Outsider Chronicles: Ex-Machina
SI and OC inserts find themselves in a number of odd situations. From plummeting to their apparent death to being outright reborn. However, most aren't created for the specific purpose of taking over the world. Fortunately, my creators and idiot. Unfortunately, I'm in a world thats already got an AI and is already fucked five ways to Sunday.
And we're back. Nothing to say here, other than enjoy!
Start Up 1:2
With the Dragonslayers dealt with, the soldiers that inhabited the base could finally come out of cover and start tidying up, taking the goons and three terrorists into custody. I quickly found a medikit and started patching up my shoulder before anyone could see the obvious mechanical parts under my skin. I wanted to keep the fact I was an Android a secret for now. That said, the mechanics were actually fairly well integrated into my biological components, so it wasn't immediately obvious. That said, there were still metal wires running under my skin, so hiding it was still a good idea.
I was just finishing wrapping up my shoulder when an older man with a Captain's insignia on his uniform approached me.
"Thanks for the help kid," said the Captain, "I'm not sure who you are, but I honestly don't care. You saved a lot of my men by stepping in when you did. Those bastards somehow managed to jam our comms so we couldn't call for help."
I smiled.
"It was no problem," I said, "I was in the area anyway and people like the Dragonslayers piss me off."
The Captain eyed me for a moment, before he grinned and clapped me on my good shoulder.
"I like you kid," he said, "Whats your name? I need it for the report."
"Put me down as A14," I said.
The Captain gave me a funny look and walked away muttering about weird Capes. Not that I really blame him. I mean, using my serial number resulted in a name that's weird, even by Cape standards. At least I'm not introducing myself as Android 14 or something equally stupid.
The sound of metal on concrete made me look up again to see Narwhal and Dragon approaching. I smiled and got to my feet, my swords floating up from where they'd been leaning against the wall to float behind my back. Heh, thats still really cool.
"Um, before you start questioning me, would it be possible to get an autograph?" I asked before either women could speak.
What? Fictional or not, its not everyday you get to meet legitimate heroes and Dragon was one of the few I could honestly say was just that. Narwhal didn't really have a big enough role to say for sure, but I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for now. Plus, it was a good way to keep them from assuming I was a Villain because of...reasons. I don't know, its happened before!
Both Capes looked a little taken aback for a moment, before Narwhal smiled and nodded. I grinned again and summoned a notebook and pen out of the EX-system (and no, I have no idea why they were in what was supposed to be a weapon storage). Dragon and Narwhal tensed slightly at the flash of light, but otherwise didn't do anything as both signed the notebook. I was rather impressed at how articulate Dragons hands were considering they were basically claws.
"Alright, now thats done, do you mind if we ask you some questions?" asked Dragon as I took the notebook and pen back and sent them back into the storehouse.
"Not at all," I said, "I might not answer them all though."
Narwhal narrowed her eyes slightly as Dragon brought up a screen and microphone.
"Alright, lets start simply," she said, "Whats your name?"
I hesitated. This was where things got...a little awkward to say the least. I didn't trust the PRT, but I kinda needed them. I didn't exist in this world, hell, I'd been 'born' less than a day ago. That meant I needed the help of those with connections to help me find my feet. Unfortunately, the best people to do that was the PRT, the people I had been designed to destroy and who would probably start panicking at the idea of anything close to Nilbog popping up, even if he was dead now. Still, what choice did I have? It was put my trust in Dragon and Narwhal or be stuck.
After a moment, I sighed.
"My name is A14," I said, "And I'm...well, I'm a little lost."
Dragon tilted her head on one side slightly.
"How so?" she asked.
I hesitated for a moment, before reaching up to my shoulder and tugging the bandages down. The injury was already closing, but the wires that threaded through my muscles were still visible. At the sight of them, both Capes drew a sharp intake of breath.
"I'm not Human," I said, "I'm also not a Case 53. I...I'm not even sure if telling you is a good idea considering the mess Nilbog made, but I'm an Android created by a lunatic Tinker."
I shifted the bandage back into position as I slid down into a sitting position and dropped my head into my hands. I could feel the panic starting to bubble again, this time because it was finally sinking in that I was literally putting my life in the hands of people who's job it was to be paranoid over Parahuman abilities, while being the result of a Parahumans abilities who said paranoid people were right to be paranoid over.
"An Android?" asked Narwhal, her voice carefully level.
The part of my mind currently not undergoing a meltdown noted that she had a very nice voice
"A fully automated Assault bot, intended to deal with S-ranked threats," I said, "Or, to be more precises, Heroes who might get in the way of that bastards plans for taking over the world."
I gave a slightly strangled laugh.
"Good thing hes apparently awful at programming obedience or I'd be a god damn puppet of that bastard! I…"
I was cut off as a cool, metal hand landed on my shoulder. I blinked, suddenly noticing that I'd curled up at some point during my little panic. I looked up and found myself looking at Dragons faceplate.
"Calm down A14," she said calmly, "Take a deep breath and talk us through it. I promise, nothing bads going to happen to you."
I swallowed. I wasn't entirely sure if I believed that, but I still latched onto the comfort the AI provided. I slowly started to tell the two Capes everything I knew, from the plans Gero had, to the list of Capes he wanted offed or captured. Narwhal was remarkably composed considering that one of the ones pretty high on the list after Dragon was her. Both capes looked rather relieved when I told them I'd killed Gero
"Alright, thank you for telling us," said Dragon, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't get dismantled. We'll have to put you through some tests, but so long as your not a danger, you'll be fine."
She glanced back at Narwhal.
"We need to check out Gero's lab," she said.
"Understood," said Narwhal, "I'll get in contact with the PRT and get them to send someone down to help."
"Alright, while you do that, I'll take A14 back to base," said Dragon, "I…"
She was cut off by a loud bang and a lot of startled shouting. We all spun around to see that Saint had somehow got loose and had sprinted over to the stuff the soldiers had pulled out of the truck and was now about to start typing on a rather heavy duty looking laptop. Oh HELL NO!
My head cleared, my thoughts sharpening and I jumped with all my strength, soaring over Saints head to land on the table. I kicked him in the face, sending him flying back, and drove VT into the computer. Saint let out a horrified sound as the screen flickered, so I stabbed it a few more times, before kicking it up and cutting it in half. Then, I sliced it into a few more pieces, just to be safe. The fact Saint looked like he died a little inside every time my sword flashed certainly helped.
"What have you done?" he croaked as the pieces of AI lobotomy fell to the floor.
"Stopped you from killing what might be the best hope for the world," I said.
Saints eyes sharpened and snapped to me. Before he could say anything however, I punched him out, just as the guards and other Capes approached.
"Thanks kid," said the lead guard as the other one hosed Saint down with Con-foam, "Bastard had some kind of Tinkertech smoke bomb hidden on him. That'll teach us for underestimating him."
I smiled a little weakly as the sharp focus quickly faded now there was no threat. I could feel my psyche starting to crack, the joy and awe from the skill and power my new self had being consumed by no small amount of panic and fear. Mechanical I may be in part, but a good chunk of me was also biological and that meant that, so long as I wasn't fighting, I could operate as a Human, with all the weaknesses that came with it. My swords clattered to the table as the power keeping them floating cut out, followed by my body as my legs gave way. I'd reached the end of my rope. The conversation with Dragon and Narwhal had been the trigger to let everything about my situation hit me like a freight train, utterly overwhelming me. I barely even felt Dragon catching me as my brain shut down and I fell into darkness.
Chief Director Rebecca Costa-Brown frowned as she read through the report in front of her while waiting for the conference call to start. This entire debacle was rather unusual for one simple reason. Contessa hadn't seen it coming. Oh, that wasn't entirely unheard of as, despite the fact the Path was extremely good, the simple fact was that it was impossible to predict everything. Doctor Mother had used enough technobabble that even Hero had looked confused to explain it, but it boiled down to the naturally chaotic state of the universe making it impossible to perfectly plan for everything. It was why they employed multiple Thinkers and kept their eyes peeled for any potential blind spots.
On the up side, now that Contessa was aware of this 'Dr Gero', she could plan around his creations and, somehow, the existence of them, and they still weren't sure how many there actually were, increased their chances for victory. Rebecca was a little iffy about trusting AI's who, according to the notes recovered from Gero's lab, had been designed to battle and, possibly even defeat, her, Peter and David, but Dragon, Narwhal and, more importantly, Contessa were all willing to vouch for A14, so she'd make sure he didn't get melted down or handed over to the Tinkers to pull apart.
Then again, that might actually be pretty hard. Gero was a lunatic, already wanted for the kidnapping and murder of several children, including his own daughter, and considering the mess Nilbog had made and the fact that all of his creations were just as insane as he was, as good number of the Directors might assume that A14 was no different than his creator. Piggot and Tagg came to mind.
Her computer pinged and she shut the file as the large screens on the wall of her office started coming on, each one showing a Director from all over the contrary and Canada, as well as Dragons avatar. It took a few more minutes for everyone to get settled, with the standard greetings and M/S protocols, but it didn't take long to get it done.
"Thank you all for coming," said Rebecca, "I'm sure you've all read the reports, but for the sake of making sure everyone's on the same page, Dragon, will you please give us the report?"
The Canadian Tinker nodded and cleared her throat.
"Yesterday at 1400 hours, Narwhal and I responded to reports of the Dragonslayers attacking Whitecap Military Base in Qubece," she began, "We're still not sure what they were after, although best guess would be the experimental equipment they were testing on my behalf. They used some kind of jamming device to block transmissions, so it took a while for the report to come through after one of the soldiers stationed their managed to get out of the range of the jammer and radio for help. Even so, the Dragonslayers would have been long gone by the time we arrived."
Rebecca's computer beeped and an image of A14 appeared.
"Fortunately, a new Cape going by A14 was nearby and stepped in to help," continued Dragon, "He was able to take down two of the Dragonslayers and did a good job of distracting Saint long enough for us to arrive. Thanks to his assistance, they are now in custody."
She grimoused.
"Unfortunately, that opened up an entirely new can of worms. Following the battle, Narwhal and I approached A14, hoping to get some idea of what his intentions are and a report on what had happened. Instead, we discovered a threat with the potential to be worse than Nilbog. Despite assumptions, A14 is not a Cape, but a Tinker made android built with the intention of attempting a takeover."
There were a lot of startled intakes of breath at that. Rebecca suppressed a sigh. Apparently they hadn't read the reports.
"Fortunately, the Tinker, going by Dr Gero, failed to account for his creation going rogue," continued Dragon, "A14 claims that for some reason, Gero's programming failed to take hold and he was able to rebel."
"How can we be sure hes telling the truth?" asked Director Armstrong, "He could be lying, even unknowingly, and has some kind of sleeper switch that will make him go berserk later."
"That is of course a danger, but he reported that he killed Gero on his way out," said Dragon, "Myself and a number of PRT troopers have examined the lab and can confirm that Gero is definitely dead. And yes, we checked to make sure he wasn't a robotic replacement."
A number of other reports popped up on Rebeccas screen.
"Additionally, we found reports and notes in the lab that stated that past prototypes were also able to rebel in one way or another, but in each case Gero was able to destroy the Android in question. The only exception was his second creation, which was the first one to rebel and simply ran for it rather than attack him."
"Sounds like he was as bad as Leet," muttered someone.
"He may be bad at creating Androids that listened to him, but make no mistake that Gero was a genuine threat," said Dragon, "The specs for the Androids we found, including A14, indicate that most of them would be capable of taking on high class threats. A14 himself possesses the equivalent of a Brute 6, a relatively high Mover rating and access to something called the Exceed System that contains a large number of powerful and useful Tinkertech weapons and other bits of equipment. And thats not even mentioning the fact he had plans to build Androids the the capability to be classed as Alexandria Packages and Flying Artillery! Gero may have been mad, but he was still an excellent Tinker. A14 and the blueprints we found are nothing short of works of art."
Tagg snorted.
"Work of art or not, that thing is dangerous," he sneered, "I suggest that it be turned over for examination and dismantle…"
"Absolutely not!" snapped Dragon.
Tagg swelled and opened his mouth, but Rebecca muted him before he could say anything stupid.
"Be quite James," she said, "Now, why are you so against it Dragon?"
Dragon took a deep breath.
"Because, Tinker creation or not, hes still very much alive," she said, "Dismantling him, killing him, would be no different than killing or Caging a person because their Parents happened to be Villains!"
"Why are you so intent on protecting him?" asked Piggot, "According to this, you were his first target."
Dragon sighed.
"I know, but...when he told Narwhal and I about where he came from, he broke down," she said, "He was completely lost. It was obvious that he knew he was placing his life in our hands, but he didn't have a choice. He could have easily lied, said his Trigger changed him or something, but instead he informed us of a potential threat, even one that had been eliminated. It made him look so damn young, regardless of his origins."
"Where is he now?" asked Rebecca.
"At the Guilds HQ," said Dragon, "Hes still unconscious."
Rebecca hummed thoughtfully as the rest of the Directors started talking amongst themselves as to what should be done with the Android. After a moment, she glanced at her screen where a message had just come in on the extremely well hidden Cauldron chat system. She raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it. She'd trust that Contessa knew what she was doing.
"Alright, thats enough," said Rebecca.
The bickering Directors fell silent.
"While I understand that many of you have misgivings about A14, but we cannot afford to dismiss a possible asset. If he really can match the Triumvirate, even just with his tech, he would be a real boon in Endbringer fights if nothing else."
There was some grumbling and Tagg looked like he really wanted to protest, but they all knew she was right.
"With that in mind, I'm going to assign Dragon to handle him," continued Rebecca, "While having him in the Protectorate would be preferable, I think he'll likely respond better to being under your watch."
She smiled slightly.
"Besides, you did promise to look after him."
Dragon snorted, but nodded, a slight smile on her face.
"I do however want him to undergo as many tests as you can think of," said Rebecca, "I don't want to find out hes got a bomb or something planted in him when he goes off in the middle of an Endbringer attack. And, if you can, try and confirm that he really doesn't have any subconscious programming."
"I'll do my best," said Dragon.
"Good," said Rebecca, "Now, before we wrap up, is there any other business to cover?"
"Yes, I have something," said Piggot, "The name on the report, Gero's Civilian identity, is it accurate?"
"According to dental records, DNA analysis and fingerprint scans, yes," said Dragon, "Why?"
Piggot scowled.
"Because the man is wanted for multiple kidnappings and murders of children," she said, "Including his own Daughter and the younger brother of one of my Wards."
Rebecca sat up and quickly flipped through the report. Despite mentally giving her colleagues grief over not reading reports they were supposed to before meetings, she hadn't read the whole thing. Sure enough, after the analysis of his abilities as a Cape, there was a rather extensive bio of what he'd done as a Civilian, including his arrest on suspicion of murder and subsequent escape two years ago.
"Well...thats an unexpected bonus," said Armstrong.
"Yes, but now I have to tell the family that any chance of justice being served is gone," grumbled Piggot.
"I'd say that his being killed by his own creation would be justice enough," said another director, "Honestly, the fact hes no longer a threat will likely be enough."
"I suppose you're right," said Piggot with a sigh, "Still, it won't be a fun conversation."
Rebecca had to agree with her. Such conversations were never fun, whether it was talking to the family of deceased troopers or something a little more unusual. Plus, the fact it was two years ago would only serve to open old wounds for the family. The fact that one of them was a Cape and a Ward at that wouldn't help make the situation any less of a mess.
With nothing else to discuss, the meeting quickly wrapped up and the screens went dark. For a moment, Rebecca sat quietly, staring out her window, deep in thought. Then, she stood and activated a number of security features that made surveillance or entering her office impossible and informed her Secretary that she would be unavailable for a few hours. With that done, she quickly changed into her costume.
"Door me," she said and stepped through the glowing hole in space that appeared.
She emerged into a white hallway that was specifically designed to lack any form of landmarks that could be used to navigate by outsiders and headed down the hall until she reached a door that seemed no different than any other. She knocked and walked in to find Contessa lounging on a sofa with a tablet that looked about three years more advanced than was available on Bet in her hands.
"Are you abusing Doormakers powers to get advanced technology and entertainment again?" asked Alexandria.
Fortuna just flipped her off with one hand. Alexandria rolled her eye. When not using her power, Fortuna had a tendency of being a little odd and every bit as unpredictable as Mouse Protector. It was likely an attempt to feel in control after allowing her power to direct her actions.
"So, why did you have me put A14 with Dragon?" asked Alexandria as she sat down beside her friend and removed her helmet.
"Because thats where he can do the most good," said Fortuna, "Wherever else he went, it wasn't enough for him to do what he needed to do. Besides, this way we'll gain more allies who can help."
"Allies?" asked Alexandria, "Like who?"
Fortuna grinned.
"Now where would be the fun in telling you?" she asked.
Then she nearly jumped out of her skin as the tablet let out a loud shreak.
"Fucking Springtrap!"
To be honest, I didn't tend to dream that often and when I did, they were usually far to abstract to be considered good or bad. However, after I passed out that day, I had one hell of a doozy.
Huddled under my covers, a pillow over my head as raised voices echoed from downstairs.
Visits to a workplace, getting scared by large, bulky shadows.
Terror as someone close to me suddenly collapsed during a shouting match.
Space twisting strangely, bring gasps of awe and glee.
An aching sadness as I watched the tiny coffin containing my best friend be lowered into the ground.
A friend with a twisted grin, too wide for his face, drawing me away from safety.
Pain as something cracked my skull and drew my life away and into something.
Trapped…
No escape…
Light…
AWAKEN!
I sat bolt upright, gasping for breath as the nightmare quickly faded away, leaving me scared out of my wits and coated in sweat and with only the vaguest sense of why. I groaned, pressing my palms against my forehead as I tried to figure out what in the hell I had been dreaming about. Unfortunately, as was standard for me, I could only remember vague bits and even they were rapidly fading. I sighed. It was probably nothing anyway.
I turned and sat on the edge of the bed, scratching my head as I yawned and slowly looked around at my new accommodations. It looked a lot like a hotel bedroom, complete with a small bathroom, a desk with a computer attached, an armchair, a wardrobe and a decent sized TV on the wall. Of course, there was also a few extremely obvious cameras, the door looked like something from a bank vault and the window was a tiny slit high of the ground, but at least I wasn't in an actual cell. I wasn't dumb enough to think that Dragon and Narwhal wouldn't have to take precautions and put me somewhere I couldn't easily get out of.
I sighed as I ran my hand through my hair, grimousing slightly as it came away damp. I'm not entirely sure why I could sweat, although it seemed that Gero had created me to be able to blend in among Humans. I wonder if I could do anything else...My eyebrows suddenly shot up as my connection to the Network threw out some rather helpful information. I was fully waterproof, so I could shower if needed and, while I didn't need to, I could eat and drink. Anything I did would be used to power my Auto-repair and make it more efficient so long as it didn't need to pull resources out of whatever void it currently did. I also needed to sleep, but I only needed about three hours every three days to function. That was nice to know.
"Oh good, your awake."
I looked up and saw that the screen had turned on and was now showing Dragons avatar. I smiled a little weakly.
"Hey Dragon," I said, "Sorry for falling apart on you like that…"
Dragon shook her head.
"No, its fine," she said, "Honestly, I'm not surprised you had a breakdown. I can't even imagine what it must have been like for you."
She sighed.
"But we can discuss that later," she said, "For now, I have some news for you. We examined Gero's lab and confirmed your story. The Directors have been briefed and a decision has been reached."
I felt a slight coil of fear appear in my gut, although I was pretty sure it wasn't worth worrying about. After all, if they were going to take me apart, they could have got me while I was still asleep and Dragon certainly wouldn't have been allowed to tell me.
"I've been assigned to keep an eye on you," she continued, "Chief Director Costa-Brown wants you to undergo some tests to make sure you don't have a bomb built into you or something, but other than that you'll be working with me and the Guild."
"Thats...fair," I said.
I didn't think I had a bomb in me, but it was still worth checking. I wouldn't put it past Gero.
"Alright, when do we start?" I asked.
And done. Well, that was certainly an interesting experience. Before I go, a few things.
First off, I'm sure that some people will be annoyed that A14 was so willing to be honest with Dragon and Narwhal, but, well, what else was he supposed to do? He can't pretend to be a Case 53 without attracting the Cauldrons attention, he doesn't technically exist and he has no idea whether Gero has anything that could be a threat later down the line. Plus, out of everyone, Dragon was probably the best choice to talk to considering shes an AI herself. Another big reason is because he was rapidly reaching his limits and he pretty much just broke down.
Speaking of which, the breakdown was a result of just how close he was to being used as a puppet by a lunatic hitting him. Until that point, he'd basically been keeping it suppressed so he could function. As soon as he found himself with those who could help, all that suppressed fear came rushing back. He was able to briefly push it back down to stop Saint from unleashing Ascalon, but it quickly came back, harder than ever. He really needs some help to deal with it.
Costa-browns decision makes a fair amount of sense in my opinion. True, the fact hes the most advanced bit of Tinkertech on the planet with a lunatic as a creator will cause some issues in the future, but the good guys need more hands on deck and A14 is one tough pair of hands. Unless he presents a clear and present danger, there really is no reason not to make use of him.
Make no mistake, the Cauldron in this world are NOT good guys. They are perfectly willing to murder, kidnap and perform heinous experiments in the name of saving the world. However, they are also well aware of the fact that they CANNOT win it alone, nor are they omniscient. Remember, they are fighting against an enemy they cannot properly predict and can casually destroy planets, they can't afford to play nice.
I know that FNAF came out in 2014 and Springtrap wasn't even in that one, but considering that Doormaker can access a massive number of dimensions, I can't imagine that they don't have access to at least one thats ahead of Earth Bet. I'm also not entirely sure why Contessa's playing FNAF, other than the fact its yet another hint that no ones picked up on. A hint of what? None of your buisness.
Anyway, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review!