2288: The Skotadian Experiment Read online

  Ramirez stood there taking it all in. But he had no ideal as to how he can preserve hope when apathy is god that rules the land. He almost lost all hope. It’s a struggle just for him to wake up to face the day without apathy and despair taking a toll on his soul, mind, heart and body. He’d nearly gave up all hope.

  “What the fuck are those damn things?” One of the base defenders said as he saw some strange red creatures enter the base.

  “Let them have it!” A base officer shouted back.

  Whatever those red beasts were, they were hard to kill. Which proved that they were only a program and not a person. The taller ones had to be a controller drone. Some type of a leader. Each one of the VERM agents had their hands full. When the corrupter drones came, it then became a free for all.

  “Sir look out!” Ramirez shouted to Joseph. Joseph was in some type of under-the-seats part of the arena. In front of him was the gate that lead to the arena (he was trying to hold the ground so that he could close and lock the gate), and to his right was the entrance to the stadium’s seats. To his left was a darkened pathway, and behind him was the entrance to the “holding cells.”

  “Lock the gate!” Joseph ordered Ramirez.

  “But sir?”

  “Do it now Lieutenant Commander!”

  “Yes sir.”

  “No please don’t! They’re behind me!” An overweight guard cried out when he saw what Ramirez was doing.

  “Goddamn these weapons are ineffective!” Joseph cried out when it took a few shots of the shotgun to take down the guard. Both the guard and a small red beast got through, but Ramirez was finally able to get the gate down.

  “Sir!” Ramirez cried out.

  “I know! Just lock it!” Joseph yelled back. He’d killed the guard (who was on fire but was lying on top of the ammo), but not the red beast. He shot it until he ran out of bullets. Then he started to beat it back into the fire, and then he stomped it to death.

  “Sir?” Ramirez called out when he saw that Lenkov’s lower right pants leg was on fire. Lenkov was putting out the fire when Ramirez came near.

  “Guard the area!” Lenkov ordered him.

  Throughout both Lenkov and Ramirez’s ordeal, both Omori and Maria were having an even tougher time. Trying to achieve their objectives, they got separated. Omori was in a death fight with those red beasts, and Maria slipped away to the main office. (Omori was giving her covering fire and almost ordered her to go.)

  “You know who I am! And our stand spells their doom! Life or death! Now pick a side! For your honor is at stake!” Omori shouted out to the defenders near her.

  “We choose to serve you! And not those who are not here!” one of defenders shouted back. Omori had her work cut out for her. She, along with at least one VERM agent, was there to take on the corrupter drones while the defenders were left to take on the red beasts. But as for Maria, she had to leave with no support whatsoever.

  “Enemy sighted. Terminate,” the enemy robot sentry drone stated when it saw Maria come down the hall. She fought long and hard to get down that hall. What made it harder for her was the fact that these robots could move in and out of walls. She had almost no way to cope with that tactic.

  “Give me your gun!” Lenkov ordered Ramirez.

  “Sir?”

  “Don’t argue with me. Just do it.”

  “Yes sir,” Ramirez responded, as he handed Joseph a gun that resembled an SMG.

  “Now go and help Maria.”

  “Sir?” Ramirez asked, confused by the order.

  “Just do it Lieutenant Commander.”

  “Yes sir. And if Omori needs help?”

  “Just do as I say. I’ll provide you with cover fire.”

  “Yes sir,” Ramirez responded. He eventually found a fallen VERM agent who told him where Maria was sent to. He then left as quickly as he could to her location. Along the way he noticed that Omori was desperate for assistance. He wanted to help her so much, but he had his orders.

  “Alex! Look out!” Maria shouted out. She jumped, shielding him from a round only to take a hit. The robot’s arm was sticking out of a wall, shooting at her.

  “You okay?” Ramirez asked her.

  “Never mind about me. What are you doing here!?”

  “Lenkov ordered me here.”

  “They’re using the walls as shielding. And I . . . don’t know what to do.”

  “I do. It’s a classic video game tactic. Exploit the glitch.”

  “What?”

  “Never mind. Just watch and learn,” Ramirez responded. He then waited until he saw the robot’s arm sticking out of the wall and then he simply shot the arm. If he saw nothing, then he did nothing. He would only shoot if he saw the robot’s arm. The robot then became so confused that it eventually made a mistake that meant both Ramirez and Maria could exploit and overcome the robot.

  “I can take it from here,” Maria responded.

  “You sure?”

  “Of course. Go and help Omori. Please,” Maria responded with an urgency for one who sounded like she was concerned for a friend.

  Ramirez left and headed to the last place that he saw Omori. When he got there he could not find her, only dead bodies. He frantically searched the arena (and occasionally had to do battle with one of the red beasts), and he found nothing. He then realized the obvious. The red beasts were on the prowl looking for victims. So he made a fateful decision to return back to Lenkov and give him the bad news.

  “Oh god Alex.” Maria’s voice sounded so soothing to Ramirez. But she also motioned that he should stay quiet, for Omori hasn’t returned.

  “Sir . . . I’ll understand if you want to . . .” Ramirez couldn’t finish it.

  “For some strange reason . . . they don’t like it down here,” Lenkov responded. He was holding his SMG, looking down the pathway opposite of the gate.

  “We’ll hold the ground with you sir,” Ramirez responded.

  “Hey it’s me! They’re behind me!” Omori shouted as she came down the same corridor that the overweight guard came down.

  “Go! Take the pathway . . .!” Lenkov shouted out at Ramirez and Maria.

  “No sir! We’ll assist!” Ramirez responded.

  “Dive!” Maria shouted out to Omori, who quickly dove to the ground. Both Lenkov and Ramirez then let the red beasts have it with their weapons while Maria unlocked the gate and tried to open it.

  “Ma’am!” Maria shouted as she saw that Omori was about to be attacked. Omori then turned around and started to fight in hand-to-hand combat with one of the larger beasts. Both Lenkov and Ramirez would shoot it where they could.

  “Clear!” Maria shouted out when Omori was through the gate.

  “Now let’s teach them who they are dealing with,” Lenkov stated with confidence with Omori by his side.

  “Shouldn’t we be planning our escape sir?” Ramirez asked.

  “There’s a security station down the darkened pathway on our left as well as an exit. At the station we could reprogram the machines to see the red beasts as a threat,” Maria said with gladness and confidence.

  “Let’s go then,” Lenkov said with confidence and glee.

  “Not this way,” Omori responded as they were about the turn left to head to the security station. To the right of them was another darkened pathway. Their flashlights revealed that this pathway had seen a major battle (perhaps with the red beasts?) and may not be as safe as it seemed.

  “Why not ma’am?” Ramirez asked her.

  “It’s a classic VERM trick,” Omori responded.

  “Oh now I see it. Predict human nature and thus take the pathway that humans . . . under extreme emotional duress . . . would not,” Maria responded.

  “Actually,” Omori responded.

  This particular pathway was obviously designed to trick a person into revealing their location. Rather, it was designed so that shadows or sounds would deceive a person into revealing their location. But the four of them would not fall into that trap. When
they got to the end of the tunnel, they saw a security door. Maria, wanting to impress Omori, went the computer console to reprogram the sentry robots to “perceive” the red beasts as a threat. With that done, they could leave the Dark Id.

  “Look,” Ramirez said to Maria when they came out of the Dark Id. He motioned for her to look at Lenkov and Omori, who were behaving as lovers would on such a mission. The fear of losing someone that you loved with all your heart and soul must be balanced with one’s sense of duty.

  Despite the loss, the Dark Id upon Golden Hyperion was shut down. There would be no escape for those Dark Core members. They were trapped upon that world. At that point in time, their only hope rested in Captain Dawson. For beyond that it was starting to appear as if though they may be finished off. But the reports hadn’t come in yet concerning the mission of either Colonel McIntyre or that of Task Force ZH-3C.

  Can’t Hunt Down a Phantom

  (1)

  “Yes, Fleet Captain. I’ll inform him now.” The Ensign finished with the call. She then got up to inform Mad Dawg of the news.

  “What do you got for me girl?” Mad Dawg asked the Ensign.

  “Fleet Captain Lenkov wants you to take the Dragon Clones and destroy a facility sir. And sir, he stated that your Marines will be needed to continue the hunt for Dawson. And he also stated . . .” She was saying.

  “Wait a minute! Did I hear you correctly? Let me get this clear . . . he wants me, and me alone, to go with the Dragon Clones and destroy some damn facility? Aw hell no! Tell him to find someone else to do it.”

  “He said that those are your orders sir.”

  “You got to be shittin’ me!”

  “No sir I would not.”

  “Oh for Christ’s sake.”

  “There’s more sir. He stated that the purpose of the mission is to bait, and to eliminate, Deathcore by forcing them to protect the Dark Id facility and if . . .”

  “Sorry to do this to you, but I need to speak with him.”

  “Yes sir.” The Ensign then led him to the communicational array, since the Hammer of Doom was not in orbit above them.

  “How’s your mission going captain?” Lenkov asked.

  “Sir, I must strongly protest this mission.”

  “On what grounds?”

  “First of all, why am I being sent along side the Dragon Clones?”

  “They need your expertise, and your Marines are needed to hunt down Captain Dawson. Look captain this mission is a simple mop up operation. The Dark Id is down, but it can be rebooted. If that happens, then those Dark Core members will be able to get away. And that is not acceptable.”

  “And with Deathcore? Begging your pardon sir . . . but you can’t hunt down a phantom. Let alone a group of them.”

  “I’m well aware of that captain. You’re not hunting them down. You’re baiting them. They have to protect Dark Core no matter what. If the Dark Id upon this world is destroyed, then they will fail in their mission.”

  “I understand now sir. And if we eliminate Deathcore before we destroy the Dark Id?” Mad Dawg had to ask, not knowing what Lenkov would say.

  “We have to assume that sooner or later it will be fully operational. And that variable is unacceptable due to the fact of how it will effect future missions.”

  “I fully understand now sir.”

  “Anything else captain?”

  “No sir.”

  “Alright. Dismissed and Godspeed.”

  Mad Dawg couldn’t believe his orders on destroying the Dark Id upon that world. Once the people realized that they would no longer be able to access it, it would cause so much civil unrest that the local authorities would hate with a fiery passion the one who gave that order. And how would they feel when they learned that it was Lenkov and Omori of all people? Mad Dawg already received the message on the specifics of how the Dark Id was shut down. He was just too shocked that both Lenkov and Omori, knowing that they could die or have their SIN seriously corrupted, went on that mission.

  “Okay . . . old man . . . I’ll follow you to the ends of the universe. I only wish that both you and she were running Skotadi. For if that was true, then I would join,” Mad Dawg said to himself. And he really meant it.

  (2)

  “I can’t believe that I am serving under those two,” Mad Dawg said out loud. He, along with Jaguar 42R and Viper 33X, was on a dropship heading to their destination. He was looking at old videos of both Lenkov and Omori and was falling under their rock star spell. He would defend them just like he would his crew.

  Each place that they landed at was a backup facility to the Dark Id. They had no trouble destroying those facilities. It took a while before Deathcore took the bait. The local official would complain to their higher ups. At the first sign of civil unrest, the wheels of control went to work. But eventually it all went to the Dark Core members who truly did not want to be bothered by such nuisances. And thus, regardless of the consideration of tactics, Deathcore had to deal with this pest.

  “Be advised that Deathcore has finally taken the bait. They are en route to the main Dark Id facility. Their approximate ETA is no more than three hours,” the Senior Ensign on the Hammer of Doom informed the team.

  “Your orders?” Jaguar 42R asked Mad Dawg.

  “Simple Junior . . . destroy all supporting systems first. Let them know how serious we are,” Mad Dawg responded with a certain glee.

  By nighttime, nobody would have questioned how serious they were. For the only thing left was that of the main Dark Id facility itself. By that point in time, nobody was in doubt about the intentions of Lenkov and Omori. It was Dark Core versus them. And Dark Core was the one who was at the greatest disadvantage. For the first time ever, Dark Core was losing control.

  “Be advised that we have landed. And we are beginning our assault upon the facility,” Jaguar 42R informed the Hammer of Doom.

  “Understood and Godspeed,” the Senior Ensign responded.

  The main Dark Id facility was absolutely huge, with automated gun turrets, sentry drones, assault drones, VICE, and most important of all—a nearby military base. This is one facility made it near impossible to take it offline. But the victory and the sacrifice that team Omori was able to pull off in the Dark Id forced the facility to go into emergency shutdown. That made it far easier to infiltrate and to deal with the defensives. As for the nearby military base? No longer a problem, given the defeat of Captain Dawson. What of Deathcore? Not a problem since they would have to manually control everything.

  “Wait . . . I heard something,” the Dragon Clone on point stated.

  “What did it sound like?” another Dragon Clone asked him.

  “Sentry drone,” the Dragon Clone on point responded.

  “Time to triangulate and eliminate,” Viper 33X mentioned.

  Using their ears, each one began to triangulate the sentry drone in the darkened hallway. But the drone itself was trying to use stealth to get as close to them as possible. Time seemed to take forever to advance, as neither side wanted to give up their position, and at the same time they were attempting to find the other.

  “Junior . . . come with me,” Mad Dawg whispered to him. Mad Dawg then led him outside so that he could speak to him.

  “What did you want to talk about sir?”

  “Is there a way to bypass that sentry drone in an effort to eliminate it?”

  “There is one way, but it’s the most unpredictable as well as the most dangerous.”

  “What is it?”

  “If we could get to the generator room, then we could send a power surge to any area of the facility. But that pathway is the most dangerous as well as the most guarded.”

  Mad Dawg badly needed a drink with what he was about to ask next, but he knew that he had to ask it. “Can’t you use that same technique that you use upon my ship?”

  “The maintenance ducts?”

  “Yes.”

  “It might help if we had a map.”

  “And if we did?”<
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  “No guarantees, but in theory it should work. But sir . . . you need to be advised that I cannot go in alone. I need someone to act as cover fire and as a potential spotter.”

  “Alright. Get me in contact with Omori,” Mad Dawg ordered him.

  “Yes sir.”

  “Omori here. Go ahead.”

  “Ma’am, we need the map to the maintenance ducts that lead to the generator room,” Mad Dawg responded.

  “One moment please,” Omori responded.

  After several moments passed by, Omori informed Mad Dawg that his SIN had been updated. He then updated Jaguar 42R’s SIN and the two of them left to infiltrate a nearby maintenance duct. Mad Dawg knew that he had to go, since the weight of another Dragon Clone would be too much for a maintenance duct to bear.

  (3)

  “This is Dark Serpent. What’s the hold up?” The Dark Core member asked the Deathcore leader.

  “They have infiltrated this facility with Dragon Clones. We are at a tactical stalemate,” the Deathcore leader responded.

  “Understood. Maintain the stalemate or any other tactic of delay for at least twenty-four hours. Captain Dawson should have achieved his mission by that time.”

  “And if he fails?”

  “He will not fail! Over and out!” Dark Serpent snapped back. The pressure was starting to show upon him. Like the other Dark Core members upon that world, he was more than willing to sacrifice that whole world, including everyone on it, so that he would not lose any position of power.

  (4)

  “Goddamn that was intense,” Mad Dawg said after both he and Jaguar 42R got out of the maintenance duct. On a couple of occasions they almost got gunned down; by what, they could not tell. They were in a room with a lot of computers and monitors, but it was not the generator room. They traveled 273 yards (250 meters) to the next room, with access to another maintenance duct.