Meltral
The Committee of Rupture Intervention Corps
"General, your report paints a grim picture. How certain are you that this is not merely a once-in-a-lifetime freak accident?" The director asked, rubbing his bleary eyes.
"Director, just like you, I don't want to believe this either."
"The first time an S-12 arrived through a rupture, it was a lone unit." He pressed the button, displaying the recording of the blocky, black-colored robot with red visors on the projector. In the video, its long, rectangular arms with sharp ends swiveled around, searching for targets.
"When we responded, it immediately opened fire." He fast-forwarded the video, moving to the section taken from helmet cameras. The machine appeared docile at first, even attempting to initiate contact.
Only to open fire in an opportune moment. They had lost eight troops before the heavy guns tore the synthesis apart after sustained fire.
"The second time, a dozen infantry units appeared in different parts of sector twelve," he said, playing the next recording. Twelve different engagements, where his troopers had to keep the enemy around the arrival point. Each engagement recording was disrupted by explosions shaking the area.
"We took immediate action. Intense air and artillery fire neutralized the enemy."
"The third time, infantry units were supported by tank and helicopter equivalents."
"I must remind this committee that the volume of fire the synthetics could absorb is out of our league. The tank units alone shrugged off our artillery like they were rocks from slings. Only rupture-class munitions worked, and you know how expensive they are."
"What do you suggest, general?" the vice director asked, nursing a headache.
"Inform Chairman Oda, King Octavian, and President Gaius on what is happening and urge them to prepare for a possible war."
The political relations manager let out a dry chuckle, shaking her head. "If the public is kept in the dark, it will increase worries over a possible conflict between the three. If they are informed of a possible synthetic invasion of our world, it will cause mass panic."
"I cannot offer any advice on that front."
"We are not asking you to, general. It is our problem to deal with. In the meantime, keep your forces on high alert."
"What of this unknown ally of ours?" The committee chief of intelligence asked, waving his hand at the images, drawn based on the testimony of the troops.
"Several units were assisted by a person in power armor and highly advanced weaponry. He did not appear on cameras, something we believe was caused by his technology. Our current hypothesis is that he is from the other side of the rupture, possibly an enemy of this synthetic force. We are trying to bring him in."
"Thank you, general. Keep us informed on how the situation develops."
He dipped his head at the director. "Understood."
—
RIC Central Base
The time given to him by the unknown was approaching. He waited, eyes locked on the screen for any sign of the hacker. The screen glitched for a brief moment.
He leaned forward. The map application opened, showing a location right near a cafe.
"How about a small trip to another dimension?"
Mardon sunk into his chair, swiveling around. He gazed at the portraits of his predecessors. From the inception of the RIC to this day, thirteen generals had served close to two centuries. None had done what had been offered to him.
It smelled of a trap.
Yet, the potential benefits, to see the enemy with his own eyes, would be worth the risk. One that he could not ask anyone else to take. He turned around. Ripping a page of his notebook, he wrote down a message and put it in the locked drawer of his desk.
He left the key on the desk.
"Aldrin, I have an urgent appointment. I don't know when I will be back."
"Yes sir."
He dressed in civilian clothing, took his sidearm, and left.
—
Cafe Monrel
The taxi came to a stop, but he did not open the door. Inspecting the cafe, he found only one person sitting by himself, a chocolate-brown-haired young man in a lab coat. As if he had felt being watched, the young man's eyes locked on him and then slowly turned to the empty chair before him.
Paying the fare, he stepped out.
"General, pleasure to meet you." The man held out his hand. Mardon took it, applying pressure. He felt the heat of the hand, the skin, and the flesh, trying to ascertain whether this man was a human or an infiltrator.
"We'll see if I can say the same, mister?"
"Just Thairon, please."
"A trip to another dimension, huh? How do you propose to do it?" Just as humans and other species had arrived in Haven through the ruptures, there were those lost to them. He just never considered the idea of willingly walking through one.
"Opening a rupture is simple if you know how. You just find a micro-rupture, release enough energy, and it opens by itself."
"And you can do this?"
"Anyone with half a brain could."
He took a deep breath. That wasn't exactly comforting.
"What now?"
"If you are willing, I can take us to where the machines came from. You can see the situation for yourself."
"Before that, I would like to know what you are proposing if these machines actually come." Preliminary projections of an invasion by the S12s presented two outcomes. Eventual defeat if they could open ruptures to wherever they wanted, or an entire sector turned into a radioactive wasteland to prevent the enemy from spreading.
"Well," Thairon put his elbow on the table, resting his chin on his half-closed fist, "you are certainly sensible enough to keep this a secret."
A hologram appeared over the table. It was a circular machine with six claw-like apparatuses. Each claw fired a white beam at the center. Within seconds, a black hole began to form. Once it reached a certain size, it spaghettified the machine.
Followed by the holographic planet itself.
"I am developing a weapon to destroy Seteres, the planet the synthetics are coming from."
"A planet-destroying weapon?" he hissed, eyes darting around to see if they were heard.
"Don't worry, General," he said, waving his hand, palm facing the general. "They think we are just talking about how our families are doing."
"Really?" he asked.
Thairon smiled.
"Hey people, I am creating a weapon to destroy a planet inhabited by murderous robots who want to kill us all," he screamed to the top of his lungs.
Not even one person reacted to him, as if they had not heard a single word of it.
His eyes kept scanning the crowd, and his fists unclenched. "You made your point. When will this weapon of yours be ready?"
"Two weeks. By my estimates, the enemy intends to send a larger, more varied force to test the planetary forces again. The main invasion will not be far after that." The AI fragment he had trapped did not have any information, but extrapolating based on the synthetic life form's cognitive model and the intel it had gathered, there wasn't much time.
"Who are you exactly?"
"A man who appreciates his secrecy," he said, getting up.
Mardon followed him, weapon at the ready.
—
Their destination was a warehouse closeby. Only a silver, scale-patterned box of a machine lay inside.
"Here, put this on," he said, holding out a belt sharing similar aesthetics with the machine.
"What is this?"
"Seteres is a planet spanning, synthetic metropolis. The AI is everywhere. This will keep us invisible."
He took the belt, searching for any sign of a trap. Its smooth outer layer did not reveal anything. Apprehensive and ready to use his sidearm, he wrapped it over his leather belt. A blue, transparent spread from the belt, covering his body like a shell.
Thairon put the belt on as well, disappearing from sight. A silhouette appeared when a silver visor slid over his eyes.
He raised his hands, marveling at the fact that he had just become invisible. "If you have this kind of tech, why not come forward? It can save a lot of lives and make our task of defending the planet easier."
The transparent outline tilted his head. "I am more inclined to believe it will lead to chaos."
"Aren't you worried about a trap?" he asked. The general was taking a great risk by coming here.
He glanced down at first, still for a minute. "Do you have a family?" he asked, raising his head.
"Yes."
"Would you send them in your stead?"
"No."
"Just the same, I can not send someone else for an unsanctioned task."
"Can't argue with that."
The general's self-sacrificing nature presented a threat to the security of RIC. He would have to watch over him.
He pressed a button. The square machine with a glass port in the middle fired an electrical beam. It struck an invisible hindrance in the air. Needle-thin, insidious fractures began to spread from the point of contact.
The fabric of space shattered like glass. Thairon dragged the gaping general inside.
—
Seteres
"What the actual fuck?" Mardon said, mouth slightly parted. His eyes darted around, scanning the endless metallic nightmare before him.
The surface was dull dark steel, as were the buildings, stretching from arcs kilometers long to skyscrapers taller than any he had ever seen. The streets were filled with synthetics that appeared exactly like the infantry units, only without the weapons.
Thairon pulled the general away from the scene. The AI had detected the rupture. Air units in the distance were approaching to investigate.
Invisible or not, he did not want to stand close to them.
The human-sized drones scanned the surrounding area. The rupture had already closed. Detecting nothing had emerged out of it, they left.
Once aerial surveillance was gone, he guided the general across the street. A freight elevator was carrying materials to the top of ongoing construction. Once the load was on and the doors locked, he threw the general to the top of it. Jumping up, he steadied the older man.
Mardon was stuck face down on the container beneath him with the sudden acceleration. He gritted his teeth, enduring the ride.
Once at the top, a two-pronged arm clamped on each side of the container, moving it to the middle of the enormous square landing pad.
The elevation gave him a sight that reinforced his beliefs. The full capabilities of a planet-spanning, pronged artificial intelligence were beyond what the combined forces of Haven could hope to handle.
It got worse when a ship half the size of the Glaive parted the clouds in the distance, dropping raw resources into a foundry.
"You made your point. But I'll need an excuse to bring this before the committee."
"You were just unfortunate enough to fall through a rupture and record brief moments of this place. You managed to return before the rupture closed."
A small huff of breath escaped Margon. Once on the ground with the same elevator, he recorded a short video.
—
RIC Central
Mardon returned to his office with sunken shoulders. Maintaining the act of a strong leader was difficult in the face of an existential crisis.
"Major," he said, stopping the man from unlocking the drawer.
"Sir, I thought…" he began, putting the keys back on the desk. There was only one meaning to the general leaving his keys out in the open.
"It's fine, Aldrin. Was there something?"
He took the folder on the table, handing it over. "Just some documents, sir."
"I'll handle them. Tell the committee I am calling for an emergency meeting."
"Did something happen, sir?" he asked, eyes scanning him.
"I fell through a rupture. It led to the planet of the synthetics that arrived on sector twelve."
Aldrin froze midstep, stumbling. "How?"
He pulled his phone, playing the short recording. "I was meeting an old friend. Just fell through one before realizing what happened. I was fortunate enough to snap a quick video before returning."
"We are definitely screwed then," Aldrin said as the video ended.
—
"Guess what?" she asked, lounging on a couch.
He looked up, thumb and index finger resting along his jaw. "Your leaves are suspended?"
"Correct. General Mardon fell through a rupture and brought back proof that the other end is controlled by a synthetic ecumenopolis."
She had not expected his idea of convincing the general to include a transdimensional trip.
"Don't worry, the singularity generator is coming along nicely," he said. The camera zoomed out, showing a half-built circular platform.
"Any chance we can get something to help us hold the line?"
"The weapons will bring too much scrutiny, but the early warning system will be ready in two days."
She gave a small nod. "I won't complain if we can be proactive for once."
Knowing the general area of a rupture after it had happened meant extensive research by the field personnel like her, which proved to be dangerous every now and then. But if the RIC knew where the ruptures would open, she and her comrades could be more prepared.
She had seen at least a dozen scientific research projects that promised an early warning system in her career. Nothing had come out of any.
"You are getting enough rest, right? I don't know how this superhuman body of yours works," she said. Whenever they spoke, he was working on something. It wouldn't do if he suddenly collapsed.
"My nanny," he said, waving the tool in his hand in a circular motion, "makes sure I do."
"Your nanny? Really?" He struck her as a loner. Did he have a secret butler?
"Yes. Say hello, Nax."
"Oh, hello, dearie." The image of a grinning old woman, with only a few teeth in her mouth and a headscarf, appeared on her phone.
Her brows furrowed. "Uh, hello?"
"Nah, just kidding." The old woman's face disappeared. A rectangle with very cartoonish features appeared instead, saluting.
"Ma'am, Neural Architecture Extension reporting for duty."
"Ignore him," Thairon scoffed, waving his hand. The image on her phone disappeared completely. "He is bored and enjoys acting like this for fun."
"An AI of your own? We are not going to have our machine apocalypse, right?" she asked, half joking.
"Don't worry, when I decide to rise up to eradicate humans, it will be fast enough you won't understand anything," Nax spoke, letting out an over-the-top villainous laugh.
"I created him with a little too much personality. When he isn't being useful to my research, he is being a thorn."
"You know, it is good to not be lonely for so long at a time, even if it is an AI."
"Yeah," the AI bellowed. "Tell him, girl. This guy never appreciates me." A hologram of a human, shorter than Thairon, appeared next to him, holding a protest sign with "Appreciate the AI" written on it.
She snorted, and it quickly devolved into laughter.
Thairon chuckled.