S1-167
Simulation of another dimension
1:17 PM
05/04/3273
Planet Vez-2 - IMC HQ
Corridors
Music
Titanfall - OST 04
At the start of a new month, Michael was rushing through the halls of the IMC HQ, racing to the Simulation Pods, with Glitch Frisk close behind him. He had a plan.
Planet Vez-2 - IMC HQ
Sim pod chamber
Eventually, Michael and Glitch Frisk arrived at the Training Pod array, and the latter was hoarsely out of breath. "Slow... Slow down... next time. I can't... keep up." Glitch Frisk had his hands on his knees, and his lungs were strained to human limits from all the running.
"We're here. Enter a Pod."
Glitch Frisk stepped into one of the Simulation Pods, watching as Michael's prosthetic right arm reached in and punched in the code without the Pilot even looking, finishing out by pulling down the latch on the top interface. Michael pulled his arm out as the hatch began to close.
After a brief calibration by looking at two red lights to turn them green, Glitch Frisk heard Michael's voice from the internal speakers. "Alright. Looks like we're both good to go. Validating Alpha-1 administrative clearance. Setting the neural link. Not quite the same as a Titan link, but it's similar."
Simulation 72947156
Music
Metroid: Other M - Approaching Sector Zero
Entry into the simulation was immediate, and since Glitch Frisk wasn't expecting it, he was caught way off-guard. "What the..."
"Welcome to the simulation, Glitch Frisk." Standing in his original Rifleman Pilot ablative armor, Michael was typing away at multiple holographic interfaces. "Let's check your memory, shall we?"
A momentarily nauseating sensation waved through Glitch Frisk's head, followed by the sudden appearance of hundreds upon thousands of files in the form of floating folders.
"Let's filter these out." The name 'Betty Noire' appeared on the main screen, causing all but one file to vanish, and the one that remained drifted into the main interface, causing every single memory associated with that name to be displayed. "I see. Let's take a better look at this."
The simulation around them shifted and changed, replicating the environment of dimension 8 based solely off of Glitch Frisk's memories.
A computerized voice could be heard from nowhere. "Constructing simulated target from secondary user's memory. Inputting simulated Betty Noire." A child-sized entity with the visual appearance of a little girl with pink hair fizzled into the simulation. Michael continued to type away. "Initiating combat simulation." Glitch Frisk understood what Michael was doing.
And so, the battle began.
Music
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Meta Ridley Boss Theme
The simulated Betty Noire rushed in with a transparent pink scythe, only for Michael to block it with his prosthetic limb, causing the blade to shatter upon impact. At this, Glitch Frisk wondered what the heck that arm was made of. "My turn." Michael landed a roundhouse kick with his left leg, hitting the simulated Betty square in the face. From the impact, a sickening crack could be heard.
Two holographic screens appeared in front of Glitch Frisk, and the left one was showing a structure within the simulated Betty Noire, highlighting the right side of the skull in red, showing the point of impact, the severity of the fracture, and the resultant cracks splintering through the skull. The screen on the right displayed Michael's physical condition, indicating that he was at 100% Pilot efficiency, with everything in the green.
Glitch Frisk looked past the screens, seeing the simulated Betty covering the injured side of her face in pain. Michael then picked up the dropped weapon and thwacked her in the face with its jagged, broken edge. The shattered scythe was now lodged in the simulated target's cranium, which gave Michael an idea on the spot. With the weapon still stuck in the simulated Betty's skull, Michael jumped behind her, pulling the scythe up at an angle, tearing out her head and spinal cord.
Music
Titanfall - OST 02
"Combat simulation concluded." With the battle over, both halves of the simulated corpse fizzled away into pixels. "Flawless execution. Excessive brutality."
"Michael, the computer's right. You were too brutal. You're not a maniacal murderer, so don't act like one."
"I'll think of something else." Not even half a minute later, Michael put together a new plan. "Refresh combat simulation."
"Initiating simulation reset." A simulated Betty Noire appeared in the original place of the old one, and in perfect condition.
"Are any of my Titans available?"
"All active linked Titans present and accounted for within the IMC HQ."
"Bring in DL."
"Diverting Vanguard-class Titan Delta-Lima Two-Six-Seven-One from recharge mode to this simulation."
A blue Vanguard Titan appeared in a flurry of pixels.
"DL, you ready for this?"
"[I wish you had warned me ahead of time. I am combat ready. I have received the mission data and I understand the simulated situation.]"
"Commencing revised combat simulation."
Music
Titanfall - PILOTS
The simulated Betty immediately caught sight of the Titan as Michael hopped into the cockpit. The look on her face was that of severe apprehension. Michael simply opened fire with the XO-16, sending heavy armor-piercing slugs her way.
Glitch Frisk watched as Michael sent out a single rocket from the left Acolyte Pod, and it was tracking the simulated target mercilessly.
"[Burst Core activated.]" The simulated target came out of a nearby building, having lost the missile, only to rush back in as a deadly stream of electrified bullets rained down upon her. They tore through the building like it was made of butter, eventually finding their target... and killing it.
Music
none
"[Target eliminated.]"
"Combat simulation concluded."
"That was easy."
"[I understand why they didn't have Titans. Their tech wasn't as advanced. This threat came too soon for them to be ready. Several centuries too soon.]"
"You get any of that, Glitch Frisk?" Michael asked, opening his Titan's cockpit.
"We needed Titans to deal with her?"
"Humans and Monsters may be affected by her mind games, but machines are certain to be immune to it. What now?"
"Well, Betty has Asriel under her control."
"Confirmed. Constructing simulation of Glitch Asriel from secondary user memory." A simulated version of Asriel appeared, but with black streaks on his face, black eyes, and purple pupils. A new simulated Betty Noire also appeared beside him.
Music
Titanfall 2 - A Glitch in the Frontier
Before Michael could initiate the combat simulation, something happened. "New user entering simulation."
Michael looked back as a new flurry of pixels swarmed behind him. "Samus, good to see you."
"So you've been using his memories to construct a simulation of this battle so we'll be ready for the real thing? Smart."
"Initiating combat simulation."
The simulated Glitch Asriel moved in to attack with Chaos Sabers, but was stopped dead in his tracked by a large blast from Samus, leaving the combatant frozen solid. "Corrupted Glitch Asriel: neutralized."
Samus then pointed her arm cannon at the simulated Betty as the Chozo weapon briefly pulsed with a rippling energy, turning the icy blue to a glowing green. She swapped from the Ice Beam to the Plasma Beam.
Within her vision, Samus saw the simulated Betty shift to Michael's form. This was the target's mental trickery. She was reluctant to open fire, until she noticed the absence of Michael's signal ID. If the Pilot's signature was not with him, this was not the real Pilot. Samus saw through the mind games and unleashed a Super Missile. "Combat simulation concluded."
Music
Metroid: Other M - Approaching Sector Zero
The frozen Glitch Asriel fizzled away, followed by the remains of the simulated Betty Noire.
"Save this simulation base data as 'Dimension 8 current threat'." Michael ordered.
"Simulation reconstruction data saved under restricted access. Alpha-1 administrative clearance required for authorization."
"Now that we know what we're up against here, we'll have an ever greater chance at victory." Michael surmised, looking over the simulation results.
"Let's do this again sometime. We need to get past those mind tricks." Samus had a point.
Training against a simulation of a threat they will eventually go up against will make you ready for anything. You'll know what to expect. You'll know how to counter everything.
See you next time.