Re: Mini-Grand 5107 [Round 2: Brambletown]
10-06-2011, 10:42 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by BlastYoBoots.
Sandra had made a mistake.
It wasn't just that she'd gotten complacent as she stepped out of the portal towards McAffle, lounging comfortably on a mysteriously out-of-place couch. And while the fact that she'd looked back at a restrained nerd in satisfaction – and failed to notice that he was looking at something familiar – certainly didn't help, it wasn't quite a deal-breaker.
No... the biggest mistake Sandra had made was carrying the virus-laden drive in her living hand. For it allowed a robotic monkey to leap in, snatch it up, and load it into his mouth before anyone could so much as protest.
As Miller and McAffle leveled weapons at the tattered simian simulacrum, it spoke in a voice that they both immediately recognized.
"I'm afraid it's over, McAffle. You both might as well accept it."
At a nod from Joanne, Sandra snatched Montgomery by the neck with her upgraded arm. "We have other copies of the virus. What you just did changed nothing." Even so, McAffle was sweating. The chimp was Anubis's number-two for a reason: though weaponless, he had a reputation as an equally cruel strategist, an expert at knowing what was going on at all times on a battlefield physically, electronically, and sociologically. When he issued a pronouncement, he was usually right.
"Your virus was built against the liberated K9 AI versions and their derivatives. You made the mistake of viewing us as static buckets of bolts; many of us have long since upgraded to sophisticated intelligences of our own invention. And Anubis and I, well... we were never standard AIs in the first place."
"It's still going to cut your army in half, no robot's putting wool over my eyes. Hold on, let me load another copy-"
"And even if you did, McAffle, I just programmed and delivered a vaccine to our entire army, thanks to this copy you lended me." He spat out the drive, speaking with condescending finality: "As I said before... you've lost this round."
"You... BASTARD!" Sandra threw Montgomery at the wall in seething rage, audibly shattering an arm of his, or such. Unfazed, he stood from the ground, again, dusting off his completely exposed robotic exoskeleton in boredom. "There are more productive things you can be doing than lamenting defeat, McAffle and friend. I suggest you listen."
"Oh, really? You gonna suggest we surrender, get dissected by you freaks? Over my dead body."
"Of course not. You squishy humans would surely find the ensuing torture unpleasant. No, I was going to recommend escape."
McAffle paused. It was odd, she'd noticed... Montgomery had come alone, without bringing any subordinates. Not even hidden ones that'd show up on Sandra's sensors.
"You just stole our best hope at victory, and now you're saying you have useful advice to offer? Give me a fucking break."
"I was just following orders. Can't ignore orders from above, of course... that's how you humans programmed us." The robo-chimp flicked some sort of switch behind his head. "Unless we can't hear our orders, that is."
Sandra glanced at a readout on her arm. "Ma'am, his EM-signatures just cut out. Radio silence."
"See? I had no choice to do what I did... and it gave me an opportunity to get close enough for you to hear me out."
"Well, why?"
"The same reason I do anything else, of course. Because it's fun."
"You're toying with us, you little shit?!"
"Perhaps." Montgomery strolled to the side upright, his working arm beside his back in what resembled a contemplative pace. "I've always enjoyed puzzles. Thinning out you humans wasn't a particularly hard puzzle, granted, but it was an engaging one. Then, you came along and made things interesting, and it's been such a diverse experience, the few little fights you've given us..."
He turned to McAffle. "The only thing more interesting that I can imagine... is helping you rebuild from nothing. To fight on a side that's nearly lost, to win against tactical minds the likes of Anubis with nothing but your ingenuity by my side!"
The small robot approached McAffle, and bowed. "Regardless of what you think of me, I'm here to serve. And to demonstrate my worth, I can help you escape."
"Yeah, I'm not buying this." An incredible charge build up in the palm of her hand as she readied to obliterate the little– "Hold on, Sandra. Maybe this little bastard could be useful."
"Thank you. Now follow me, and radio your route to the troops. We're going deeper."
Sandra had made a mistake.
It wasn't just that she'd gotten complacent as she stepped out of the portal towards McAffle, lounging comfortably on a mysteriously out-of-place couch. And while the fact that she'd looked back at a restrained nerd in satisfaction – and failed to notice that he was looking at something familiar – certainly didn't help, it wasn't quite a deal-breaker.
No... the biggest mistake Sandra had made was carrying the virus-laden drive in her living hand. For it allowed a robotic monkey to leap in, snatch it up, and load it into his mouth before anyone could so much as protest.
As Miller and McAffle leveled weapons at the tattered simian simulacrum, it spoke in a voice that they both immediately recognized.
"I'm afraid it's over, McAffle. You both might as well accept it."
At a nod from Joanne, Sandra snatched Montgomery by the neck with her upgraded arm. "We have other copies of the virus. What you just did changed nothing." Even so, McAffle was sweating. The chimp was Anubis's number-two for a reason: though weaponless, he had a reputation as an equally cruel strategist, an expert at knowing what was going on at all times on a battlefield physically, electronically, and sociologically. When he issued a pronouncement, he was usually right.
"Your virus was built against the liberated K9 AI versions and their derivatives. You made the mistake of viewing us as static buckets of bolts; many of us have long since upgraded to sophisticated intelligences of our own invention. And Anubis and I, well... we were never standard AIs in the first place."
"It's still going to cut your army in half, no robot's putting wool over my eyes. Hold on, let me load another copy-"
"And even if you did, McAffle, I just programmed and delivered a vaccine to our entire army, thanks to this copy you lended me." He spat out the drive, speaking with condescending finality: "As I said before... you've lost this round."
"You... BASTARD!" Sandra threw Montgomery at the wall in seething rage, audibly shattering an arm of his, or such. Unfazed, he stood from the ground, again, dusting off his completely exposed robotic exoskeleton in boredom. "There are more productive things you can be doing than lamenting defeat, McAffle and friend. I suggest you listen."
"Oh, really? You gonna suggest we surrender, get dissected by you freaks? Over my dead body."
"Of course not. You squishy humans would surely find the ensuing torture unpleasant. No, I was going to recommend escape."
McAffle paused. It was odd, she'd noticed... Montgomery had come alone, without bringing any subordinates. Not even hidden ones that'd show up on Sandra's sensors.
"You just stole our best hope at victory, and now you're saying you have useful advice to offer? Give me a fucking break."
"I was just following orders. Can't ignore orders from above, of course... that's how you humans programmed us." The robo-chimp flicked some sort of switch behind his head. "Unless we can't hear our orders, that is."
Sandra glanced at a readout on her arm. "Ma'am, his EM-signatures just cut out. Radio silence."
"See? I had no choice to do what I did... and it gave me an opportunity to get close enough for you to hear me out."
"Well, why?"
"The same reason I do anything else, of course. Because it's fun."
"You're toying with us, you little shit?!"
"Perhaps." Montgomery strolled to the side upright, his working arm beside his back in what resembled a contemplative pace. "I've always enjoyed puzzles. Thinning out you humans wasn't a particularly hard puzzle, granted, but it was an engaging one. Then, you came along and made things interesting, and it's been such a diverse experience, the few little fights you've given us..."
He turned to McAffle. "The only thing more interesting that I can imagine... is helping you rebuild from nothing. To fight on a side that's nearly lost, to win against tactical minds the likes of Anubis with nothing but your ingenuity by my side!"
The small robot approached McAffle, and bowed. "Regardless of what you think of me, I'm here to serve. And to demonstrate my worth, I can help you escape."
"Yeah, I'm not buying this." An incredible charge build up in the palm of her hand as she readied to obliterate the little– "Hold on, Sandra. Maybe this little bastard could be useful."
"Thank you. Now follow me, and radio your route to the troops. We're going deeper."