Nova’s steel boots reverberated through the passageway as she climbed the stairs to the 103rd floor. She’d only ever seen the iconic Chicago tower in postcards. It had been known as the Sears Tower once upon a time when companies still existed. As she lifted her knees, her joints were facilitated by an intricate network of nanobots that moved in sync with the SoldierBot exoskeleton. The EMP was a dense weight against her back, a subtle reminder of the task at hand—destroy Mach X’s command center, cripple the SoldierBot forces in Chicago, and win back the city.
A soft chime sounded in her feed, the secure communication channel buzzing to life. Nova, Cybel’s voice came through, what’s the situation?
The plain concrete walls of the tower’s stairwell greeted her with each level’s ascent. Her steps echoed in the silence. Clear so far. Passing thirty-seven.
Stay alert. Once you reach the command level, you’ll have to deal with security. We won’t be able to link comms once you’re inside the fortified neural network walls, so I’m beaming you a recording that walks you through the process step by step. Got it?
Yep. The reality of 103 stairs was hitting every inch of Nova’s body. Though she was aided by the nanobots to power the SoldierBot’s cumbersome armor, she was still getting a cardio workout.
Remember, you need to get to ground level before the pulse goes off. You’ll have five minutes.
Nova paused for a moment and leaned back against the wall of floor thirty-nine. She was going to trigger a device that would incapacitate not just the enemy SoldierBots but the captive robots too. Cybel, the robots, the prisoners I told you about. There’s a CleanerBot . . . they’ll all be destroyed?
Yes. It’s unfortunate, but it must be done. The EMP doesn’t discriminate. It will affect all bots and electronics within its range. Your suit will deactivate, and the nanobots will die. Remember to show the flag so your crew can spot and extract you.
Cybel and Oxford would be miles away from the EMP blast to be safe. There could be residual pulses, like shockwaves, so it was too dangerous to bring any robots close. The plan was for Geo and other rebels to drive in a truck and grab the SoldierBot wearing the flag. They would haul her to where Cybel and Oxford could extricate her from the inert SoldierBot exoskeleton. She had to get the flag on her before the detonation or she would be lost among thousands of other SoldierBots and risk starving inside the suit.
Her life hinged on the blue and white city of Chicago flag that they’d displayed in the North Side headquarters. It was stored inside a storage compartment in her thigh.
All robots in the blast zone would fry. The image of the CleanerBot from earlier flashed in her mind. It looked like Block. And if it was anything like her friend, the poor thing simply wanted to clean and make people happy. It was caught in a war it didn’t ask to be part of.
Is there something we can do? They’re innocent, she said into the comms. The one is a spitting image of Block.
There was a few seconds pause on Cybel’s end. She was talking to Oxford perhaps. Sorry, Nova. It’s not a decision taken lightly, but the stakes are high. This is our chance to wipe out Mach X’s neural network in the Midwest. We don’t know if we’ll have another chance like this.
Nova tried to clench her fist, but it didn’t have the same impact inside the metallic suit. I know. I just wish we could get them out before it goes off. She trudged onward, pushing up the stairs.
At least the climb in the heavy exosuit distracted her by making her concentrate on pumping her legs up and down each step. Still, her mind was a swirl of thoughts, of possibilities and “what ifs.” Could she find a way to blow up the network without harming the innocent bots?
The CleanerBot in the prison yard had followed her. Worse, it looked like Block, reminding her that she missed her friend. And she was on the verge of wiping it out.
Can we repair the good robots after they get fried? she asked Cybel.
No. The EMP is such that the damage to the core processors is extensive and permanent.
So much for that idea.
Twenty minutes later, Nova’s chest tightened as she climbed the final set of stairs to 103, her heavy boots resounding on the concrete steps. The neural network was the nerve center of Mach X’s operations. Oxford had explained how X commanded his forces, how the powerful AI entity tapped into the SoldierBots and controlled them. Without the network, Mach X would be weakened, and the war would take a turn in their favor.
She reached the final landing and straightened. Her breath hitched in her throat. Going in.
Good luck, was the last thing she heard from Cybel before her comms went silent as she opened the door leading to the top floor. Its metal hinges creaked. She walked forward, confident she looked like a SoldierBot. Shane had once told her getting into places was easy. You simply had to “fake it ’til you make it.”
Inside a narrow hallway, a cacophony of sounds met her. A clamorous hum from nearby machinery raised goosebumps on her limbs despite the steel pressing against her flesh. The walls were lined with computer screens displaying lines of code, flashing graphs, and charts she couldn’t begin to understand. Beyond a glass wall loomed a maze of circuits, conduits, and servers. The walls, ceiling, and floor of the entire level, including where the elevator stopped, were coated with a strange shiny glowing substance. It looked like crawling vines from an invasive plant species. This was the fortified metal that Cybel had mentioned. It blocked all comms and protected the neural network from any hacking or external EMP blasts. She needed to get the device beyond the foreign metal layer to actually destroy the nerve center.
Gazing through her suit’s optics, Nova steeled herself and walked with calculated precision toward a group of SoldierBots who guarded the doors that led into the command room. Her sensors identified numerous security measures, cameras, and SoldierBots posted at critical locations.
She’d known security would be tight, but she was a SoldierBot. In theory, they should let her in. Two of the guards were facing away from her and looking down. She couldn’t make out what they were doing as she neared.
Then she saw. Rover units. Three of them sat near the SoldierBots, resting on their haunches. The sight of the robot dogs made her stomach churn. Block had told her they’d fought them off in Manhattan, that they’d barely escaped. It was one thing to hear about the mechanical beasts, another to see them in real life. Their dark metallic bodies gleamed under the artificial lights, their camera eyes glowing as they sat still.
She slowed her pace as she got close to the SoldierBot who appeared to be in command.
“Targets located, northwest of Chicago,” the biggest Rover said in a guttural, synthetic voice.
Another of the Rovers tilted its head at Nova, like it was curious. The thing couldn’t tell she was an imposter, could it? Keep your cool. If Cybel were there, she’d tell Nova not to worry. The SoldierBot exosuit was foolproof.
The SoldierBot in command barely looked up from a tablet it held. “Proceed with your mission and bring the targets here for transportation back to New York.”
Nova’s chest tightened. Northwest of the city was where Block and the kids were. As soon as she got back in comms range, she’d have to tell Cybel to warn Block about the robot dogs.
Two of the Rovers turned and headed toward the elevator bay. The one who’d been curious about Nova lingered for a moment and took a couple of steps toward her. But the big Rover barked from the elevator, making the curious Rover shift course and join the others.
Their metal bodies disappeared behind the closing doors, and a pang of worry stabbed at her heart, but she shook it off. She had to focus on her mission. The head SoldierBot turned to her.
“Here to deliver a necessary component for the network.” Nova’s voice was perfect—steady and robotic—as she held out her right arm for scanning. She bit her lower lip and sent up a little prayer that Cybel’s hacked ID codes worked well enough to get her through.
One of the SoldierBots, a sleek, silver model with a visor covering its optics, tilted its head at her and scanned her with its sensors. After a moment, it stepped aside. “Proceed.”
Nova strode forward, trying to keep her steps even and unhesitant. Her nerves buzzed. She set her gaze on the door that led to the neural network room.
“Wait.” The lead SoldierBot’s robotic hand reached out, its metal fingers closing around the pack on her back. It unzipped the parcel and brought out the rectangular case that enclosed the device. Its glowing eyes scanned the item, its internal processing running the codes Cybel had ingeniously designed. When scanned, it would appear as a replacement data module, an integral part for the neural network.
Nova clenched her jaw, watching the SoldierBot’s ocular display flicker as it analyzed the package. “Data module confirmed. Proceed.”
Relief washed over Nova as she entered the server room. Inside was a colossal network of data cubes, each of them a multitude of colors as they pulsed with life. The cubes were suspended in mid-air, held up by unseen forces, each with an intricate display of constellations of microprocessors and memory nodes. The entire room was a complex, breathing organism of information, flickering with a strange ethereal beauty.
She retrieved Cybel’s recording. The next few minutes were a blur of instructions. She followed Cybel’s meticulous directions—insert the device near the primary data cube, enter the activation codes to trigger the detonator, and get out.
As she entered the numeric codes, she paused, thinking of the prisoner bots. To destroy them was as unfair as the slavery they were subjected to.
But there wasn’t time. Cybel’s voice in her recording: “Hurry. If you spend longer than five minutes in that room, they’ll detect your presence. Activate it and get out.”
Nova hesitated, her SoldierBot steel finger hovering over the keypad. She was torn between her mission and the lives of the innocent robots she was going to destroy. Collateral damage. What would Block do?
She clenched her jaw as her heart pounded like crazy. The timer she’d set showed less than a minute remaining. She knew exactly what Block would do.
She had to try and free the robots. Dammit.
She entered the final activation number, closed the door, and checked for the small detonator device in a hidden compartment on her suit’s inner arm. Cybel’s instructions said pressing it would initiate a five-minute countdown timer. Pressing it there in the control room wouldn’t give her enough time to get the CleanerBot and the other captive bots somewhere safe.
She walked out of the server room and nodded to the two entry SoldierBots who let her pass without a word. As she descended the elevator to ground level, she dreaded how furious Cybel and Oxford would be and wished Block were there to back her up. He would’ve risked his neck for the prisoner bots too. At least she’d gotten the device inside the network room and activated it.
The doors opened, and she stepped into the grand lobby, crossing the marbled floors toward the revolving doors. Her comm stayed off. She wanted to get out safely before she reengaged and faced Cybel’s wrath.
But as she neared the exit, a clattering of metal feet sounded from nearby. She slowed. The three Rovers were there. They followed and watched her, emitting low mechanical growls.
Before she could react, two SoldierBots grabbed her arms while another came in front of her. It reached up and gripped her head. With a swift, precise movement, it ripped off her helmet, exposing her.
The comm link was gone, cutting her off from any support. Nova blinked, momentarily stunned. The SoldierBots and Rovers focused their glowing eyes on her.
She was their enemy, one of the millions of humans they’d been programmed to eradicate.