Chapter 2
And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Once the helicopter landed, she was pushed out by the Irregular Hunter with nary a word from the Reploid. While she stood there, she watched as the helicopter rose into the sky, her blond hair angrily fluttering from the winds started up from the machine.
"Maggot get over here! We didn't build you for you to space out!" A voice roared at her as soon as the helicopter had gone off far enough for the man's voice to be heard over the dull roar.
Immediately, Rokko spun, her blue eyes ice cold as she scanned the area until she saw the source of the voice.
The man wore the same uniform of the man who'd tortured her only a few hours earlier. Only a wide-brimmed hat of green differentiated him from the prior soldier. Hate bubbled in her chest, but she shoved it down, remembering that terrible pain. Instead, she remained still, watching him.
"Damn Idiot get over here! NOW!" The last word was spoken in a dull roar, rivalling the sound of the helicopter when it had been close.
The man tapped the ground with the toe of his brown boot impatiently and while X would have prefered to ignore him, she grit her teeth and approached.
"Too slow! You're a simple recruit for the Irregular Hunters which means the worms in the dirt can give you orders you damn machine! If I tell you to move, YOU WILL MOVE DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
Instead of responding audibly, she nodded her head, unblinkingly, drawing on that pool of hate to be able to stare him down without an iota of her nervousness showing.
At that, the man backhanded her. It stung, but it was nothing on what the last human had done. Instead she continued to stare deep into the other's soulless black eyes.
"OH, SO YOU THINK YOU DON'T HAVE TO RESPOND HUH? WE'LL WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT!"
The next three months were going to be long. Rokko thought to herself, not knowing just how accurate that truly was.
Training consisted mostly of the humans 'breaking' their 'rebelliousness'. However, each day, several hours were devoted to combat training. Rokko X and the other recruits would enter simulations and war games with other Reploids and Humans alike. Damage was simulated, and for the Reploids, getting hit caused a hefty amount of pain.
The drill instructors called it 'an incentive to not get hit'. Rokko X had to reluctantly agree with that. After the first time she'd been struck by a stray shot, and she felt the potent charge, she had been given all the incentive to dodge the simulation plasma bursts.
At the end of each training day, the Drill Instructor would approach and scream at the top of his lungs for them. Usually, it was something along the lines of:"Line Up you Worthless Machines!"
That was short for 'Line up so I can insult your performances and let you know what miserable excuses of space you are!' Short form or not, the Drill Instructor took perverse pleasure in degrading each and every one of them.
When a Reploid cracked, Rokko X could have sworn that they'd crack open a bottle of wine during the night and cheer over their success. Perhaps it was her over thinking, but each morning after a Reploid broke emotionally, the drill instructor was more chipper, and then he would lay into them even more fiercely than before.
To these humans, we really are nothing but tools…
As harsh as it was, as demanding, and as difficult as Irregular Hunting training was Rokko X excelled, rising to the top of the class.
Training taught many useful talents, but most of it focused on enhancing their natural abilities. For Rokko, this meant she was at a serious disadvantage, having no special characteristics such as the ability to run over ice freely, or fly. Still, as a pure humanoid build, she was able to do about every job to some degree.
Ice in particular was a difficult issue for Rokko X. Thanks to her stabilizing systems, falling down wasn't likely, but it was difficult for her to stop after getting to a run. Worse yet, running took a bit more effort, as she slid each step. However, with the weeks of training, she slowly learned to use that to her advantage.
She learned that if she was running at a target, she could use the loss of friction to slide under targets and get behind them, or use the momentum to perform a sliding kick that could both push her away, and deal some hefty damage if she struck her opponent in the right place. At the very least it would work to give her more attack angles. She also learned she could so something similar with the walls, kicking off of them to give her another attack angle.
Slowly, she learned she didn't mind fighting on ice. It gave her another way to attack that she normally could not do. It just meant that she had to follow slightly different rules.
Sky Battles however, were another story entirely. As Rokko X lacked flight systems, she relied on standing on ships, meaning she was often open to attacks, and had to spend most of her time shooting down enemy shots instead of moving through enemy ranks. It made her feel vulnerable, reminding her of her awakening, a feeling she truly loathed.
In turn, she also hated relying on others. When she had to, it meant that she wasn't strong enough to do it alone, that she had to depend on another, on someone she didn't, and could not trust. Each time she found herself on a team, she hardened herself a bit more, until, finally, the drill instructors came to the conclusion that she'd work best alone, without backup.
In turn, they put her through a whole new level of insanity. Less recovery time, more training, more enemies, new and brutal scenarios of ever increasing difficulty.
Her last week and a half subjected her to a whole new level of difficulty. On that particular morning, the drill instructor approached her in the barracks, his unforgiving black eyes staring into hers as she stood perfectly still, waiting for the man to speak.
"Maggot, you've got one last mission before you're deemed capable enough to graduate and go die in some suicide mission."
It was no secret that she'd been trained for that type of mission. Her inability to trust a team meant that was the only role that she was really suited for. And that was perfectly acceptable to Rokko X.
"What is my mission sir?" She asked, keeping up the illusion of respect.
At her question, the instructor lifted a tablet up in front of himself and tapped a few buttons. The bunks and walls faded and a large complex filled the area.
"This is your mission site. Inside is a nuclear warhead that a handful of irregulars managed to secure. You are to execute every Irregular in the facility, and disarm the warhead. The site itself is an underground maze, leading several miles underground in a veritable labyrinth. Worse yet, this labyrinth's corridors can be reset at a moment's notice, so drawing attention to yourself will likely put you right back at the start, but with increased security." The Instructor explained as a web of tunnels dug beneath the surface of the building.
It became a veritable maze, with thousands of corridors; potentially impossible to ever get to the center of.
"You'll need to get to the War head in Chamber seventy two and disarm it before finding the generator, overloading it and escaping. If you somehow survive, you'll be allowed to graduate. If you fail, you'll start all over again, but at an even more grueling level of training." The bald instructor tapped the button once more, causing the imagery to fade, and leaving X alone with the man.
"Understood sir. I'm ready whenever."
A cruel smirk made its way onto the heartless man's tanned face.
"Good. Because you're going to start today. You'll be air dropped five miles outside of the facility, all you'll need to do then is head north to the complex."
She nodded once before he led her to the helicopter. As they walked, X took one last look at the place she'd lived for the last few months, burning the memory deep into her heart, remembering what had happened to her, and her fellow Reploids. Burnt out husks of trees rose up from the frozen tundra, covering what foliage had once been commonplace; a side effect from the nuclear winter caused by Doctor Mad if her studies were to be believed.
In this desolate and ruined land, Rokko listened to the snow beneath her boots crunch. The wind slowly picked up and the sound of a mighty engine signaled the approach of the drop helicopter. As it drew close enough for X to board, snow blasted away from the craft, and windows shuddered under the force.
"YOU'VE GOT ONE CHANCE TO DO THIS SO DON'T SCREW IT UP!" The Drill Instructor shouted over the roar.
She nodded once gracefully stepping on board and allowing the door to shut behind her. While she strapped herself into the seat, the helicopter rose, and unlike most times she'd ridden in a helicopter, she actually took the time to look around. Before, it was usually crowded, or she had plenty of time to rest before the drop point. A fact that she took advantage of frequently.
An array of buttons and switches lined the walls, and various lights glowed faintly in the dim interior. The entire craft hummed from the echo of the engines. The hour passed slowly as Rokko waited to be dropped off at her mission point.
Finally, the speaker system snapped to life in surprising clarity.
"We're here. Prepare for drop." At that, the door opened, and she quickly unbuckled.
"In three, two, one… Drop!"
With the voice's command, Rokko X dove out of the open door, quickly dropping fifty feet before she aimed at the ground, her buster quickly gathering power. Then, with less than ten feet to go, she fired, slowing her descent. Gracefully she landed in the hole she created, looking at the world around her once again. The wind was savage, whipping her hair about her angrily.
Slowly stepping out of the hole, the snow beneath her boots crunched lightly each step. Walking in snow was a more difficult task, and to be able to walk stealthily became much harder. Reploids had much more advanced hearing, and as such even the slightest shift of snow could cause them to become alert, warning all of her enemies of her presence
That was not what she wanted to happen. So, instead of charging forward, she began to move carefully and as silently as she could. This was an infiltration, then more than likely, an execution of as many Irregular units as possible. She harbored no illusions when it came to how she would have to operate.
She would sneak in, destroy, deactivate, or whatever her orders were, then kill as many Reploids as was 'requested' of her. This was her role, assigned to her by the humans, humans she could not, and would not trust.
Carefully she approached the snow-covered complex, one silent step at a time, keeping to the trees to conceal her presence as much as possible. Eventually, she drew close to the treeline, and the next part would demand nearly one hundred yards of no cover whatsoever. Her natural armor scheme was almost perfect for night. If only it was a bit darker, and then she could have blended into the shadows during the night.
Contrary to popular belief, black was one of the worst colors to use at night, it cut a silhouette against the horizon when the moon shone. And of course, it went without saying that a shadow shaped as a human was a bad thing when guarding anything.
However, snow changed everything. Dark colors were easy to spot on a white backdrop, and cool colors like Rokko's were just as easily seen. She didn't have anything she could use to camouflage her armor, and the snow wasn't deep enough to dig through to reach the wall with either. She'd been too obvious is she tried that with the six inches of snow. No, this wasn't going to be easy. Her eyes continued to scan the area, looking for some alternative. Her mind turned up no options save for one, the one that she didn't want to do.
Sprint in as quickly and as quietly as possible.
If she moved quick enough, it was possible that she'd be able to slip in without anyone noticing. Of course, the odds of that weren't good, but it was her only option with the limited choices she'd been presented.
"X, to Control, moving in." She warned before running forward.
She didn't dare use her dash units. Those generated a unique sound that would easily draw the enemy's attention. Once she raced to the wall, she quickly grabbed ahold of said wall and leapt over the complex's outer defenses.
...Strange, the place was… Emptier than she expected. No Irregular guards on the surface level that she could see, and none had spotted her...Very peculiar. No, her senses were telling her that this was all sorts of wrong. However, she had a mission to finish. That was all that mattered.
As she continued to move through the complex she saw a tent full of Irregulars, a single Reploid shouting about how they had to protest oppression, and how they would gain their rights by the right means.
So, if intel was to be believed, the 'right way' was by threatening a nuclear strike. As if the world hadn't suffered enough of those already… Rokko X's expression hardened, as she moved past the tent and to the small structure leading to the underground complex. As soon as she entered darkness assaulted her, forcing her to adjust to the total blackness. Thankfully, she wasn't human, and so the extreme dark didn't stop her from being able to see.
Down, down, down… Things became Stranger still as she realized that the entire place seemed empty. She didn't like this. Not one bit. A few hours passed with her delving deeper into the complex military structure before her transmitter beeped at her.
"Rokko X, here." She answered quietly, but briskly.
"Bad news. They've moved the warhead off site. You're to head up and terminate the Irregulars in the upper courtyard. Hopefully, the attack will shake their compatriots into surrendering the warhead instead of trying to use the damn thing."
"Understood. I'll return to the surface." With that, she broke contact and began her walk back up again.
...This made no sense. Why would they order her to kill Irregulars that had allies armed with a nuclear warhead? The enemy would be more prone to just dropping it out of retaliation. Then, the truth became clear and the harsh reality gave her pause.
...These were no Irregulars; at least not in the normal sense of being a risk to people. No… These Reploids were more likely just as they'd stated as she'd passed by: Peaceful protesters. She felt sick, realizing that she was to kill innocent Reploids.
...That was the real test wasn't it? To see if she'd follow the orders. The orders to eliminate a group of peaceful individuals that simply wanted to be treated as equals. She closed her eyes and bowed her head for a long, long moment.
If she did not… Then someone else would.
We really are nothing but tools to humans…
A single tear trailed down her face; a feat that no Reploid had ever performed, nor could they. Reploids were not made to be loved, but to work for their human masters.
If anything indicated that she was different, it was this.
If we machines have souls, I ask that whatever god we have would take these souls to paradise.
It was a poor prayer, but it was all that she could do for them. It was probably more than anyone else would have. Finally, she raised her head again, opening her eyes once more.
She… Had a mission to complete.
A few more hours passed before she once again returned to the surface, her buster at the ready. The 'Irregulars' didn't stand a chance. Her first blast of charged plasma tore through the tent, taking down their leader as well as those closest to him. The survivors of the first attack screamed in terror, just for a handful of well-aimed shots to eliminate them as well.
Civilian Reploids slain so pointlessly… She shook her head, her heart breaking a little more.
"At least… I was able to make it painless…" She hadn't had to shoot a Reploid twice.
Her shots had been well placed, and she doubted that they'd have felt anything outside of the fear from being attacked.
"Ut dei requiem animabus vestris." She whispered before her expression hardened once again, her eyes turning icy.
"Rokko X to Command. Mission Complete. All irregulars are terminated, Repeat, all Irregulars are terminated."
Her transmitter clicked once, signifying that they understood.
"Your ride home is on it's way. ETA ten minutes."
She had become death, destroyer of innocence.