----- Chapter 8 : The Crazy Program -----
Some time later Rico had finally arrived outside the monitor room, where Vol Opt's Intelligence was housed. She was disheartened to see a palm reader protected the door, she knew that if she could not get authorisation to enter, these mines might very well become a tomb for her. Gingerly she had approached the door palm extended and was startled when the door opened of its own accord! Was she expected?
Stepping into the monitor room she could see that the name was very appropriate, the walls of the circular room were crammed with banks of monitors, each displaying data or video feed from some remote area of the mines. As she moved further into the room, the door behind her slammed shut and simultaneously all the monitors deactivated, leaving her in near darkness. Instinctively she drew her Kaladbolg and with its faint pink glow guided herself to the nearest terminal. Pressing the keys yielded no response.
"Vol Opt? Can you hear me?"
Silence followed. She called out again and once more received no reply. She was puzzled, this was no power failure, the hum of the computer banks surrounding her was audible enough. She could wait no longer and proceeded towards the door she had entered through. She was stopped in her tracks by an ear-splitting klaxon as red-alert lights lit up along with all the monitors.
"What's going on?" She shouted, barely able to hear herself over the din.
A reply came in the form of a mechanical whine as, like some kind of obscene lamp, a current generator descended from the ceiling. She recognised it at once, having employed such a device in lab experiments of her own, but this one was probably ten times larger than anything she had seen. She also knew that its purpose was strictly offensive and backed up against the wall.
Directly opposite, the screens flashed up with what could only be the image of the physical form of Vol Opt. The disembodied head of her captor proceeded to 'walk' the perimeter of the room, the screens acting like windows until it stopped on her right and then vanished. The generator above then threw bolt after bolt of lightning in her direction. Its aim was crude but despite curling up to minimise damage it still scored a couple of direct hits upon her, the charge rippling across her protective frame before dissipating. She rose to her feet unsteadily, the shock had unsettled her more than caused injury but she had no wish to repeat the experience.
She saw her chance when Vol Opt's face reappeared once more on the displays it had just vacated. Racing over, she slashed away at its image, and it disappeared amid a hail of glass and sparks. Stepping back she caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of her eye and spinning round attacked it again. With these monitors demolished the rest deactivated and Rico hurried over to one side, hunkering down in anticipation of retaliation. She would not wait long as with a low rumble Vol Opt's immense body lowered itself into the room.
Like a giant metallic crab suspended from the ceiling, Vol Opt adjusted its legs and spun around to face her. She stepped up towards the machine, ready to do to its head what she had done to its image mere seconds ago. So concerned was she with her target that she had failed to notice the targeting laser until it was too late. She twisted in an attempt to avoid the incoming blow but the "leg" with which it struck out with was so large and fast moving that just the act of brushing against her was enough to knock her to the ground. Clutching her shoulder in pain she was only just able to roll out of the way of the other two strikes, each one punching a sizeable hole into the floor plating.
She retrieved her sword as Vol Opt rotated to present a different side to her. Weary as to what would happen next, she could only begin to run around the mad machine as panels opened up to reveal missile tubes. The missiles impacted on the wall behind her, in the small confines of the room they could not maneuver and Vol Opt could not turn fast enough to lock-on properly. Even if it could not hurt her now, Rico could not circle it forever and striking the modules as she ran showed that its armour would most definitely outlast her's.
It was when she had nearly stumbled that she had noticed the gap beneath Vol Opt and dived for it. The machine rotated impotently above her, its legs pounding the ground in attempt to frighten her out. She allowed herself a grin at Vol Opt's helplessness, but that had quickly turned to a grimace at the pain her shoulder caused her in the cramped space. Well, she had thought, now it was her turn to inflict pain and with that she plunged her sword upward into the vulnerable circuitry of Vol Opt's underbelly. The hole where the photon blade had entered began to spout flame but she pushed the sword deeper still oblivious to the heat.
It was only when she had heard faint explosions deep within its bowels that Vol Opt retreated back to the safety of its lair above. A door slid open and she rushed out, needing no second invitation. It was only after the door had shut and she had collapsed to the ground in a heap that she had noticed that it was not the door that she had initially entered.