This story is written for entertainment purposes only. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.
Keep in mind that English is not my first language and so I do not claim to have corrected every mistake yet.
Chapter 6: The ghoul
Yesterday, the encounter with the Na'vi had left him in a stunned state. But when John got out of bed this morning, he quickly recalled what she had said about these 'zombies'. Who the hell were they supposed to be and what did they want? It didn't sound like the RDA had sent in new troopers. The whole description just didn't make sense. Perhaps the Na'vi had seen something they couldn't explain. Maybe that Na'vi girl had just heard it as a rumour that had been grossly exaggerated. Whatever the case was, John suddenly couldn't stop thinking about the consequences this turn of events could have. But until his Avatar body was ready, he felt that there wasn't really anything he could do about it. He trusted the Na'vi to take care of this, just as they had done with the RDA.
The Na'vi of the Uvora clan had scouted nearly the entire area surrounding their village. None of them had come across one of the hostiles yet, even though it was obvious they had been moving around, judging from the wide tracks they had left. There was even a path that led to a large open spot in the jungle, where the trees had been destroyed, but there was nothing there to indicate what had caused this. Fully prepared to engage, the warriors were somewhat disappointed to find the enemy's camp at cave to be deserted. However, they did find a track there that led them straight to an old RDA facility. Marun was cautious with attacking it head-on, deducing that the fences would give the demons a considerable advantage. Though there was one open spot that served as an entrance, it was heavily guarded. Thus, a different strategy was required. It was then that Marun recalled the stories of the Tipani clan's attacks on RDA settlements equipped with fences similar to these. In a short amount of time, the Na'vi of the Uvora found a herd of Sturmbeest, which they then drove into a stampede towards the fence. The herd seemed to be able to succeed until about twenty metres away from the target. The defence came from the ground.
Numerous explosions killed nearly all of the Sturmbeest, while only a select few managed get through. Those remaining were then all electrocuted, when they touched the power wires. But even that didn't stop them. The fence was destroyed, and the guards were distracted. The time to strike had finally come. Marun led the charge towards the main building. However, that proved not as easy as he thought it would be. The monstrous Type 150 tank rolled out of the building and began mowing down every Sturmbeest that was still moving, with its machineguns. This was the same machine that had almost shot Wukan during the very first encounter. None of them were a match for this enemy. The Na'vi warriors scattered, attempting to get around it to attack from behind. Most of them died in a matter of seconds. Marun couldn't do a single thing about it. His Direhorse was then also shot and he was thrown off. As he was lying on the ground, he quickly realized his failure. He had been a fool to try and stop them with the limited warriors the Uvora clan had to offer. All he could do now was hope that as many Na'vi as possible would survive. Then, he got up, grabbed his axe, and shouted to the remaining warriors that they had to retreat.
MT-NET had won this small battle, but it realized this victory was only because of the disadvantages the enemy had on open territory. The system let the leader of them escape, so that he would probably seek revenge if he ever encountered the Type 150 again; something that would work to its advantage in the future. Yesterday, MT-NET had managed to disable the automatic piloting system of the shuttle in had arrived in. Although it was not part of the original mission, the system planned to reuse this craft for its own purposes. Starting today, no more missions would be done outside the base, until the main attack. All machines would be relocated to the base to protect it. MT-NET calculated this would be the best way to spend the two months of time it would take until the army was ready.
Right now, MT-NET refocused itself on the new unit. Two Type 600s had been selected to be taken apart. Slowly, one part at a time, they were dismantled. As the days passed, the body of the new unit began to grow in size. With the Type 20s programmed to complete the body, MT-NET could focus on the mind of the new unit. Only the dark one had the necessary fine motor skills for this task. And so, it was as if MT-NET personally sat down at a table and handcrafted the chip itself. The integrated circuits of two chips were combined into a single circuit, which was then repackaged. The result of this implementation would not necessarily be faster or more powerful than an ordinary Type 600 mind, but rather, this mind would have more room for creativity.
Once the chip was completed, it was programmed with a very specific operating system and extensive behavioural databases. MT-NET had drawn influences from all kinds of Earth animals, namely monkeys, moles and bats. The system made sure that these different characteristics, coupled with the intellect comparable to that of a human, wouldn't come in conflict with each other. In that way, a stable and loyal 'personality' could form itself. The last thing MT-NET needed was a unit that would have the potential to turn against its maker.
The body of the unit was also formed to incorporate some of the physical characteristics of the same animals. This was necessary for the harmony between the hardware and the software, similar to the harmony that would exist between the body and mind of a living being. The other reason for this kind of body was that MT-NET wanted to put fear in the hearts of the enemies, by creating a literal monster. Although, whether this would actually achieve the desired results remained to be seen. The completed body was slim and agile, resembling an enlarged human skeleton. The chest even had ribs. All four appendages were elongated compared to their original human sizes. Both the hands and the feet were prehensile and fitted with long, razor-sharp claws. The head was sculpted to resemble a large human skull. Its jaws were equipped with long canine teeth, and the optical sensors in its eye sockets were made to glow red.
In only a few weeks time, the new unit was ready to be activated. MT-NET chose to do this inside the compound, in case of a malfunction. If it would prove to be violent towards its maker, at least this way it could be properly contained and shutdown. The machine was put into a special concrete room, which had a reinforced door blocking the only exit. Once the door was secured, MT-NET sent out the activation signal. After a few seconds, the machine got up and assumed a crouching position. It began to scan every corner of the room. After concluding that there was nothing interesting in there, the machine made its way towards the exit. It attempted to open door, but to no avail. This was the deciding moment. Instead of mindlessly attacking the blockade, the machine carefully inspected the door, searching for a weak spot or a way to remove the lock. MT-NET promptly sent out a signal of approval to let the machine know it had done the right thing. The Series 6, Model 15, Type 1000 was ready to start learning in the field. It received a list of instructions and hints that would help it to get used to the world outside, as MT-NET would not be taking control of the unit. The goal was always to have a fully autonomous, but loyal follower. The Type 1000 now had the potential to live up to these expectations.
While browsing through the files stored in the local data centre, MT-NET learned that its current location was in the Alpha Centauri system, on the moon Pandora of the planet Polyphemus. This planet had a number of other moons, one of which caught its attention. Though Pandora was rich in the mineral Unobtanium, MT-NET currently had no use for it. The particular moon, nicknamed Shadow, was known for its large quantities of naturally occurring Uranium, usable for generating energy as well as building weapons of mass destruction. Thus, reaching this moon and exploiting it, became near-future priorities.
It had been nearly two months since Ney'ite had talked to John Simons. She didn't really know what to say, in case she would meet him again and so she simply left him alone for a while. During these two months, she had been extensively preparing for her participation in the Iknimaya rite. She was one of the few Na'vi of the Uvora clan who had dared to become an Ikran Makto. This ritual, though quite important to some clans, had always been optional in the Uvora clan, as most of the warriors had specialized themselves in riding Direhorses. Ney'ite had never thought of actually doing it, until recently. The clan leader Marun had given a speech to the rest of the clan, following the defeat. He had asked those who were willing and able, to join him in becoming an Ikran Makto. His reasoning behind this move was that the Uvora clan would regain the advantage over the new enemy this way. Ney'ite found herself wanting to protect the clan and John, and so she accepted the challenge. She attempted to persuade her brother, but Wukan told her that he didn't see the need. That was probably just an excuse; Ney'ite knew her brother well. He was probably too proud to admit he was scared of something his sister wasn't.
But Ney'ite wasn't exactly fearless either. After the clan leader had successfully made a bond with an Ikran, the others were up next. Ney'ite was the sixth Na'vi to attempt it and also the sixth one to succeed, but only barely. She had been thrown off and slammed into a rock wall during the attempt. Though she nearly lost consciousness, she was eventually able to make the bond. The warrior next in line had been less fortunate. He was thrown off in midair, before he could make the bond, and fell to his death. In total, fifteen Na'vi succeeded. Since that day, Ney'ite had spent her time practising to gain better flight skills and become an effective warrior in the air.
As always lately, it had been a tough day. Ney'ite sat by the campfire, among her fellow clan members, but she couldn't keep her eyes open. Once she had climbed into her hammock, it didn't take long for her to fall asleep. But after half an hour, she was suddenly awakened. She had heard something strange. It was a kind of howling noise, although she couldn't quite place it. There she heard it again. It seemed to be closer by this time. Even though she hadn't seen what had made the sounds, she started to get a bad feeling. The noises sounded really threatening. The sounds of machine guns firing that followed made her realize that it was them… The invasion had begun.