Eric entered the lab to work on the last bit of the programming for the Robo Soldiers, which were almost complete.
The Robo Soldiers were about the same size as a normal human, with heavy armor and the infantry units had a built in machine gun in one arm.
The mechanized units had dual rocket launchers on their backs which, when not in use, were mounted like a backpack.
When the rocket launchers were raised they became shoulder-mounted by spreading apart and moving upward, onto the shoulders.
With an advanced processing unit that could think as fast as a human and the upgraded armor, they were dangerous to an extreme.
They were to be deployed at midnight and strike while the O.S. least expected it, where they least expected it.
"Lash, where do you keep the imaging programs on the drive? I need them so that I can begin writing the code to decipher them." Eric asked Lash.
"In the G drive, under RS/code/imaging." She replied.
"Alright." He replied.
He switched to that directory and began looking through the code Lash had written for the Robo Soldiers imaging systems.
"What the- oh crap, this won't work…" he said.
"Grrr… you'll have to make it work, because I'm not rewriting that code." Lash replied.
"Alright, alright, don't have a cow, I can adjust mine, sheesh." He said.
"It might be a little difficult though, considering you're code is written in a different language than mine." He muttered under his breath.
He would have to adapt her code to the language they were supposed to be using.
He began typing frantically as Sturm would be ticked off if he didn't have that finished.
After almost three hours he had it up and running and decided it was time for a test run.
He compiled the code one more time to be sure it was working and then uploaded it to the prototype head that they had prepared.
"Can you see me, RS-01?" Eric asked the head.
"Yes, I can. What is you're Identification Pattern?" the robot asked him.
The Robo Soldiers called names Identification Patterns, mostly because Lash wanted to see if she could confuse Sturm at the demo that night.
"You realize how silly you look talking to a robotic head?" she asked Eric.
"Shush, Lash. RS-01, my Identification Pattern is Eric." He told the robot.
"Well, I think that that is about it. We should be ready for the demo tonight. Just wait for what I have in store for Adder…" Lash said, breaking into an evil grin.
That night at the demo, Hawke, Adder, Flak, and Sturm file into the room where Lash and Eric would show them the robot.
"All right, where is this thing, I need to get out of here so I can admire myself some more." Adder said upon entering the room.
"That's it? How the crap is a head supposed to take over the Orange Star?" Flak asked.
"Shut up, both of you. Eric and Lash have worked very hard on this and it will be because of them that we rule this pathetic rock!" Hawke said.
They turned on the robot.
"Hello all. My Identification Pattern is RS-01. I am a prototype model for the Robo Soldier, model X-33A. I-" the robot began.
"Skip this and get to the guns." Flak said.
"We'll just leave Flak out of this then." Lash said as she slapped something on his back.
Flak fell to the ground as though he had been knocked unconscious.
"What the- how did- huh?" Adder said.
"My patented sleep patch! Slap it on someone and they'll fall right asleep." Lash said.
"Can we continue please?" Sturm said angrily.
"Oh, of course." Eric said.
'Any second now…' Lash thought to herself.
The robot began scanning the room until it came to Adder.
"Adder, you slimy worm, get out of my sight or I will blast you into a million pieces!" the robot shouted.
Its body began moving because of wireless control from the head.
It pulled out the built in M Gun and pointed it right at Adder, who quickly scrambled away.
Eric, Lash, and Hawke cracked up laughing.
Even Sturm seemed amused, although the old smokestack could not really show it.
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After the demo was over everybody filed back out and Sturm congratulated Eric and Lash on their good work, even though he was slightly annoyed by the interruption.
Adder left, still fuming about the joke, and the crack about being a slimy worm, and Eric pulled Flak's limp body out of the room.
Eric's plans were coming into place. Everything would soon be ready…
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Authors Note: This one should be a lot better than the last few chapters as I have tried to implement the suggestions of my reviewers. Thanks to everyone who made suggestions.