Back to Reality Part X
"Stand down, J5," Dr. Mindbender gave an order to the android. But it refused to comply with his command.
"Identify yourself immediately," the android demanded. Its enhanced electronic synthesized voice boomed with authority. With its gun pointed at Arashikage and Smith, and their hands raised above their heads, the android was obviously in complete control. "I repeat, identity yourself!" it said.
"I command you to lower your weapon, J5," Dr. Mindbender said in the same authoritative and commanding tone he used before.
"Voice of Dr. Julius Mindbender confirmed," the android said. And Mindbender seemed to breath a sigh of relief, however his ease was short lived, as he saw the android had not lowered the gun. "Identify yourself, immediately," he demanded from Arashikage and Smith.
"You know who they are, J5," Dr. Mindbender said. "Check your memory banks for Dr. Thomas Arashikage and Jonathan "Snake Eyes" Smith."
The android seemed to compile the information for a brief moment.
The red sensor light in its rectangular electronic eye where human eyes on a human face should be moved back and forth. It appeared to lull for a time as it searched for those names. The eye stopped, and it said, "Names referenced in organization archives. State security clearance and associate pass code for further identification, please," it requested.
Tommy Arashikage looked at Mindbender and shrugged. "What clearance pass code?" he said. He then looked at Snake Eyes. He shrugged as well. He turned back at the android, who had the gun pointed directly at him. It's appearance was authoritative and menacing. It's entire body appeared to be made out of a strong metal alloy. It was 6'2" in height and had a metal exoskeleton structure that gave it a hardened, almost militaristic look. "I've forgotten it," he finally said.
J5, the android, compiled his answer; its electronic eye moved. "Identification unconfirmed," it said. "Please state clearance code."
"Deactivation code: A5782-Q," Dr. Mindbender quickly said.
"Command recognized, but not accepted," J5 said. "There are intruders on the premises. Article 56, subsection 6, paragraph 4 of the building security code states override command is nullified during a crisis situation. The apprehension of intruders supersedes override command. The intruders must be captured. Deactivation code: A5782-Q not valid."
Mindbender's mouth went completely agape. "But… that's impossible! I can't deactivate it," Dr. Mindbender said, jerking his head towards them. "It sees you as intruders. You must state your clearance code to override its programming."
"I don't know it," Tommy said, shaking his head. "Snake Eyes, do you remember yours?"
"No," Snake Eyes said, the electronic reverberations of the voice box resounded. "I've forgotten mind too. What do we do?"
"Two options: surrender or fight," Tommy said.
"Fight an android?" Snake Eyes expressed disbelief.
"Mindbender, what is this android's capabilities? Does it have any weaknesses? I need to know."
Dr. Mindbender had to think for a moment. "None as far as I know," he said. "It's a prototype for a military war machine for the government. A Battle Android Trooper, or BAT for short. We call is J5, after Johnny Five from the Short Circuit movies in the mid '80's, and also it's the fifth constructed prototype. The Pentagon plan on sending it out on missions where it is too dangerous for humans to venture. We're testing its response time by using it as building security presently. Unfortunately, there are still a few bugs we need to work out."
"I'd say this is a major bug," Snake Eyes said. "You should never introduce a law command that can override a deactivation circuit."
"Programming had assured me that that bug had been dealt with, but apparently it hasn't," Mindbender said apologetically. "There's no way to shut it down. Only your security clearance code will stop it."
"What if we just surrender to it? Will it stop then?" Snake Eyes wondered. "We surrender," he then said to J5. "We surrender."
"State security clearance code or I will commence firing in five seconds," J5 stated.
"Apparently it doesn't like your white flag," Tommy said.
"Any suggestions?" Snake Eyes said.
"Looks like we have only one option open to us," Tommy said.
Time elapsed, and J5's patience ran out, if an android had patience, and it commenced firing at them. Laser bolts shot through the air like lightning in a freak storm. Tommy and Snake Eyes ducked for cover underneath the large conference table.
"I order you to stop this, J5," Dr. Mindbender commanded, and tried to physically force the android to cease his attack. He grabbed J5's left arm and yanked on it, trying to make it drop the gun. J5 felt the yanking of its appendence and suddenly jerked its head in Mindbender's direction. Dr. Mindbender stopped immediate as the android's sensory eye moved, looking at him.
Mindbender loosed his grip, not because it was looking at him, but because he was fearful of the possible repercussion of J5.
"Reclassification initiated," it said. And Dr. Mindbender backed away. J5 aimed its gun at him. "Dr. Julius Mindbender classified as an enemy. Accomplice to intruders. Kill intruder accomplice."
The situation had become very unstable, and Tommy and Snake Eyes peaked their heads over the conference table after listening to J5's proclamation about Dr. Mindbender. They looked at each other, and nodded as if knowing what the other was thinking, and immediately stood up.
J5 sensed their movement and turned its head back towards them. "Intruders, kill intruders," it said, and readjusted its weapon and targeting sensors.
But before it could fire at them, the two of them formulated a makeshift plan, and grabbed hold of the conference table from either side. With tremendous strength, they pushed it forward and jammed it into J5's waist. The android heaved over from the impact and its arms hit the table, shattering the glass on that side of the table.
However, they efforts to relieve J5 of its weapon failed, and it brought it back to bare on them. Its electric eye synchronizing with its targets. And it started to fire at them again, sending a barrage of laser fire in their direction.
Tommy and Snake Eyes ducked for cover underneath the conference table once again, but it was of no protection from J5's weapons fire. The glass shattered on the other side of the table and showered them with glass. They covered them headed from falling glass.
Suddenly Tommy snorted angry. "Okay, that's it, I've had enough," he said. "No bucket of bolts is going to get the better of Tommy Arashikage. My family has a long history of overcoming tremendous odds to gain victory."
"What do you plan on doing?" Snake Eyes wondered, asked.
"Even the odds," he said, with a determined stare.
And suddenly he grabbed a few pieces of broken shards of glass and rolled out from underneath the conference table. Then he quickly rose to his feet and with the swiftness of a ninja, he tossed those shards like shuriken, Japanese throwing stars, snapping them through the air, with a sudden jerking motion of his right hand, at J5. A few droplets of blood accompanied each shard, but Tommy ignored the cuts on his hand from holding the shards.
J5 continued to fire, but instead of aiming at Tommy, it targeted the shards, and destroyed all but one of them. The one that got through, the last one Tommy threw in fact, embedded itself in the barrel of J5's laser, and when J5 attempted to dislodge it by discharging the weapon, it exploded in its hand, destroying the laser.
Snake Eyes let out a cheer of praise for his friend and got to his feet. "Way to go, Tommy," he said. "How on earth did you learn to do that?"
"I don't know; the only way I can explain it is I did it on instinct," Tommy said, equally surprised.
--
"This is getting exciting!" Slice said elated, watching the action simulated by the portable BWS devices both Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes were wearing and displayed on a television monition attached to a rather large control panel and keypad. "It's just like watching a live soap opera."
Cobra Commander sat in a chair and typed on a keypad as the others, Firefly and Slice, watched the monitor. "It's only just begun, Slice," Cobra Commander said. "I devised this pocket universe and I control every aspect of it. And the best is yet to come. This is merely the beginning of their journey. It's taken years to build this virtual world and design every specification for complete interactive interaction."
"You're speaking in riddles to him, Commander," Firefly mocked.
"I know what he's saying, Firefly, or have you forgotten I have a technical degree from Devry," Slice said. "Don't always judge a book by its cover, because more times than naught, you'll get burned."
"Actual experience in the field dictates a person's worth, ninja-rat, and a one-year correspondence course over the internet doesn't put you in the same class as others who have actually attended actual school."
"Enough," Cobra Commander snapped at them. "Squabble something place else; there's fun to be had and you're ruining mine!"
"Sorry, Commander," Slice apologized, but Firefly did not. He was of the disposition that he never said he was sorry for anything or any action he took. He was getting paid for his expertise in this little venture and he had done his work. He set everything up for Cobra Commander in this isolated little warehouse. And that's all he was paid to do.
After a few moments of quiet, Slice said, "How did you manage to erase their identities, Commander?"
"Glad you asked," he said. "I'm using proto-sensory emission," he explained. "Fusing PSE into bursts of flashing light in conjunction with the mind manipulation of the Brain Wave Scanner, I'm able to temporarily erase their memories, while leaving a few tiny aspects of their personality intact." He continued to feed information into the simulation by using the keypad. "However," he continued. "It won't last forever. Eventually, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes will regain their memories, but I plan on killing them way before that. I hate to lose a valuable ninja like Storm Shadow, but anyone who can overpower the Brain Wave Scanner is a very dangerous man to have around. This time, he won't escape."
"If it was me, I'd just fry his neutrons and be done with it," Firefly said, looking over at Storm Shadow, who was strapped with binds to a metal table, his face unmasked, secured into a portal version of the BWS.
"That's the difference between you and I, Firefly," Cobra Commander said. "I have the patience of a saint when it comes to revenge. I'm absolutely confident nothing will fail. I won't be denied this time."
"They seem so peaceful laying here unfettered," Slice said. He made his way over to them. He stood between the metal tables with his sword in his hand. Snake Eyes was on the left and Storm Shadow was on the right. "It would be so easy to slice their throats and watch the blood ooze out of their bodies. You know what they say when you die in your dreams. They theorize you die for real. But no one has been able to prove that."
"You watch too many horror movies, Slice," Firefly said.
Slice looked at him and gave him a nasty look from behind his mesh mask. But it appeared Firefly foresaw his reaction and smirked behind his mask. The curl of his mouth forming in the cloth.
"It would be easy to kill them, Slice," Cobra Commander said, "however, they would ruin the sport of what I have in store for them. I want them to suffer as I have. If they think they know what pain is, then they're dead wrong. I will show them what true pain is."
Slice looked back at Cobra Commander. "You have the mind of a megalomaniac, Cobra Commander, but that's why I enjoy working for you," he said. "Let them discover what true pain is, destroy their minds."
Cobra Commander chuckled softly, but failed to look at him. Instead he continued typing at the keypad. "Now I know why I hired your services, Slice," he said. "You're a man of my own heart."
Firefly crossed his arms across his chest, annoyed.
--
Little did they know, Kamakura was starting to regain consciousness from his chained position on the wall in the warehouse.
- tbc