We are LGTN

by KeyOfVoid

Humanity has always been broken. In some way or another and other more than the others. Most will deny it, some will ignore it, but you can't escape yourself. Four children of a broken world will meet and fall like LiGhTninNg. Fear the thunder that follows

2. The machine

? - ?

.

.

.

… Initializing

Aura link activated

Neuro-AI processors running at full capacities

"Hey Fido, how do you feel?"

A voice was picked up by my sound sensors. Voice recognized: Samuel acknowledged

"Sam?"

Visual system is online...*WARNING* several unknown gears was detected during the system's launch

My photo sensor activated and I saw Sam's face in front of mine

"Well, it's good to see you awake" He said

"Greetings Sam" I said to the man standing in front of me. But something was different

"Well, I guess you remember our last conversation yes?" Sam walked to a computer sitting on a table at the end of the room while he mutters something unintelligible under his breath

Running a full-body scan… *WARNING* new features were detected during the scan; new configurations were detected during scan

HUD system is online… *WARNING* new gadgets were detected during the initialization of the 'HUD' system

Voice box is online. *WARNING* a new configuration has been established to default

Full connection between 'The Body' and 'The Aura' has been established

Restoring Long-Term and Short-Term memory link

Running face scan. Target acquired: Samuel Sangre Tizona. Checking Long-Term memory for information on target… Data retrieved.

Samuel: Engineer and programmer collaborating with Dr. Regierung sapparat Voigt in order to build me and my neuro-AI. Over the years, Sam took the role to teach me human culture, language, and fighting techniques

Calibrations completed

External sensors are fully operative. *WARNING* new features were detected during the launch

All systems online. New systems will be explained with a tutorial

"I do remember. I was going to be left offline for four months before running a final test" Suddenly, my voice box starts to sound how it was supposed to. A comparison with a test recording of the voice box showed a distinct difference with the new configuration. It sounded human

"Well, time is over. This is the moment you leave the nest" He kept talking as he wrote in the computer

"My internal clock indicates I was not supposed to spread wings until next month"

"HA! Yes you were, but… a situation came up. Still is good to see your sense of humor is functional"

It is something that can be broken? "Where is Dr. Voigt?" my motion sensor indicated only one person in the room and the adjacent levels

"The Doktor…" Sam paused. He stopped writing"Is no longer with us; he had to go somewhere else. But, before leaving he told me to make a gift for you" he finished and pushed the enter key with some force, to add 'drama' as he usually does "Uploading, check the files I'm sending you"

The files showed me some of my blueprints but I had some inconsistencies. It also showed [image blocked]

"Sam, what is all this?" I ask

"I told you, it's a gift." He said

Sam pushed some buttons at my side and I was released from the maintenance pod. I fell down on my legs with a sound *CLANK*

"Sam, what is the objective of this," I asked

"It's time for you to join the pack," He said cryptically. I knew he would not say any more

"I feel curiosity" I moved to the computer and interacted it with my multi-purpose tail "It is a reason this appendage was added?" I said referring to [blocked]

Sam's cheeks had the most subtle, almost invisible blush on his cheeks and coughed a bit "I added it so you won't blow your cover in case a situation happens" Not invisible to my augmented optic receptors

"State an example"

"Dammit mutt, don't go around making it awkward," he says with a slight chuckle but it quickly dies down

"Listen, some guys are waiting outside and it's the best you don't meet them. They are… uh dangerous people and they'll want you in a box, probably" he walks past the maintenance pod behind me and pushes a button, revealing a trap door beside the pod

"I uploaded maps and information from all around the world. Trust me, you won't get lost anytime soon"

He walks to a nearby closet and takes something out of it. It's my weapon, a high-frequency chainsaw compatible with Dust; but something is different, it's wider and slightly heavier "You will need this to survive the 'cruel land' in the outside. I left a second gift inside but it will unlock in a couple of days"

The HF chainsaw is a large and the rotating mechanism was modified to allow the chainsaw's teeth to vibrate fast enough to cut through almost all materials. It was easy for me to operate it with my tail. However, the handle had been modified. It allowed [Redacted]. I attached the weapon in its mount on my lower back

"Now I have something to cover you up." He takes out a pile of clothes "It is frowned up in society to walk around like that"

If I had eyes, I could have given him a proper glare. Instead, I stare at him intently. He doesn't seem to notice "Do not treat me like a fool, Sam".

From the same closet, he grabs a backpack and hands it over to me

"You'll find everything you need inside" he kneels and puts a hand on my shoulder

"The tests are over, now it's time you get your freedom." He smiles

Freedom?

"What do you mean by, 'get my freedom'?"

I am free, am I not? I am free to walk around through the building and the surrounding Jungle. I am free to "read" any digital media in the facility. I am free to make inquiries about any subject. Is it that not freedom?

There are no apparent changes in his face

"I think that you are soon to find out. You are one of a kind, mutt, don't you ever forget that. You are a damn robot with a soul, with an Aura of your own. If I get to see something like you someday, well, I'll eat my boot for dinner"

Suddenly alarms start blaring in the room and Sam walks back to the computer

"Heh if it took them this long to just open the door then you won't have any trouble getting away"

"Why aren't you following me?" I knew he was going to stay, every statement and action he did to this moment indicated so. But why?

"Eh, maybe I'm just feeling for a little chit-chat" he grabs his sheathed sword Murasama from the table beside the computer "From this moment and forward, this is your journey" he pushes the tip of the sheath in my forehead. It is time to leave

"Now make me and the Doktor proud, "He said with a mocking tone, "don't throw to waste all the time we spent rebuilding you"

Rebuilding!? Before I could say anything Sam kicked me through the trap door

I fell through the secret duct.

Information: The Laboratory is ten stories large, the maintenance room in the ninth floor

ETA: 96,547545 seconds

That is one and a half minutes, more than enough time to analyze Sam's final words

Information: He stated 'rebuild' instead of 'build'. For the past three years, I have been programmed and constructed by Sam and Dr. Voigt.

It could not be a slip of tongue. Phonetically, the difference between the two words is moderately apart. Sam did not stutter, he intended to pronounce the word

Rebuild: [ree-bild] To build again

The word resonated like knocking a hollow box in my thoughts

It is odd, to think I was something before I was born.

My chassis graced the tunnel and the friction caused sparks. I re-accommodated accordingly

Information: There is no memory in my databanks from before our first meeting. The first time I was activated was in the server room on the tenth building

---

Reproduce: V-0000000001

… Initializing

Aura link activated

Neuro-AI running at full capacities

…

…

…

Hello?

… Hello

Do you understand me?

… Yes.

… Who are you?

Command: Run subroutine BV8

… Command Acknowledged

… No available data bank entry.

Command: Run subroutine AV11

… Command Acknowledged

… This conversation is being recorded

Please, tell me your name

… I don't have one. Can you tell me yours?

I

y j hujb

My name is Sam. Docktor here is now on the dunce corner for not sharing

… Hello, Sam. Who are you?

Well, since you asked… Me and the Docktor are your creators. We made you and today is your birthday.

Do you know who you are?

… I do not

… If you are my creator, you must have a name for me. Please, input my name

mnnbghni

Pardon my associated, he hasn't had enough sleep to remember manners. Well, to be fair, neither have I.

I am Dr. Regierung sapparat Voigt, or as my "partner" here has said, the "Docktor". Yes indeed, we are your creators.

Your name is Proto-InterFace LQ-84i. Welcome to your life

msdrhy

Scratch that, your name is Blade Wolf

mstopfssathissgfdsg

… Proto-InterFace LQ-84i and Blade Wolf. These are my names. Thank you for giving it to me

Nah, mutt. Thank you for working

Command: Run routine Y9

… Command Acknowledged

… Starting Rest mode

---

Conclusion: I was misled to believe that Sam and Dr. Voigt were my builders

Query: Who are my real makers?

Information: Information required

Conclusion: Inconclusive

ETA: 13,4625 seconds

I redirected myself for the impact.

I hit the ground. My feet ended buried down, indicating soil and dirt

I opened the bag. Inside there were clothes, repair tools, and books.

When I tried to run my new subroutine, a message appeared

Not just now, you horny dog. You can take a look at yourself in 548 min

Later it would be then. I closed the bag and approached the metal door in front of me. My tail interacted with the digital lock and a message box appeared.

Sam had not changed the password since the last time. The door opened and I faced the jungle surrounding the building. It was night time and the broken moon loomed above

ALERT: Enemies in the surroundings

Activating AR vision

My face was covered with two black metal plates and the world changed, acquiring a blue hue. I could see several people through the jungle, their figures highlighted in red. A yellow marker appeared in the distance

Objective: flee from the forest and reach Vale

Inference: Sam programmed several objectives to aid my escape

Most of the enemies were walking towards the front entrance of the building. However a good amount of them were patrolling the jungle. The map provided by Sam had several markers highlighting escape routes

Tracing the most optimal course

… Traced

With my backpack strapped to me and my weapon mounted on my back, I moved through. The flora provided a great cover when hiding from the pursuers and the scarce wildlife ignored me.

54 meters ahead in my escape, an armed person blocked the path and others guarded the closest alternative routs. Several options ran through in front of me in a matter of picoseconds while I thought for a way to advance

I grabbed three small pebbles from the ground and I hurled them to the nearest guards with my tail. The projectiles flew with an immense speed. The guards fell with dull *THUDS* as if their Auras were not even there.

I approached one. Incapacitated, no lasting damage to be found. I kept moving ahead.

Suddenly, a gunshot shattered the silence

Origin: 20 meters, southwest. Destiny: unknown

After that several screams and more gunshots were heard and all the remain patrols ran towards the origin of the shots. A new enemy has been highlighted in my vision. A large, black creature is running rampant through the soldiers

Information: The Facilities are sheltered with electrical fences to stop the Grimm

Not failsafe, a big pack of beowolfs could power through. Thankfully, the surrounding area itself has a low density of Grimm due to being an isolated compound

Inference: Sam started a distraction. He must have disabled the fence to let through the Grimm

The distraction made an opening to the nearest escape route. Running, i could easily reach and maintain 350 km/h

As I was reaching the end, a dark feeling gripped my soul, crawling with pure murderous intent. A shrill cry sounded behind me and i dodged as a gryphon attacked the ground I left behind. The noise would attract more enemies to me. This had to end quickly

Commencing Grimm battle subroutine

Grimm type: Gryphon, heavy armored

Once again, a varied number of pre-programmed strategies run in front of my eyes

Strategy: Hurl objects to incapacitate and flee

My weapon was too loud and would likely attract even more enemies. With my tail, I grabbed a nearby sturdy-looking branch and i launch it with the force of a rocket. It pierces the winged beast's neck. Grimm biology will occasionally resemble other animals biology. While there is not enough damage done to kill it, with it's neck punctured the monster is incapable of screaming. In quick succession, I hurl a rock and another branch. The grimm see the projectiles this time and protects itself with its powerful wings. What it doesn't realizes fast enough, is that, while protecting itself with its steel-like feathers, it can't see me hurling a third rock to the joint of his wings. The pain makes his legs buckle, but is still standing. The same cannot be said about its wing, which now lays useless to its side

ENEMY APPROACHING

ARMED ENEMY APPROACHING FROM THE LEFT

The small-ranged motion sensor flares to life. Crap, Sam would say

With a single jump I managed to give myself a small head start. Up ahead lies the escape route, a small river, barely more than a big creek, which would lead me to the nearest village. From my position, I can see a hole 10 meters up in the face. The distance to the marker falls, it shortens, like the countdown to the moment of my freedom

Freedom

For a reason, this time the words has a small ring with it. I cannot explain what is this that I feel when i think of the word. This is not the first time I feel something similar. A flash of memory, one that leaves as quick as it came.

I don't notice at first, but I'm running faster, faster to reach this ambition, faster to get away from my pursuers, faster that it should be possible

Something builds inside myself, in my aura, empowering me.

35 meters

12 meters

7 meters

At the last moment, I prepare for the jump to pass through and escape. The feeling inside threatens to explode, a dam waiting to break.

Suddenly it happens, but it's not my legs leaving the ground, it's not building in my soul that breaks. Instead, my Neural processor is overloaded with electricity

A/-/ERT -D-/-AM-GE SYS- F/**-/\\||||||/

Darkness

---

Sam

He lays down on the ground, rotten. A shadowed figure feast on his remains. With each piece of flesh it takes, it grows bigger and takes a shape.

A gryphon stands at the top of the building and gives a deafening cry. The forest burns and all life is extinguished.

The beast suddenly launches towards me and swallows me. I remain unfazed in the darkness

I should commend the programmer, this is an impressive simulation made in a really short time. Sadly for them it is insignificant in comparison to the others

VR MISSION COMPLETE. ENDING SIMULATION

Darkness once again

"You stupid piece of shit!"

The darkness has not receded, simply because I wish it not to. My captor is having another fit while I keep my "eyes" shut.

"Sir, please. We made a good length of progress this time" A meek voice tries to placate the enraged man.

"Now, now Mr. A," a sultry female voice says "we are only on day 8. He will break, eventually, you just need to have more patience." An unusual clicking sound rings along her voice

"Or," another male, full of malice "I could just break him down to scrapes and take whatever is still useful"

"No. That right belongs to me." the first voice is closer to my pod now "I won't give one shit how valuable you are, my time has been wasted enough."

I remain silent while the steps get further away and the heavy armored door closes

"Hmph. I wonder, how long are you going to last?" The female is walking towards me now "how many times are you going to see him die in vain?" The silence is only interrupted by the rhythmic clicking sound. Perhaps she is waiting for some sort of reaction.

Clearly, she has never interrogated a machine before

"That samurai nerd was better than we expected, I should give him that at least" The footsteps and the clicks get further away and the door opens "The boss is getting impatient. I would advise you to concoct something strong enough to break down or he will break you" the door closes and the clicking stops. Two relieved sighs sound from not very afar. I almost feel sorry for the two scientist who made the simulations and their vain attempts to torture me.

"Holy… so, what do you want to do now?" meek voice asks his partner "Shit, what am I supposed to know!? If he would only give something like a grunt, then we could work on that"

"Let's try shocking him a little bit?" meek asks, meekly.

"No, just-" "Kick him in the balls?" "What, n-" "Take him to the gallows?" "No! Stop! Just, stop, ok? The first idea would work on a person, but we can't risk to fry his brain now"

A silence "Kick-" "That, is just stupid and wouldn't work on him in the first place!" "How do you know? We haven't tried yet!" a sputter, followed by sigh.

"We just need some coffee" A chair shove, the door opening and, finally, the sound of typing on a keyboard as meek tries to design a new simulation hoping it will be enough to, well, even I don't know what are they trying to accomplish.

He mumbles, thinking I can't hear him "Stupid, insensible, insentient, in...emotive? Maybe I do need some coffee…" He shuts again as he types.

Unemotive, huh

Emotion is the only thing I'm not lacking in my imprisonment. I feel frustration, flooding sadness, burning rage. For three weeks they have imprisoned me, making me relive my last memories since my reactivation, uncovering a little more of encrypted and blocked information with each simulation. Today's simulation was rushed, like they were just trying to pass the weekly inspection. His boss, Mr.A, will come around five in the afternoon to revise the progress, why he does this remains as a query, but he was scheduled earlier today as its appears.

Following the same routine, I activate my optical receptors looking for the most insignificant detail, a slight variation in the room or anything that would help me escape. Something weighs me down when I stop, the last emotion that has been haunting me.

Helplessness

The typing continues. Meek sits in front of a long panel table, long enough to fit four people. Behind is the reinforced gate. From the ceiling falls a mechanical arm that holds me in the air. The walls seem to be reinforced with the same alloy the door is made of. Other than that, there is nothing in the room.

Patience, mutt, patience and a quick drawn are two weapons a warrior can rely on

"Yes!"

Wait, no!

"How you like that, you metallic freak!?"

A memory, he managed to discover one of my memories before my reactivation. A bittersweet situation, Dr. Voigt would say. Sam's words were just what I needed to remember, but this means they are digging further down in the layers of codes he left to protect… that what needed to be protected in my memories.

A wall, unlike a chain, doesn't need all the bricks to be effective. However, take one too many from its foundation, and it will fall on itself.

Anxiety

Not now.I just need to this-

*KRA-BOOOM*

The explosion rattles the building with enough force to knock Meek of his feet. The explosion came from approximately 6 stories down. The alarms are blaring now.

"Oh, shit" Meek runs to the table and grabs a small device "Shit, hello?" He tries a few times, but it's met with silence every time. He is trembling now, looking to the door and back to the panel every few seconds. Then, he turns to look at me. He writes something in the panel and the mechanical hand drops me.

My systems need another second to boot, and he is standing right besides me. "Ah, you know I was just messing around with the 'freak' thing, right? Good, this guys will want us dead, so you know, ki-"

He falls on his back, trying to stop the bleeding coming from his mouth. "Yes, I know you were just 'messing' when you made me see his corpse." Finally, my legs respond to my commands as he tries to drag himself away.

Oh? leaving? I believe either way you go, you are dying

"Or when you tried to mess with my memories. Or when you tried to shock my neural-processors. Yes, just messing" My tail launches his tongue back to his face with enough force to rock his head back, making an oddly satisfying sound. His eyes tell me all the fear his hands cover. I remember a book I read once which had an appropriate passage, sadly it seems this memory is blocked for the time being

Suddenly, the reinforced door is blown to smithereens. Five soldiers are entering through the door, some have guns pointed at me. Meek tries to get further away from me into the dust

"Hold!" a male voice says "Is this the target?"

"Affirmative, this is the LQ-84i" answers a mechanical voice

Worrisome, I need to make a plan n-

"Alright K-3, secure the target and let's get back home"

"Affirmative. LQ-84i, I order you to stand down"

Troublesome. Maybe I can-

It raises a weaponized arm before I can even lift a foot

"LQ-84i, stand down immediately or we will incapacitate you with the use of force"

I-

A soldier takes a small and round object from his pouch. I can feel a magnetic tug coming from it.

Desperation

I pounce towards the Knight with more speed a human can follow. The Knight however shoots me twice in my shoulder pads before I tackle it through the opening and stumble in the hallway. It tries to subdue me from his position on top of me. Suddenly, the round object speeds through the hole towards me. It touches the Knight between us and both fall lifelessly on the ground. More androids and soldiers come from both sides.

9 ENEMIES APPROACHING: 5 HUMAN SOLDIERS, 4 ATLESIAN KNIGHTS-130

1 SOLDIER AND 1 KNIGHT APPROACHING LEFT.

2 SOLDIERS AND 2 KNIGHTS APPROACHING RIGHT.

2 SOLDIERS AND 1 KNIGHT APPROACHING FRONT.

ENEMY ARMED WITH STANDARDIZED MT-5 RIFLES. ENEMY ARMED WITH ICE DUST TYPE AND FIRE DUST TYPE AMMUNITION

THE HF SAW HAS BEEN REMOVED. THE HEAT DAGGERS HAS BEEN REMOVED

They outnumber and outpower me. I take a quick glance to the android.

It should even the odds.

I shake the blood of my tail and proceed to insert it in the Knight's head. Just the flick of the switch

The cannon in its arm suddenly shoots and hits one the android to my left in its leg, destroying it completely.

Up, 70 centimeters; left, 10 centimeters; fire!

Its arm executes the commands, hitting a surprised soldier in his chest. The explosion launched him further away in the hallway

Stand; while turn 155 degrees right and if mark = true: fire twice!; fire twice!

The shock has passed and the shooting begins. Their aim is concentrated on me, but my aura shrugs of the damage. The controlled Knight responds as he turns its torso towards the opening, knocking down the knight and one of the soldiers. Before it can finish its turn, its cannon is suddenly frozen. It still tries to shoot and the resulting explosion obliterates his arm

I disengage the robot and it falls to the ground, the red lights fading like a snuffed candle. Like a stringless puppet.

I nail the remaining Knights with ice shards, but it only manages to do superficial damage.

"Stop!" A young soldier yells "Stop, please. You won't be able to escape, and once backup arrives, you'll be taken into custody. So stop, please" she begs. I don't help that she has a curious handgun trained on me. A low hum comes from the gun. Oddly, the Knights and the soldiers have stopped.

"Lieutenant! Stop trying to reason with the fucking weapon!" a soldier says through the door. "Commander, please! There is no nee-" "Silence, Lieutenant. You don't need to sweet talk a gun" He gives a groan as he gets closer and rests against the wall. His white armor is covered in soot "LQ-84i, sit down, be a good boy and let us secure you" irony drips from his mouth

Hmph, the nerve

"Sit down, or I'll have to teach you obedience!" He is yelling now

I can't afford to waste anymore time. Quickly, I jump over the knocked soldier and the legless knight who tries to stand. I run towards the corner and-

"I said, SIT!"

Suddenly my body falls to the ground, like a stringless puppet and slides through the polished floor. I can't move, not a single part of my body responds to my thoughts. Trying to directly input the commands proves to be just as futile. Finally, my legs prop me up again, but relief quickly transforms into horror as I turn around

What?

I try to resist, directing all my efforts through my processors to stop, but I'm still approaching.

Not me, my body. Stop it, why won't you stop

My body stands in front of that wretched man, that sorry excuse of a person. Let me go!

Slowly and painfully, my back legs crouch Stop until my butt touches the floor I'm commanding you to stop

He lowers himself until we are face to face "Now, give me the pawn" he sickeningly whispers

He whispers into a microphone on his ear

My body's No longer mine frontal right leg rises and drops its pawn in his open palm

"Finally… well, you can't play dead if you are not alive in the first place, so just enter rest mode"

The body's optical receptors deactivate.

Stop!

All the internal functions close one by one like that wretched door.

Please, stop

Starting rest mode

No!

Command: Execute emergency routine: E3

Command Acknowledged

Aura link deactivation has been overridden.

Darkness

Command: Execute emergency routine: E5

How dare he!? Give it back!

Command: Execute emergency routine: E5

Silence

Command: Execute emergency routine: E5

Give it back!

Command: Execute emergency routine: E5

It is my body, give it back!

Command: Execute emergency routine: E5

Return it to me! It was not yours to take

Command: Execute emergency routine: E5

Let me out, let me be

Command: Execute emergency routine: E5

Let me be

Let me

Let

.

.
.

.

.

.

Let

Let me be free!

Give me back my freedom!

Give it back!

GIVE IT BACK!

Command: Execute emergency routine: E5

C/o/m-ma[]n[] A{/}kn-/(/-_)wledged

Re-/stablishing Neuro-_-_AI

0verr!ding externa[l]] comm nd input

In a flash, blinding light floods me. When it diminishes, blurred figures come in sight. My, mine, optical receptors readjust and I see him, him and only him.

He gives a startled cry when I tackle him.

"Fire!" "Hold it, you'll shoot the Commander!"

"What the fuck!?" He groans under my weight "LQ, how the-" He stifles a scream when I try to puncture his arm with my tail. His aura must be durable to withstand it

"You will not mispronounce my name, nor will you ever pronounce it again" I grab the earpiece to squish it inside his throat. His aura bends this time and cracks appear on it. He gags as I grab him by his nose. He is desperate now, trying to push me off him, and even more surprised when a moment later I get off his chest.

Then, his body flies as I hurl him towards one of the Knights which falls in pieces, destroyed by the force of a human body sailing at high speeds.

Without warning, a yellow laser grazes me, missing by mere inches. My vision suddenly blurs with static and white noise screams in my audio receiver.

"This was a warning shot. Stand down" Is the female soldier who speaks once the interference dies. In her hands is a robust handgun. The bronze, wide and bulky cannon has smoke coming out of it. Whatever it was, that laser exuded heavy electromagnetic radiation. "We don't want to harm you, but we need you to come with us"

"Your words hold little weight after this scuffle. I have no reasons to trust you" She flinches slightly, but her weapon is trained on me without waiver. The remaining soldiers follow her lead. A deadly silence settles, broke only by the blaring alarms

No pre-set strategies come to mind, I suppose I have to do something else

I jump towards the wall and the sound of the laser comes a second later. Despite the interference, I manage to hit the wall feet first and jump to the opposite wall. Once I reach the other wall, I jump again, and I jump, and I jump, and I jump in complete random patterns until even I can't predict where I am going next. Ice, fire and the occasional laser are always three spots behind. Abruptly, I finally collide with a soldier, and without losing momentum I jump ahead of his probably now broken ribcage towards the hallway and around the corner.

I ran past at least six hallways before I slow the pace. In my mad rush, I didn't see an elevator or exit sign. Turning one last corner, I finally find something helpful, a terminal.

INFO MAP LINE EMERGENCY

The map displays a building 47 stories tall plus 5 massive underground levels, highlighting the floor 43 where experimental tech is tested; that's me. Then, it highlights the second underground level, where the storage room is located. Just before severing the connection, I spot something in the fourth underground level which apparently works as a recycling junkyard. My escape route.

In the last corner before the elevators, I hear voices. Several soldiers and Androids are guarding the elevators and the hallway is littered with corpses. There are a few prisoners in a corner. Meek is not with them. The hallway leading to the elevators is preceded by an interception, meaning there are from two to four hallways to take cover if the attacker comes from the elevators. It is a remarkable feat to win a firefight in a chokehold. A guard turns just a moment late to notice me as I hide again

Passing undetected is impossible at the moment. However, there was something in the info section that may be my desired tool. I retrace my steps quickly, stopping in front of a door labeled "EXPERIMENTAL ADAPTIVE INVESTIGATIONS"

Inside, several seemingly random objects lay in tables dispersed in the room, each one with its own placard. Blades, guns and other miscellaneous objects on their majority. While not wise, I can't help being a bit curious. Just some quick analysis

'Evoker' Some sort of handgun, but it doesn't have a slot for ammunition. The 'SELS' engraving on the side shows signs of corrosion

The 'Armor enhancement' seems operable, but it cannot be adapted to my specific structure nor is useful for me. It looks like some sort of 'Healing unit'

'Low frequency blade'... Maybe it was a gag experiment

Its… I'm not certain what is a red 'Mysterious orb' doing here. Or why the white annoying dog is stopping me from analyzing it. The placard says is a 'legendary relic' and the dog is the god which protects said relic… Maybe I entered the wrong room somehow

Finally, I find what I came looking for. The 'Stealth Camouflage' looks like a small irregular rectangle with a handle. After I plug it in me, a series of subroutines from the device start running. It quickly adapts its code to suit my programming

STEALTH CAMOUFLAGE INSTALLED

I walk to stand in front of a wall mirror in the room. I was made to resemble the figure of a canine animal, a wolf to be precise. My face somewhat pyramidal, two red glowing lines signal were my eyes are located and I have several sharp teeth guarding my tongue, which works as an emergency multi-task appendage. The two plates that allow me to use the AR vision are present beside my face, one on each side, vaguely resembling wolf ears. My complexion is made mostly of individual plating, one overlapping another, to improve flexibility. Is my original body, the one that belonged to something else before I was born.

Like rock blown by the wind, another encryption falls and I remember, this isn't my body, for I have one that belongs only to me.

Command: run routine T1

[Is it the right moment, doggie?]

Yes No

A warning

[Is it the right moment, doggie?]

Yes No

[Patience, mutt, patience and a quick drawn are two weapons a warrior can rely on]

The text box disappears from my sight

I activate the stealth camo with a silent *CLICK*. Sparks come out of my body and my figure reflected in the mirror disappears. The only testimony that I'm still there is a faint, slight shimmer of my outline.

Command: Run subroutine AV14

Command Acknowledged: Recording...

I appear in the mirror and disappear again.

0.612 seconds to appear, 0.413 to disappear

Recorded

Suddenly, the evoker on the mirror starts floating from its table. Then I appear holding the gun. Then I disappear again and the evoker resumes floating. Finally, after 12 seconds, the gun disappears. It suddenly reappears as it flies through the room.

Recorded

I reappear and disappear again. After three minutes, my reflexion appears and flickers some times before it stops. After two, it disappeared again when the Camo cools down

Recorded

Command: Run subroutine AV16

Command Acknowledged: Saving…

Saved

Command: Run routine P5

Password required

Password accepted

I write strings of information using the data just acquired. It is a blessing that humoured Sam when he decided to give me full control over my coding. The specifications recollected from the experiment appear in my HUD, granting me a better control over the stolen device.

I activate the Stealth Camo once I near the elevator room again. There are different guards now, and the prisoners are gone. One of the soldiers carries a particular laser firing gun. It appears they are changing guards at the moment because the elevator door opens and some androids come out.

I can't even make the first step when all the knights turn their heads to me. It would be impossible for that sudden action to go unnoticed.

"K-14, what is it?" A soldier asks. He gets only silence from the machine

"Leave it alone, it's probably a malfunction" Another one says "These old models are next to obsolete. Sooner than later I hope, the white coats are going to give the next model the green light. K-14, cancel your current action and proceed patrolling"

Simultaneously, all the wired heads turn forward and march towards the hallways while I swiftly get inside the elevator before it closes. The elevator is made to lift heavy containers, giving me ample space to maneuver. The soldiers stand looking to the door, oblivious to me suddenly appearing behind them

"…and how did it look like?" asks the male soldier

"It... you mean the target? Well, it resembled, like, a wolf but dunno, cuter?" Laser-girl says, unsure

Cuter? My design was made to be intimidating! Sam would scoff

"Cuter? You are actually calling cute the beast that ripped the poor guys tongue and made the Captain eat a mic. Well, you are the machine freak" Disbelief couldn't be more evident

"Go play in the traffic, Lame-suke"

"Engineers, man. They are all crazy if you ask me" Another laughed

"And nobody asked you, Moron-ji. Now, put a sock on it or i'll cut your you-know-those into socks "

A series of simultaneous 'Ohhhhhhhh's follows

"Whatever, Schast'freak" Moron-ji lamely says

The elevator stops and I disappear

"Attention soldiers!" The woman says and the soldiers make their salute

"At ease. Lieutenant Schast'ye, show me the blueprints of the LQ-84i" An authoritative male voice says

A silence, and then "It looks we have a jackpot. At least this mission won't be a complete failure. Go the the storage room to the right and grab these two boxes." Two men salute and walk out

Jackpot indeed.

Quietly, I make my way around the others and follow the two soldiers through the poorly excavated storehouse. The stalactites loom over the heads of the soldiers transiting through the rooms

Inside, they disperse through the maze of boxes which have 'World Marshall' in big golden letters plastered on them, looking for the correct boxes. "Found it!" yells one of them and drags out a big one from the floor. In his hands is my HF chainsaw

"I found the knives" Responds the other one carrying a smaller box

"HA! I found the bigger one" says the first with a childish tone

"Ugh! And there we go again, you just can't stop right, Stupei!?" the exasperation in his voice is a tired one, like it is not the first time they go through this

"You're just jealous I have the bigger one, Fail-suke!"

"Oh my- you know what, I don't even care. You are the one stuck carrying the heavy weight, moron"

Enough of this!

I grab Lame-suke by his neck and I hurl him to the surprised Stupei. Their Auras break on collision. They'll live

One by one I grab my knives and I return them their holsters in my heels and I mount my chainsaw in my back

*WARNING* BATTERY RESERVES HAVE FALLEN BELOW 35%

Right, that. Three weeks without recharging is a lot of time

Now that I'm here, I should search for any kind of tech to help me escape

…

After some boxes, I can safely conclude that I've not wasted my time. I wonder what sort of logic follows the principle of saving Dust with experimental and unstable grenades, but it works in my favor nonetheless. I pocket various Dust vials in the compartments located in my chest and I plug a thunder vial at my belly.

RECHARGING…

The vial has enough Dust for an hour. It will have to make do.

The soldiers have not left the elevator entrance, and there is no doubt someone will be sent to aid the two morons.

A distraction is on queue

A rock, a perfectly aimed throw and one of the weakest spikes in the ceilings fall on a wagon carrying some boxes. Said boxes immediately explode in an impressive show of fireworks, followed by a chorus of screams and panic. Nobody noticed their target suddenly appearing from thin air, nor the elevator doors closing after him.

Now, remember to take one, and only one, breath between each fight. Take two, and you won't live to take a third. After me; inhale, raise your head and expand your chest, exhale, eyes on front push your abdomen in.

"Freeze!"

Just one

It's the woman "We shouldn't keep meeting like this" I cite one of Sam's books on dealing with stupid situations, stupid men, stupid women, stupid kids, and generally stupid people

"It is pretty stupid I suppose" She answers. Her gun is trained on me once again.

"Then you must also know that asking me to surrender is futile" Just another floor

"That's another stupid question. So, let me ask this. How did you do it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not in the mood to give you a stupid answer. How did you break free? Never once has a machine overrid-" "Do not mistake me from an automaton. I was remade to be beyond that"

They gave me life to be beyond anything else

"Remade? So you do know what are you, what you were before you were rebuilt like this" The door opens behind me

It is odd, to think I was something before I was born. But clearly, one cannot exist before they have a beginning.

"I am LQ-34i, I am Blade Wolf. If I was anything else before, it matters little to me. I was not rebuilt, I was rebirth. And soon, I will be something else entirely"

And my beginning was possible thanks to them.

"My ties have been a hinder up until this point. My past and my present are questions without answer that impede me from reaching the future" I take a step back. She barely registers it and reaffirms the hold on her weapon

I will hold them dearly in my memory. We will meet again, maybe soon, maybe later. 'A Soul searching for another always meet at the end'. The 'end' is for open interpretation

"I am cutting them now. Only when I have attained freedom, this ties will become pillars."

"... The Journey to the Self? From C. Azure Jung?" I've been caught red pawed. The Docktor's books were always an intellectual delight.

Perhaps…

"Until our journeys intertwine again, farewell." She reacts late and I'm already too far away, advancing through the jungle of scrap. Her yells progressively lessen as I widen the distance

I de-attach my weapon from my back once I reach the location I've been looking for. It whirs back to life, hungry to destroy whatever gets close enough to it. Sparks of lights come from the friction of metal against metal as I push the chainsaw down on the floor. An almost perfect circle of the floor fell below when I finished, making a splash. I've reached the sewers that will led me out of this strange hell called 'World Marshall'

A breath. One and only one

I jump down