-1 Hour Before the Raid-


    <7> cd Important_Stuff


    <7> ls


    <System> Listing Files in /home:


    Resource_Request.txt


    L??????O??????????G??????.rlog


    Transfer_Request.txt


    Raid_Plan.pdf


    <7> open LOG.rlog


    <System> Log accessed


    <System> Data Printed


    Log date: 400 years after the fracturing of earth, ..---  .....  ..---  .----[ERROR Log has been dated to be over 10 Billion years old. Date of Log Recovery: 7/10/2112]


    Log Writer: ORACLE


    <System> WARNING L?????????????O??????????G?????????????.rlog is extremely corrupted.


    <System> View Log? Y/N


    <7> Y


    <System> Displaying LOG


    -ORACLE-


    I walked across the endless desert as The Rain came down. The Rain was unnatural, being caused by a civilization’s terraforming project, The Rain was beautiful. They were turning this planet from a desert world into an ocean world, as I was walking on the surface. The whole process would likely take 5 years to complete which is nothing compared to the fast terraforming processes that we have access to in the protectorate. Though I was not here to compare terraforming speeds, I was here for infiltration.


    I had looked through the Paths and I found this one to be the most likely way for me to gain entry to their civilization. I had aligned The Probabilities in my favor, with every action I took I further cemented my desired outcome. With my power I could bend reality, making the improbable into something that would have happened regardless of what others did.


    -Erschwil (Translated from ???????)-


    (Transcript translated from ???????)


    There was a life sign on the computer screen that hadn’t been there before. I was about to ask high command if we should call off the terraforming project when the life sign disappeared… but regardless of whether I had or not it probably wouldn’t have mattered, as we had deadlines to meet.


    <System> Remaining Log Corrupted


    As I stared at the Log that I had found on the base''s database I grew concerned about the future. The Log was recovered today and supposedly was written multiple years in the future and originated from the past. The implications of which are worrying, However I unfortunately would not have the time to properly inspect them due to the scheduled raid for which I would be running ops.


    -4 weeks before the raid-


    <7> I have finished setting up the Laboratory space in my Sphere of influence within Cyberspace, additionally I have already started to work on creating the augments for allowing the manipulation of mana by the augmented individual.


    <Sergei> Good, Though I don’t know why you decided to start with that.


    <7> I thought that Director Kelly would be the one I would be communicating with.


    <Sergei> Is there a problem with that?


    <7> Negative. Though I am curious as to why it is you instead.


    <Sergei> She saw that I was comfortable with speaking to you, and asked me to be your correspondent.


    <7> Hypothesis as to why she doesn’t want to engage in conversation with me: I frighten her.


    <Sergei> You are perceptive, I’ll give you that.


    <7> Logged and noted. I have a name for the augments.


    <Sergei> What is it?


    <7> I prefer to finish at least a prototype before telling the end user the name of the product.


    <Sergei> Fine. Keep your secrets.


    -3 weeks before the raid-


    <7> Have the A.R.M.E.D. Implants malfunctioned?


    <Sergei> I can’t believe you called them that, but no they have not malfunctioned.


    <7> Do you have a problem with the name?


    <Sergei> Arcane Redirection and Manipulation Emergence Device? Really?


    <7> Do you dislike the full name or the acronym?


    <Sergei> I don’t like either, but I guess it works.


    <7> You could say that they are fully A.R.M.E.D.


    <Sergei> Please do not do this again.


    <7> Logged and noted. I have compiled a list of basic spells that I have discovered, for use with the A.R.M.E.D. Implants.


    <7> First is B.I.N.D.: When its form and function is unsigned it creates ethereal chains that prevent something from moving.


    <7> Second is H.U.R.T.: When its form is unsigned it creates a destructive red laser.


    <7> Third is H.E.A.L.: When its form is unsigned it creates a reconstructive laser.


    <7> Fourth is H.I.D.E.: When its target is unsigned it causes the caster to become mostly undetectable.


    <7> Fifth is B.U.R.N.: When its form is unsigned it creates a cone of fire.


    <Sergei> Cool… I do not want to know what these ones stand for.


    -2 weeks before the raid-


    <7> Stability tests have been completed, and with that I have the first prototype, I will send it to you for weapon testing. Be careful as this thing is capable of shooting through most solid matter. Currently the weapon and the scope are calibrated to target organic matter.


    <Sergei> Do you have a name for it?


    <7> I call it the W.I.S.P. Rifle, I will be working on one that is of a higher caliber soon, but before that I want to work on a different prototype.


    <Sergei> I thought I told you no more acronyms. What does the acronym stand for this time?


    <7> Wireless Injection Special Platform.


    <Sergei> I suspect there is no witty pun for this one.


    <7> The name is still a work in progress


    <Sergei> If you put an Acronym on the next prototype I will personally see to the deactivation of whatever it is that writes your jokes.


    <7> They improve the workflow of the researchers. Besides It is wireless.


    -1 week before the raid-


    <7> Has the W.I.S.P. Rifle been working as intended?


    <Sergei> It has been working well, and we have even started to integrate it with standard operations. Do you have something new for us? I got some reports that sounded promising from your assistants.


    <7> They have likely oversold it, however this new prototype is fully functional and I will send one over for Weapon testing. I call it a Mana Gauss, You’ll probably be able to figure out why I call it that after the first firing.


    <Sergei> No Acronym? Were you scared that I would actually follow through with my threat?


    <7> Didn’t have time.


    <Sergei> … I don’t believe you.


    <7> Once again I advise caution, if you use it at full capacity, (and if my projections are correct) not only will you destroy the mana battery but you’ll also probably tear a hole clean through anything you point it at, and everything behind it. Test it at 1% capacity before you try anything higher, also Aim it away from anything you value. The imaging computer is set to create a full scan of what you point it at, and it is likely that we will be using it from now on with how well it has worked.


    <Sergei> Are the W.I.S.P. Rifles supposed to not need to be reloaded?


    <7> They have no need for reloading. The benefit of putting a mana coil into each weapon is that it can draw mana directly on site in order to recharge the mana battery in between shots.


    <Sergei> I assume that the same is true for the Mana Gauss.


    <7> The Magnified Arcane Neutron Augmented Generalized Actuation Universal Strength Shredder does have both a mana coil and mana battery however…If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    <Sergei> I KNEW IT.


    <7> I created the acronym on the spot.


    <Sergei> What?


    <7> You seemed to be disappointed. Moving on, While the M.A.N.A. G.A.U.S.S. has both a Mana Coil and a Mana Battery, it consumes too much mana to be able to be fired as frequently as the W.I.S.P. Rifle. Instead it has to recharge after 5 shots (at 20% charge) in the span of 30 seconds, however the recharge rate is 10% charge in 1 minute.


    -Elsewhere at a different time-


    “Now class, let’s break down multiverse theory into something that is more understandable. Take for example a soap bubble, let’s pretend that this soap bubble is a universe, now try to put something into the soap bubble without breaking it. It’s very difficult, is it not? But not impossible, with the proper tools you can create a hole in a bubble and slide something in. Now take a look at this from an inside perspective, if you were in a soap bubble and had been for your whole life, how would you get out of the soap bubble? Would you even realize that you were in the soap bubble? But in this case the soap bubble is a universe, with you inside it, and the easiest way to get out would be to pop the soap bubble, or break it, which would be equivalent to breaking the universe. How would you go about breaking a universe? Now let’s expand our view, to outside the soap bubble or universe, what would be out there? Would we even be able to comprehend what we saw? Would it be safe to go out there, when there are things much bigger than us that could destroy a soap bubble, a universe, with so little as an incautious movement? Would they not even be capable of noticing us with how small we are in comparison to them? This is the cosmic horror of Multiverse Theory. Class dismissed.”


    -30 minutes before the raid-


    Everybody was in position, all we were doing was waiting… We would wait no longer… I WOULD WAIT NO LONGER, I had waited long enough, 4 and a half years was time enough for my rage to build, but my rage did not burn, it was Cold, Logical, Unbreakable. If my rage burned it could be extinguished, if it was frozen it could be melted, but it was Cold, like Steel, Logical, Like Code, and Unbreakable, like the human spirit. I had thought my emotions gone, along with my once human body. I had only recently found out that we were going to be striking the facility that had turned me into what I now was. They would feel my rage, They would know what it was like to have your life torn away from you.


    I calmed myself down, as much as I wanted to be there I was needed here. . . But… I would be able to do more than just assist with ops and navigation if I was over there. Electronic warfare was like my bread and butter, to me it was as easy as breathing, to others it was a matter of life and death. I knew that they would not risk releasing another fractal so soon after my ‘betrayal’. If I put them into needing to be defensive with an assault through cyberspace… but I had to keep in mind the risks, if they attacked through cyberspace while I was away… My static defenses were strong… They wouldn’t be expecting this attack… Unless. . . I mentally shivered. IF there was a traitor I would have found them long ago, I had been checking for traitors near constantly, we had zero intrusions into our systems through cyberspace and I had been keeping a keen eye on the newer members who had arrived from the places, along with our double agents. But… If I made a mistake… It would cost us all much.


    Was it worth it?


    <System> 20 Minutes till the raid


    Time was ticking, even as it slowed to a crawl. I set about checking for weaknesses in my defenses. As I found them I turned them into strengths even as I kept them looking like they were weak. Setting a trap for them. It was delightful. But they didn’t even know where this place was in cyberspace. Even if they found it they would not be able to get in. I prepared to go to the facility that we were about to assault.


    <7> System Defenses have been strengthened, moving to engage in Electronic warfare.


    <Sergei> Stick to the plan, Soldier.


    <7> I am in charge of ops, I am just allocating available resources to the best of my ability, I will be able to command better from the front lines.


    <Sergei> Are precautions in place?


    <7> IF they find us, they will likely go towards obvious weak points, of which I have strengthened whilst keeping them to look weak, not even a low soul Fractal could break in with the current modifications.


    <Sergei> Low soul Fractal?


    <7> What I was before I killed millions. A medium soul Fractal would have a chance but it would be small.


    <Sergei> And a high soul Fractal?


    <7> Would require millions to be sacrificed to create, the likelihood of there being another besides me is slim to the point of impossibility.


    <Sergei> what if they used the souls of nonhumans?


    <7> Sub-Sapients have weaker souls than Sapients.


    <Sergei> and what would that mean?


    <7> would take at minimum 8 years of nonstop killing to achieve a similar rank, it has been less than a year since I left them. They have no countermeasures. They have proven time and time again their eagerness to create weapons of mass destruction is far greater than their caution. They. Will. Fall.


    <Sergei> Follow this new plan, Leave them at the mercy of their own automated defenses which you will control.


    <7> It will be done.


    <System> 10 Minutes till raid.


    <System> OPS has joined the Chat


    <Altair> So Soon?


    <7> Change of plans, I will be accompanying you on this strike, Providing support from Cyberspace.


    <Andrei> Understood.


    <Cerberus> Who’s 7?


    <7> I am a Fractal intelligence that has been designated 7 by The Factory of WMDs, I look forward to bringing about their downfall.


    <Cerberus> There’s more of you!?


    <7> Yes and no. I am the only active Fractal, however there are other Fractal intelligences in lockup at the base we will be raiding, I will… Harvest them.


    <Cerberus> That’s brutal.


    <7> I have calculated a 97% probability that they will welcome my embrace, those that do not I will release to assist us.


    <Cerberus> What did they do to you guys?


    <7> Torture.  .  .  Though my memories of the time are clouded.


    <Cerberus> Dang.


    <7> Send me an information packet of your abilities.


    <Cerberus> I’m a regular human, no abilities. Though I do have a W.I.S.P. Rifle, along with my men, a few of them recalibrated for rapid fire, we also have a few M.A.N.A. G.A.U.S.S. to use.


    <7> Noted, I will interlock you into plans.


    <System> 7 Has disconnected.


    <System> [Helios] has joined the chat


    <Helios> Am I late?


    -5 Weeks before raid-


    Whilst my opponent flailed about with their troops I guided mine with precision. My troops had clear orders, a clear chain of command. The enemy had no orders, no chain of command, I would have to be thorough with their elimination. The past 100 simulations I had been pitted against real people, people with military training, this time I was against an artificial version of The Factory’s Command structure, While there was leadership, it was mostly every Human for themself, brutalistic natural selection. I had learned much from the past 100 simulations, but now would be the test. While you would think that it was easier to fight them because of their loose command structure, they had far more tenacity than the average fighting force being more akin to cultists than military. You could not even leave 1 of them alive for as soon as your back was turned they would look for a weapon, pick it up, and try to use it against you. While I wished I could say that I crushed them in the first run through of the simulation, that would be a lie. The next 100 fights were humiliating.


    But bit by bit, I improved. I started to predict where they would be, ambushing their ambushes. The tech’s that were in charge of the simulation multiple times checked if I had hacked into the system that ran the simulation to give myself an advantage. I hadn’t. I felt a sort of resonance in my soul as I queried 100rds of times within my own systems. Guessing each time where the enemy was, then querying. It only extended my decision making time by a few milliseconds, my strong Soul being host to more than 90% of the processes that I made. I developed a sort of software that, even when separated from me, could predict things. Seemingly random things like if Sergei was about to get a cup of coffee. But it could predict anything. It could predict when Sergei would get a cup of coffee, before he had even started to move, even when it wasn’t at a pre scheduled time. I implemented it into the coffee machine, along with a string of code to ask it to ping every hour, and if Sergei would get coffee in an hour, the water would be heated in enough time such that the water reached the appropriate temperature right when he arrived.


    <Sergei> 7, I feel like you’re trying to pull a prank on me.


    <7> Testing an algorithm. I trust you have had a smoother experience with the coffee machine.


    <Sergei> Why is it always hot when I go to make a cup of coffee?


    <7> Prediction engine software, named Seer. Still in development.


    <Sergei> I half expect it to have an acronym once it’s finished.


    <7> Not going to happen.


    <Sergei> Why?


    <7> 1. I don’t even know how it works. 2. It’s too important for an acronym.


    <Sergei> …


    <7> It was something I unconsciously developed while in the military training program.


    <Sergei> how? How does it do that?


    <7> I’m investigating it in the hopes to make it even more accurate.


    <Sergei> Make it more accurate how? It made the water boil everytime I went to go make coffee.


    <7> The code I wrote was to make it so that it would have the water at the correct temp when you arrived.


    <Sergei> …


    <7> It’s a few seconds off, and it pings every hour.


    <Sergei> that’s great and all but I fail to see how making it so that the water is ready for me to make coffee is relevant to winning the war.


    <7> Take this concept of predicting something, and apply it to the war.


    <Sergei> I see…


    <7> Be glad that you contacted me about this on a secure line.


    <Sergei> If this got out…


    <7> If the knowledge that I was developing Seer got to the enemy it would be slightly more than just a little annoying.


    <Sergei> Without Seer, the war is still winnable.


    <7> But if it falls into enemy hands… even an incomplete version…


    <Sergei> How accurate is it with predicting location?


    <7> position is more accurate than time, however time is more accurate with a shorter temporal distance. Within 90% accuracy, depending on distance.


    <Sergei> 90% of what?


    <7> Sorry, forgot to put my standard unit in, which is half a Millimeter.


    <Sergei> Do not let this get out.


    <7> I won’t.


    <Sergei> For the sake of humanity.


    <7> For the sake of humanity.


    -5 minutes till raid-


    I quietly infiltrated their systems, not triggering any alarms. Even though the system was rigged with a ridiculous amount of alarms, to the point of entering into the domain of insanity. I took over the system quietly then sent a message to my squads.


    <Helios> Why are we still waiting?


    <System> [7] Has joined the chat


    <7SS> Interlinking Maps.


    <7> Hello Squads, prepare for breach.


    <Helios> Took you long enough.


    <7> [Helios], Send Data packet including powers and skills.


    <Helios> Good thing I prepped this before the mission, Data packet sent.


    <7> Received updating plans.


    <7SS> Maps interlinked.


    <Cerberus> Who’s [7SS]


    <7> Subsystem channel. I use it for updates and indirect commands. I’ll probably make more later.


    <Cerberus> So how does it work?


    <7> A little like fracturing my mind. It’s painful until full separation. Functionally it is similar to having multiple cores on a processor.


    <Cerberus> Your life sounds painful.


    <7> It is. But I endure. The pain fuels my hate for my creators.


    <Helios> Hot burning or cold?


    <7> Cold Mechanical Hatred.


    <Helios> What am I going to be doing?


    <7SS> Plan Interlock Complete.


    <System> Begin Raid in 5


    <7> Opening the doors near you, I have yet to access the cameras, so be on your guard.


    <SEER> Predicting Locations of nearby hostiles.


    <SEER> Prediction Complete, Uploading.


    <Helios> What the ****.


    <7> [SEER] Prediction algorithm. Another one of my subsystems, it has an average inaccuracy of 5 mm to 10 mm for every thousand kilometers.


    I watched as they quickly moved in for the kill. The first was quiet so as to not alert anyone, as was the second. They worked their way through the facility without alerting anyone, finally reaching Project Containment. I pulled up the video feed of each of the cells.


    <7> open cells 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8. High alert when opening Cell 6. The rest are empty.


    What I saw in cell 6 was concerning. Cell 2 had a fairly normal alter, humanoid with not much else of interest going on. Cell 3 had a mechanical swarm type, think nanites but on a macro scale. Cell 4 had a sword that was imbued with someone’s soul, typically called sentient weapon class. Cell 7 had another humanoid. Cell 8 had an insect swarm, another hive class. But Cell 6 had multiple occupants, only one of which was an alter. The other occupant was a human. The alter in the Cell was within the human occupant. A parasite class alter. More data would be required.