.” Ramirez responded.
“Why do you say that?’ Taylor asked fearing the worst.
“Sir, as you know I was once in their Special Forces. And we called this place a death trap and from what I gather from the way that those machines are behaving they are trying to protect a valuable asset. What that could be, I have no idea, other than to say that it would be something that in all likelihood was never encountered before.” Ramirez responded.
(8)
Task Force ZH-3C finally made it to the main communicational hub with no opposition. They made certain to check to see if the computers had a dirty little trick, but no discernible trick was detected. It didn’t take long for them to realize that something was off. If they thought that they may be walking into a trap, and they check everything, nothing turned up. The team could only keep continuing on not knowing that they were fixing to walk into a trap.
“What was that sound?” Nakada asked everyone.
“What did it sounded like?” Taylor asked him.
“Like bubbles moving through oil.” Nakada responded.
“It might be some machine cooling system.” Wexler added.
“What, like computers?” Ellis asked him.
“No, no. Like some other type of machine.” Wexler responded.
“The only machines that are around are these computers and those tubes over there.” Ellis responded.
“Well, maybe those tubes were making those sounds.” Wexler responded again.
“Those aren’t cooling tubes. And they wouldn’t make a sound either.” Ellis responded again.
“Then what are they and what function do they serve?” Wexler asked.
“I don’t know. But I do know that they aren’t no cooling tubes. Nor do they look like they belong here.” Ellis mentioned. It was at that point that everyone (including Ellis) realized that something was too odd to be dismissed.
“Just what is that gray liquid?” Taylor asked after they all saw a large bubble rise from the bottom and make the sound that Nakada heard when it reached the top.
“It’s draining through a tube to the lower level.” Martinez added.
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br /> Everyone stood there trying to figure out what that gray liquid was. And every ten seconds a bubble rose to the top and roughly 1,000 milliliters was drained from each tube. Ramirez was at the nearest computer terminal trying to figure out what it was, but to no avail. He didn’t know what to make of it, nothing was helping him to figure it out. At one point the tubes started to drain even faster. They then heard noise coming from below that suggested that the room is being destroyed.
“Ma’am, we need to get the fuck out of here right now!” Ellis shouted at her. And with that, everyone got out as the room was slowly falling into the floor below.
“It couldn’t hurt to take a look at what was in the room below!” Martinez mentioned.
“Negative. The sounds back there suggest that whatever was down there is already destroyed.” Jaguar 42R responded. The noise was getting even louder.
“Why do we need to know what was in the room below? I think it’s irrelevant.” Ramirez mentioned to Martinez.
“Because it may give us insight as to what that gray liquid is?” Martinez responded.
“I agree.” Taylor mentioned.
The team had to abandoned trying to get to the floor below. The hallway that led to it was destroyed. (The only thing that the map reveal about that area below was nothing special.) For the next twenty to thirty minutes they had to watch as more of the facility was consumed. It was as if though that gray liquid was some sort of black hole sucking the main communicational hub into it. At one point the entire communicational array felled into itself causing an explosion and exposing part of the sky. Eight to ten minutes later it was all over. (It was at this point that the so-call “Lenkov and Omori” machines were defeated.)
“What the hell!?” Ellis said when he saw what nobody could believe. All of the combat machines within the factory was rushing towards the main communicational hub. Each and every one of those machines, even the ones who had to stop because they were literally in front of one of the members of Task Force ZH-3C, did not try to engage in combat with the team. They only avoid them and headed to the array. The team was so baffled that they didn’t know what to make of it. Five minutes later they heard explosions and gunfire. They were so perplexed by it that they just stay there for six minutes contemplating what to do next. Had they went and assist the machines when all is said and done the machines would not recognize the help. If they do nothing, then what difference would it make. If they stay and observed the chaos, then they may become apart of the chaos.
“What the hell is going on back there? Is there something that we missed?” Martinez mentioned. The team was at a crossroads and didn’t know what to do. Should they go back or should they continue on? They could only go back.
“Who, or what, are they attacking?” Taylor asked when he noticed what the combat machines were attacking appeared to be very large androids.
“What kind of androids are those? I never seen them before.” Ramirez mentioned.
“Something is very strange about those androids.” Martinez mentioned.
“Who cares? They’re doing our dirty work for us.” Coté in a snide tone mentioned.
“Maybe so, but they may be an eventual threat. So it doesn’t hurt to sit back and observe them for awhile.” Nakada responded.
“I agree with Nakada. I wouldn’t want those things at my back when they are obviously holding their ground better than we could.” Ellis added. Everyone could now tell that there was only four of them. It didn’t take long for Coté to say something that, in a way, nobody wanted to answer.
“There’s four of them. Right?” Coté asked someone.
“Yeah, that’s right.” Viper 33X responded.
“Wasn’t there four tubes in that room that we came from?” Coté asked someone.
“Yeah, so what’s your point?” Viper 33X asked her.
“Does anybody find that strange because it’s so coincidental?” Coté asked someone. Five minutes later Martinez said something that got everybody’s hair standing on end.
“Is it me, or are those androids holding up a little too well?” Martinez asked someone.
“I hate to say it, but we need to get closer to the action in order to discern more about those androids.” Nakada mentioned. He was right, they knew it, but nobody wanted to admit it.
“Yeah, alright.” Vaistll reluctantly said.
“Now I know why they can stand their own ground.” Martinez mentioned. Everyone was watching in absolute disbelief that these androids could, when they are damaged, use the fallen machines as spare parts from that of the nanites within themselves.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe what I just saw. Did you see that?” Ellis said. He saw one of the androids use the body of a dragon, which was almost perfectly intact, incorporate the fallen dragon into it’s own body and then took to flight.
“Oh god. I now know what we are dealing with. Some type of Golem.” Ramirez mentioned. He could not even believe it, but it had to be true.
“Any ideas as to how we could defeat them?” Vaistll asked him.
“Because at their core we are dealing with nanites, then the only possible solution would be an EMP burst.” Ramirez answered her.
“This facility doesn’t look like it has anything that could generate an EMP burst large enough that could take them out. Do you have any idea as to how we could compensate for that?” Taylor asked Ramirez. He could already tell what Ramirez will say because on his HUD he could see Ramirez face and it told him what he would say.
“No sir. We would need to lure them to the airbase and maybe, just maybe, we could use the weapons that are there.” Ramirez responded with a heavy sigh.
“So now we got to have these damn things shooting at our backs?” Coté mentioned feeling a little bit bewilder by the tactic.
“If we don’t, then who knows what type of horrors would be released upon this world. We have to do this for the good of all.” Ramirez responded.
Coté realized that he was right and they all had to do it. They all realized it. From what they could see it is easy to lure them, it is a horse of a different color at surviving. What’s more each one of them now knew that it all comes down to them. They had to contain these “Golems” within the facility, or who knows what new hell will be unleashed. But they all had that strange feeling that at least, even though they’re not responsible for it, the factory is finally no more.
You Gave Us Hope
(1)
“This is Martinez. . . I. . . (static). . . enemy. Repeat the enemy. . . (static). . . signal. The Golems are. . . (static). . . I. . . (static).” The static was far longer than normal suggesting that it was being jammed. It had a devastating effect upon the team.
“Martinez! Martinez come in! Ma’am I can’t reach him.” Ellis informed his captain.
“Understood.”
“What are your orders?” Taylor asked her.
“Look, I know this is a shitty thing to do. But we need to keep on moving. We have got to stop these damn Golems by any means necessary.” Vaistll responded.
The team was fully behind her but nobody could image what Martinez was going through. They had to keep on going no matter what the cost. Everything rested upon their shoulders and they knew it. But how could they continued without their best sniper? And what made them felt worse was that Martinez, Jaguar 42R and Viper 33X have no way to get back on their scouting mission.
(2)
“No it’s not true! It can never be true! We are not free from Dark Core!” The guest almost yelled at the newscaster.
“Why can’t you just accept the truth? Multiple independent sources have confirmed that the so-call loser team, Task Force ZH-3C, have liberated us from the last Dark Core cosmic super-weapon.” The newscaster responded.
“So this world now sides with treasonous people!?” The guest almost yelled back. The guest, along with other prominent powerful people, those who prosper under Dark Core, would rather commit suicide than to live in a world set freed.
(3)
“You know, I’m starting to think that it doesn’t have a glitch.” Martinez mentioned.
“Why do you say that?” Viper 33X asked.
“Primarily because it’s behavior suggests that it is trying to protect that area.”
“Why? The creation of the Golems practically destroyed the area.”
“Well, we’ll learn more as soon as Jaguar gets back.”
“What do you got?” Martinez asked Jaguar 42R when he return.
“The protectors are either repairing the communications or are trying to reverse engineer it.” Jaguar 42R mentioned with a heavy sigh.
“What!? There’s no way that they could do either. Especially with all of that damage that they had caused.” Viper 33X responded.
“Look, I can only go with what I saw. And that’s actually what I saw.” Jaguar 42R responded.
“Well, it still doesn’t make any sense.” Viper 33X mentioned.
“Actually it does make sense.” Martinez mentioned.
“And how’s that?” Viper 33X asked him.
“How else could they jam our signal?” Martinez responded.
“So what are we going to do now?” Viper 33X asked him.
“We’re going to have to stay here longer and gather more Intel.” Martinez responded. All three didn’t like it, but they also knew it had to be done.
(4)
Task Force ZH-3C was at their wits end. Yet again they had to split up. This time it was Ramirez, Ellis and Wexler. With Martinez, they all hoped that he could collect some Intel and either they, or someone else could figure out a way to defeat the Golems. But without Ramirez, Ellis and Wexler, the rest of the team felt demoralized. They (Vaistll, Taylor, Nakada and Coté) are not the best fighters in the group. It didn’t take long for the team to be split up yet again and that caused the four of them to lose all hope. For now the captain got separated from the group. They must continue to go forward and maybe at the airbase they could find something.
2288: The Skotadian Experiment Page 40
