Machina

Chapter 1: Deus Ex Machina

Imagine a teenager, eighteen years of age. Give him chestnut hair that all seems to spike toward his left, and give him eyes of a particular emerald green. Give him a height of about, let's say 1.7 metres. Clothe him in some sort of lab coat that has a blue stripe across the chest, as well as jeans and heavy steel toe-capped boots.

This is Ray you're imagining. Ray Deus Gaunt, first and only android in existence. He wasn't always a machine; he was a human when he was sixteen. He was fatally injured in a terrorist attack on a scientific facility. There were 27 casualties. To survive, Ray had to transfer his consciousness into the nearby mindless android. Against odds of millions to one, it actually worked. Indeed, Ray has a life of excitement, with a side dish of danger and a large dollop of mortal peril.

The current year, of course, is 2356. Ray currently lives in the bustling metropolis of Chester. Technology has advanced quite a bit since the time you're reading this, with technological advancements such as: the Gravimetric Emitter, the Plasma Energy Cell, las-guns and anti-gravity automobiles that spiral for miles above the surface, with the aid of Vortex Tubes and Aero Tunnels and what-not.

Ray's underground workshop wasn't exactly the most aesthetically pleasing place in the world, but it was indeed functional. The dull gunmetal-grey walls were lined with a rather large range of objects, from scrap metal to the most arcane prototypes. Dead centre of one of the walls was one of Ray's best constructs- the Plasma Katana. This sword could glow as hot as lava, and brighter still. It could cut through solid steel as though it was mere paper. I wouldn't try it, though. You'd turn the paper into ash. And, why waste good paper? Why not do some origami?

The Mechandrite (a type of prehensile mechanical tentacle) attached to Ray's hip was twitching irritably, as Ray attempted to conjure up some new mechanical miracle in his robotically enhanced mind, but he was failing. Miserably.

His minor verbal outburst at his present mental state was interrupted by a mild buzzing sound in his ear, like some kind of miniature bee. It was his comm-bead, a small communication device that fits easily into the ear. Ray brought his hand up to the comm-bead and pressed a rather minuscule button on the angry little thing.

"This is Agent Machina. What is it you require?" Ray's voice echoed forebodingly, and his Mechandrite writhed with anticipation.

"Agent Machina, we have a hostile situation that is too dangerous for A.L.E teams. Be advised, hostiles are armed with chemical and projectile weapons." The voice on the other end of the comm-bead was gruff, and straight to the point, as military types usually are. A.L.E teams are Armed Law Enforcement teams, the equivalent of the S.W.A.T teams of your time.

"Understood. Any casualties or hostages?" Ray made sure his voice was one of polite enquiry.

"Negative. Deploy ASAP. Headquarters out". The comm-link closed with a resounding click.

Ray disconnected the Mechandrite from his hip thoughtfully. It has been a while since he has knocked the senses out of some poor sod. It should be fun, he mused. He made his way toward the door, picking up a Rail-pistol, some ammunition for said Rail-pistol, a Frag-Incendiary Grenade and the Plasma Katana on his way out.

Upon looking at the bruise-blue afternoon July sky, an idea was birthed into his mind. An idea for more of his kind. Little did he know, his small idea would change the world forever.

Ray strafed around to the side of the metallic warehouse door, and stole a look inside. He could see twelve hostiles, five armed with a deadly (to humans, that is) chemical weapons, and the rest to the teeth with a strange mixture of 21st Century rifles and 22nd Century pistols. All of the hostiles held their weapons in a ready stance, waiting for A.L.E squads to strike in their typical lightning-fast style. Fighting all of them from the front would be suicide; even his robotic body would be torn to shreds by the 60 Calibre bullets of the pistols. Ray didn't like the thought of dying. The first time was bad enough.

Ray made his way around to the back of the warehouse, and drew his Plasma Katana. He thumbed the activation rune, and it burned with a barely contained energy. Ray deftly cut a hole in the wall in a matter of seconds, and (after deactivating his trusty Katana) carefully took out hit cutting.

He snuck his way inside with the greatest of ease and crouched behind some empty barrels; the hostiles were too busy awaiting a frontal attack to notice his entrance. Silently, he drew his Rail-Pistol, and aimed. He could see the ugly head of one of the hostiles, who was armed with the heaviest calibre weapon. Ray squeezed the trigger, and the explosive tipped Rail left the gun at barely under the speed of sound. It travelled through the stagnant warehouse are silently, and went straight into his head like it was a thin piece of warm butter, and it exploded in the middle in a shower of flesh, and pieces of brain and shards of skull flew around the room in a gruesome hail. The rest panicked, and shot at anything that even remotely looked like a threat. A speeding 50 Calibre round tore deep into the concrete pillar above Ray's head, kicking up a cloud of dust and showering him with bits of stone. Ray loaded another Rail into his pistol (this one was not explosive tipped) and he leapt over the barrels. Almost instantaneously, bullets started to fly toward him. The extreme panic the hostiles had just experienced, combined with Ray's sudden appearance, threw the vast majority of shots off; only one hit home, and even then it only grazed his left shoulder.

The bullet ripped through the fabric of his coat, revealing the words 00 RAY GAUNT emblazoned in crimson on the upper arm. One of the hostiles immediately caught on to this.

"It's him! It's the andr-" That poor hostile never got to finish the sentence, as Ray's fist impacted his head with the force of a Formula-1 car. His head burst open like an overripe melon, showering his comrades with a foul gruel of blood, skull and brains. Ray landed, and rolled onto his feet, drawing his Plasma Katana and activating it with one fluid movement. He slashed the shimmering blade through the chest of one enemy, bisecting his vital organs, and he decapitated him with the backslash. He the spun around and cut another in two just above his waist, and quite literally kicked his legs out from under him. He snapped up his pistol, and shot at one particularly unwashed man who was hefting his chemical weapon in Ray's direction, pinning him to the wall through his stomach.

A blast from another chemical weapon flung Ray through the air, and he landed with a crack on some rather flimsy wooden pallets. Ray was fine, of course, but unfortunately those pallets did not survive to see another day. By the time Ray gathered what senses he could into a legible pile of information, the remaining seven hostiles were crowded around him like vultures, every single one of them aiming their weapons at him. Ray gazed down the gleaming barrels, completely unimpressed by the sheer amount of fire power pointed at his nostrils.

"Any last words?" Spat the one who was evidently their leader. His accent made it sound like he chewed the words heavily, subsequently digesting them and finally regurgitating them into a pile of verbal vomit.

"Why, yes, I do." Ray replied innocently "But unfortunately for you, those are for another time." Before you could've even considered a reply, he had whirled his still glowing Plasma Katana around himself, cutting off the hostiles legs below their knees. Each one screamed in agony as they collapsed in a pile of dismembered humans and legs. A fine red mist floated about the room. Ray got to his feet, smiling grimly, and walked toward to door.

"One might say that I am the Deus Ex Machina." Ray murmured as he started to walk out the front door. He took the Frag-Incendiary Grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it over his shoulder. It landed in the midst of his enemies, and exploded violently. A wave of warmth overtook Ray, and the ping of fragmented metal was heard, followed quickly by the aroma of burning flesh. He pressed his comm-bead.

"Come in Headquarters, this is Agent Machina." He said curtly.

"Headquarters here." Came the reply.

"The threat is neutralised." Ray couldn't help but smile when he said this.

"Job well done, Agent Machina. You can return to your daily life, for now. We will contact you again when your services are required. Headquarters out."

Ray wandered back to his workshop thoughtfully, toying nonchalantly with one of his keys; the one stylised as a lightning bolt. He wondered how on Earth he was going to make another android.

Chapter 2: Primam Vocem ad Futurum

People had always said that Ray had a heart of steel; he had never fallen in love in his entire life. No girlfriends, absolutely nothing. Ray found this ironic, as he was now an android. His mind strayed to this as he gazed upon the skeletal form of the second android. Who would it choose to be? He was programming nanobots to create a self-programming AI. This AI would decide everything about the android, from personality to appearance, and then it would take control of said android.

Ray input the last sliver of code and smiled. Today was a good day. He pressed 'affirmative' on his keypad. The swarm of nanobots whirred into life, and they slowly created the second android. Mid-way, Ray realised he had programmed the nanobots to create the android's appearance... but not their clothes. Ray chuckled, chastising himself in his head, and he returned his gaze to the android. It had apparently made itself female. Ray gulped down a sudden wave of desire, and look back to his screen. Everything was going smoother than he thought it would.

15 minutes, 36 seconds, 738 milliseconds and 934,328.8372 microseconds later, the android was complete. Ray watched her silently as her eyes flickered open, with a look of nonchalant curiosity. They examined the room slowly. She sat up, slower than her eyes were moving. Finally, she made eye contact with Ray.

"Ray..." she uttered. A smile ghosted its way across her face.

Those eyes... They were like sparkling sapphires, and her hair was a startling turquoise. Her voice was like honey in Ray's ears. Unfamiliar feelings blossomed in Ray's chest, feelings he could not name. He was absolutely speechless. His heart of steel had finally melted. Ray gulped again. The girl looked down at herself.

"Ray," she repeated, with more power in her high pitched voice. "Why don't I have any clothes?"

"Well, let's see here..." Ray began. He glanced back at the screen. "Well, I didn't even activate the part of the programming that does that. I've done stuff like this all my life, and I still can't get anything right."

They both burst out laughing.

Ray gestured toward a control panel when her laughter had died down to a fit of simmering giggles. "There're some weaving programs over there for you to make clothes with. Go ahead."

Slowly, she placed her feet on the floor, and walked toward the control panel. Every movement she made was cool and calculating. Her movements flowed with an unprecedented ease. Ray admired her smooth moving for a few fleeting seconds, and then he started to walk to the door. Only now did he break eye contact.

"I'll be upstairs if you need me." He advised.

"Of course." She replied softly.

Ray was perched on a chair, lost in thought, when the girl rejoined him. She had some style. Her hair, in all it's turquoise glory, was done up in two positively gargantuan ponytails that went all the way down to her hips. She wore black boots with blue soles, that went half way up her thighs, a grey waistcoat, a black skirt with blue trim, a blue tie, and black arm warmers with blue trim. She looked at Ray and pirouetted gracefully.

"How do I look?" She asked.

"You're one of a kind, that's for sure. But, I quite like it."

She smiled. "Thank you. You're not a bad dresser yourself."

If Ray could've blushed then, he would've. He decided to completely change the subject.

"Come on, we need to talk with the minister of Science." Ray said. The girl sighed.

"I need a name."