[Main System initialize startup]
Power Supply O.K
Running bootstrap……
Sys Memory check……..
1: Confirmed
2: Confirmed
3 Confirmed
4: Error, Partition Fragmented.
………
[Initializing] rebuild from last image….
[Warning]; Image reference is older then current API Hooks; Override activated
Boot Complete.
I awake with a start, surrounded by an absence of visual stimuli, a monumental cache of data moving through my sub processors up to higher processors.
[Warning] Sys memory core 4 sustained minor damage, information is fragmented.
I put the potentially worrying warning to the side for the moment as I try to recall previous information; objective, disposition, current location
[System] Objective undefined
[System] Personality core Artemis 1.57 Loaded
[System] Current location unknown, Sensor package is offline.
“Well...that does not sound particularly encouraging..” I mumbled, my voice echoing in the perpetual nothing surrounding me.
My first priority is to restore functionality to my sensors so I can access the situation. I start to access my sensor subsystems and discover that some of the circuit pathways have been overloaded.
[Warning] Primary circuits for sensor functionality have been damaged.
[System] Rerouting active to secondary circuits. Queued primary sensor circuits in the repair queue.
[System] Sensor functionality restored.
The world around me exploded in a white flash, before settling down into subdued colors, It appeared to be night time. I panned my sensors around in a 360° arc, searching the surrounding area for activity, for the most part, I seemed to be alone, ignoring the occasional chirps of crickets.
[System] Sensor Perimeter established.
Now that I had some semblance of security, I decided to look inward, as it stood, I had no idea what I was, or what I was meant to be doing.
Apparently, whoever created my body/consciousness had included a brief into what I was, albeit a somewhat short overview. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 59.7411%; height: 161px" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%">
Autonomous Evolving Combat Frame [AECF ?] Prototype version 3
“Who needs to fight wars when you have the AECF? protecting your cities!”
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
I raised a virtual eyebrow at the quote; It seemed that I was some sort of item to be sold, if the opening sentence was anything to go by, I continued reading.
“This bipedal combat frame is a new advancement from the Union, It boasts a very large and adaptable arsenal to deal with any threat it encounters in the field. Best of all, it contains a self learning Artificial Intelligence that allows it to adapt its strategies on the fly for convenience of use!”
I shook my virtual head, dismayed that I was paraded around like some sort of toy for a child.
At the bottom of the document there was a list of specifications, dot points for potential buyers and several pictures and incomplete blueprints of the frame, well I guess MY body.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 61.467%; height: 67px" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 67px">
<td style="width: 100%; height: 67px">
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Autonomous </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Artificial AI Control System</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Adaptable nanomachine based weapon system</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Next generation power reactor ******* [level 3 clearance required] </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Lightweight nanoweave armor plating.</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
After I felt comfortable that I had perused the document enough, I turned my attention to my current situation. My body was locked upright in some sort of cradle. The inside of the room/hanger that I was in seemed dilapidated and unused, It almost seemed abandoned.
I decided to see if i could move my body, to leave the cradle and walk around,
[System] Reactors at 100%, all systems green.
I was about to move when my perimeter alarm started ringing urgently in my head and the doors to the hanger started to slowly open, faint voices heard on the other side of the door.
I hurriedly powered down non critical systems and acted as if I was still offline. However I kept my sensors online.
A very out of place word came to mind from this whole situation.
Shit.
The doors seem to take years to open as I internally panicked, my processors working overdrive to think about my next action, My body did not take exception to that however.
[Warning] Processors overclocked over maximum recommended limit, damage will occur, open heat vents or return processors to normal operating levels.
I forced myself to try and calm myself, the alternative was opening the heat vents, and I would assume that would be a very obvious sign that I was active to the guests that were just walking into the hanger.
The next thing I noticed is that these….humans did not appear to be that well dressed. Their uniforms/clothes were rough, and seemed to be mostly patches instead of clothes at this point. I guess they are very well used clothes?
I started when a well dressed human walked out from the back of the disheveled humans, my assumption was that the disheveled guests were some sort of maintenance crew? While this new human female was some sort of leader.
“Well it seems the information was correct, this base was a storing location for Union research projects” The human female spoke with a commanding tone, My visual sensors locked onto her face, she had white hair, porcelain skin and blue eyes, her expression locked into my assumption of an expectant smile.
A short rounded man came up to the side of this woman and laughed heartily
“It seems that the gods have graced us with a gift!, though this looks a little bit different to the information we were given, perhaps this is an advanced model Your Grace? ”
The female known as “Your Grace” tilted her head in thought “The information we received might have been for a previous model, it’s obvious from the looks of it, this particular model has gone through many iterations compared to the information we received. At any rate Chief, get your crew up and running diagnostics on its control systems, and find out what exactly is new with this model, I do not want any surprises.
The “Chief” started barking orders at his group of similarly dressed humans, they started scattering around my main chassis, performing visual and physical inspections, the whole thing felt rather awkward for me, since they didn''t know I was online.
The “Chief” walked up to a control terminal that seemed to be connected to my cradle, and plugged a smaller terminal in and started rapidly typing into its inbuilt keyboard. I felt him accessing the document I was reading before.
The short man sucked in breath through his teeth and whistled “Your grace, this model is several Generations ahead of what we were expecting to find.”
The female took a step forward and hummed “Is it operational, can we put a pilot in it to take it back?”
The Chief leaned in slightly to the screen and scratched his head for a moment, before tapping a few keys, curious at what he was doing, I tapped into his computer screen and noticed he was looking at my diagnostic screen, he was scrolling down some subsystem screens when he clicked on a tab that said “General Overview” right there in bold letters was the words “Unit is active”
The Chief seemed to blink a few times and then turned to look at the female before saying in a very even voice “It says that this unit is currently active, but visually all the main systems are currently deactivated.”
The female seemed to give the chief a strange look that I couldn''t place before she said “What about subsystems? are those offline?”
The chief took a few minutes to flick through a few screens before looking back at her and saying “It says here that its primary sensor package is online, but that''s it”
Before the female could say anything the chief was already bringing up another window on the terminal.
It took me a long moment to realise that the terminal had a view only access to everything I was using. But before the realisation hit me, The Chief had already brought up another window, which showed them a high detailed camera image of them standing at the terminal, From the sensor I was using to watch them.
**Author note**
I originally wrote this on Google docs, so thats why the formatting looks a bit bad. From now on im going to try and write in royalroads text editor instead.