The Investigation (Safe For Work)
George sighed, this place was a mess, even the robots seemed lazy. Why this cargo had been left here was beyond him. Beckoning over a robot, “Hey roboto get over here and do some damn work”. They really did need to update the robots yet again, they never did anything without a command any more. Impatiently watching the robot lumber towards him, picking up a heavy pipe. “You don't need a pipe, you just need to move the fracking cargo, put it down”. They really needed an update he thought as it just lumbered towards him seemingly ignoring the cargo entirely. About to shout in annoyance at the robot as it raised the pipe and smashed it into his shoulder, letting out a scream as he collapsed to the floor, “what is this?” he stammered as the pipe connected with his head.
Kanta closed the message on her PDA, yet another polite message about her eye, she would have to get it at some point, but not today, really not today. Her thoughts where interrupted by a loud knock on her door “it opens” she shouted. In stepped a tall woman dressed in the traditional dark grey of a commissar, her black hair was done up in a tight bun and a very serious look on her face. “Major Dah, I am glad to see your recovery has gone well”, Kanta grimaced inwardly, she hated the title Major. “You have me at a disadvantage Commissar, what is it I can do for you?”. She walked over to the small port hole Kanta was lucky enough to have, giving a view of the eerie sand storm going on outside as the Hive relentlessly plodded alone. “You can call me Ishtar, anyway yesterday a dock worker was attacked and killed, from what we have seen, it was one of the robots who killed him, currently we are stretched thin trying to keep this contained, robot attacks are not going to go down well, so we need your help to find out what happened, discreetly”. Kanta was starting to think today was going to be one of those days, and No was very unlikely to be an option, but it really did not seem likely a Robo had started killing. “As you command Commissar” she hoped that did not sound quite as sarcastic as she meant it, regardless she seems to ignore it. “Very good major, the details will be sent to you immediately, I expect to see you with results soon. With that she strode out of the office as quickly as she has arrived. Kanta sighed and looked in a draw for one of the last of the electronic cigars she had, luxury rations did not seem to go far any more. She took a long puff letting the purple smoke wisp around her as she tried to relax, surely having cute commissars was cheating?
First stop was the ROPC who supplied the killer robo, who knows where it had gotten to, clearly seen on the video footage killing that guy then wondering out of the port and vanishings down some alleyway. The lobby was impressive, full of activity, people dressed in suits and slim robots clanking around. She walked up to the desk and flashed her badge “I want to see whoever is in charge”, Kanta was very surprised by the amount of activity that triggered, within moments she was in the office of a very worried looking CEO, clearly they had been informed of the situation. He was a large very worried man “We had been expecting you Major, we are willing to help in any way”. Kanta pretended to inspect the office walking around a little, “So how likely is it that this robot has decided to start killing on it's own?”. He went quite pale and almost exploded at the veiled accusation “A ROPC robot would never attack someone! The very idea is preposterous.”. Kanta frowned, “So what was all this talk about the ROPC heading an initiative to create thinking robots?” “How do you know about that, we where given strict orders to undertake that and it was top secret, nobody should know about it”, it had taken very little for his face to get bright red and clearly seemed to think all this could come back to haunt him. She leaned in close to him and gave a slight smile glaring at him with her miss-matched eyes “ I know about it for the same reason I am the one stood here now, so tell me about the project, and what has inevitably fraked up with it”, “It got cancelled, the head researcher left, to be honest with you he was an eccentric obsessive who would have caused more harm than anything else had he finished”. She flipped open her PDA, “I am going to need his address, also when was the last time the robots on that part of the dock got serviced?”. He scrabbled about his desk a little and found a tablet, “Those robots got an update five months ago, the dock guys never like us messing about with them so we only do it when it is vital”. She could see where this was going already, it seems the maintenance done in the file one month ago was not legitimate. “Send me all the info you have on the researcher and the project he was on, and if this robot is killing people, you will see me again”. Without Watling for a reply she let herself out and headed back to her office to see what she could track down.
She did not get far before she had a call saying that the missing robot had turned up in a distribution centre. She took the turbo lift down a some levels and she was almost outside of it. As she approached she found that the area had been cornered off, beat cops where all over the place and a shimmer field had been set up by the looks and she could smell carbon mixed with the outside air. As she got up to the barricade it was clear there had been an explosion opening up the area to the outside. Showing her credentials, she activated her temporary mask, blowing her hair about as it fizzed into existence, she stepped into the room through the shimmer field. A few people where in the blown out room already, a few mechanics fixing the breach and the standard MPs collecting data, a few recognised her from her uniform and left her to poke about. By the looks it was a small explosion, enough to make a hole a foot or so across in the wall, likely poor maintenance than the blast, at least four victims all workers killed by exposure, apart from one who was caught in the blast, likely the intended victim. Also blown to pieces was a robot, the front half missing and the head reduced to nothing, it looked like the blast came from the robot. She knelt down to have a closer look, if it had meant to blow up, surely it would have caused more damage, this was pretty small for the amount of explosive it could have carried. Sifting through the debris she found the crystallised core of a plasma welder, likely the cause of the explosion, not all that hard to convert into a pistol, but they had been known to go nova on occasion. It looked like the robot had pulled the gun to shoot the victim and it had blown the place apart, without the head they where unlikely to get any info from in, but the making from the missing robot could be seen just about, so the robot had been found but what was going on was no closer.
Finally she had gotten a name and address for the researcher from ROPC, they had taken far too long to find that. His name was Hirran Has and had left the company almost a year ago. She made her way to his home, quite low down the hive for a once head scientist. It was not too hard to find, but it really was not a great part of the hive. Slipping down the tight allies, away form the normal bustle and the glow of the lower hive, She knocked on the door and listened for any response, she did not expect much and after no reply she hacked the codepass and let herself in. It was a small cramped single room, a bed in a corner and bits of robot and salvaged parts of various machines. Nothing of note, other than a few conspicuous areas that seemed very clear of objects in the otherwise cluttered room. She inspected a few of a stray cables that apparently had been left, they looked very much like part of a large display setup, maybe for viewing some sort of video feed. She only just noticed the thudding footsteps behind her, spinning around she saw a robot made up of spare parts and holding a plasma cutter pistol. She instantly went for her pistol but her hand had not even touched the grip before a white hot flash and “sop” sound signified the firing of the makeshift pistol. The bolt thudded into the left of her torso, spinning her around before collapsing on her back. She swore loudly, she was starting to think that today could only get better, she had just been shot and still had not had any lunch. Looking up at the robot as it tried to work out why the pistol was not working with oddly human motions, using her free arm she pulled her pistol the core spinning up a moment before she shot it square in the power core, people always told her that a high powered pistol was needles in her line of work, what did they know?
It stood a moment before crumpling as it it had forgotten how to stand, she wasted no time worrying about that as her right arm scrabbled for her data jack, she had to move fast it was clear they could move quickly she had to find him now or this could go on for weeks, grabbing hold of it she jammed it into the port on her neck, her body convulsing as she dived into the network. Suddenly everything snapped into focus, she was falling, zipping past gate after gate, neon signs and data falling past her as she tumbled. Whoever it was had quite the advantage on her, but as one of the few full conscience on here, it was easy to see the glow deep below her. Then without waning it darted through an open gate, hoping to keep the distance, she wished she could reach out and just pluck it from the aether, only it was as simple as it all looked. She dived through a gate above, forcing it open enough to let her through, she could see it below her bobbing about as it found the open route back, leaping and skulking as she far above forced the gates open. Starting to gain on it as it scurried back home. She was picking up some speed now, getting back into the rhythm, forcing her way through the blockades, expressing her authority over the network. Just as she caught up with it, it dived into a walled complex, clearly having found its home, she could feel him inside, safe for now. She circled the complex like a hungry predator, feeling the will to fight inside, deciding not to run. That gave her time to get in. Starting to smash against the walls, ignoring the attempts to fend her off power zipping past her, she smashed again and again, at the strongest parts of the defences, forcing him to put more and more into the parts she was pretending where weak. Until eventually he pulled too much way form the weak points, and she was in ripping and tearing through the data throwing the walls apart and exposing the insides with glee, within moments she had all the info she needed, and most importantly a location. The moment she issued the order, the walls clamped down around the location, here and the real world, trapping the occupant until the police came to grab them, she smiled as she slipped out into her body.
She woke with a start coughing up blood and rolling onto her side, giggling a little to herself, she did not get to do that enough, but frack me was it fun. After a few moments she decided to check the damage. She had been lucky she guessed, the brunt of the shot had hit her replacement torso plate, however her synthetic breast had been disintegrated and her robotic left arm had stopped working completely. She sighed and got up, she was bleeding around the bionics and it hurt like all hell, and her jacket fack, that was just in bits, damn Robo. It was not long until the place was swarming with tech staff pulling everything they could from the downed robot and any tech that had been left. She decided maybe a hospital was a good idea, today had been long enough.
Hirran had been arrested, and had apparently been more than happy to shout about how the government was oppressing him and the only way to the “enlightenment” was the awakening of the people by chaos. He had been using the robot attack as a catalyst for panic and had apparently had plenty of other attacks lined up. Kanta was not in a great mood, he sounded like a cultist, and they never worked alone, and here she was sat in a hospital having her damn arm fixed, again. It was at this point Commissar Ishtar walked in, “Major, so glad to see you are OK, a very good job on Has, he had been sent to the Capital ship for interrogation”, Kana gave her a puzzled look, quite why go through that hassle for one guy, “I know what you are thinking, and we both know he is unlikely to be alone, we have quite some work ahead Major, I will update you soon, and make sure you adequately rewarded for your service to the hive”, without waiting again she flashed a smile and strode out of the room. Kanta was right, cute Commissars was cheating.
Kanta closed the message on her PDA, yet another polite message about her eye, she would have to get it at some point, but not today, really not today. Her thoughts where interrupted by a loud knock on her door “it opens” she shouted. In stepped a tall woman dressed in the traditional dark grey of a commissar, her black hair was done up in a tight bun and a very serious look on her face. “Major Dah, I am glad to see your recovery has gone well”, Kanta grimaced inwardly, she hated the title Major. “You have me at a disadvantage Commissar, what is it I can do for you?”. She walked over to the small port hole Kanta was lucky enough to have, giving a view of the eerie sand storm going on outside as the Hive relentlessly plodded alone. “You can call me Ishtar, anyway yesterday a dock worker was attacked and killed, from what we have seen, it was one of the robots who killed him, currently we are stretched thin trying to keep this contained, robot attacks are not going to go down well, so we need your help to find out what happened, discreetly”. Kanta was starting to think today was going to be one of those days, and No was very unlikely to be an option, but it really did not seem likely a Robo had started killing. “As you command Commissar” she hoped that did not sound quite as sarcastic as she meant it, regardless she seems to ignore it. “Very good major, the details will be sent to you immediately, I expect to see you with results soon. With that she strode out of the office as quickly as she has arrived. Kanta sighed and looked in a draw for one of the last of the electronic cigars she had, luxury rations did not seem to go far any more. She took a long puff letting the purple smoke wisp around her as she tried to relax, surely having cute commissars was cheating?
First stop was the ROPC who supplied the killer robo, who knows where it had gotten to, clearly seen on the video footage killing that guy then wondering out of the port and vanishings down some alleyway. The lobby was impressive, full of activity, people dressed in suits and slim robots clanking around. She walked up to the desk and flashed her badge “I want to see whoever is in charge”, Kanta was very surprised by the amount of activity that triggered, within moments she was in the office of a very worried looking CEO, clearly they had been informed of the situation. He was a large very worried man “We had been expecting you Major, we are willing to help in any way”. Kanta pretended to inspect the office walking around a little, “So how likely is it that this robot has decided to start killing on it's own?”. He went quite pale and almost exploded at the veiled accusation “A ROPC robot would never attack someone! The very idea is preposterous.”. Kanta frowned, “So what was all this talk about the ROPC heading an initiative to create thinking robots?” “How do you know about that, we where given strict orders to undertake that and it was top secret, nobody should know about it”, it had taken very little for his face to get bright red and clearly seemed to think all this could come back to haunt him. She leaned in close to him and gave a slight smile glaring at him with her miss-matched eyes “ I know about it for the same reason I am the one stood here now, so tell me about the project, and what has inevitably fraked up with it”, “It got cancelled, the head researcher left, to be honest with you he was an eccentric obsessive who would have caused more harm than anything else had he finished”. She flipped open her PDA, “I am going to need his address, also when was the last time the robots on that part of the dock got serviced?”. He scrabbled about his desk a little and found a tablet, “Those robots got an update five months ago, the dock guys never like us messing about with them so we only do it when it is vital”. She could see where this was going already, it seems the maintenance done in the file one month ago was not legitimate. “Send me all the info you have on the researcher and the project he was on, and if this robot is killing people, you will see me again”. Without Watling for a reply she let herself out and headed back to her office to see what she could track down.
She did not get far before she had a call saying that the missing robot had turned up in a distribution centre. She took the turbo lift down a some levels and she was almost outside of it. As she approached she found that the area had been cornered off, beat cops where all over the place and a shimmer field had been set up by the looks and she could smell carbon mixed with the outside air. As she got up to the barricade it was clear there had been an explosion opening up the area to the outside. Showing her credentials, she activated her temporary mask, blowing her hair about as it fizzed into existence, she stepped into the room through the shimmer field. A few people where in the blown out room already, a few mechanics fixing the breach and the standard MPs collecting data, a few recognised her from her uniform and left her to poke about. By the looks it was a small explosion, enough to make a hole a foot or so across in the wall, likely poor maintenance than the blast, at least four victims all workers killed by exposure, apart from one who was caught in the blast, likely the intended victim. Also blown to pieces was a robot, the front half missing and the head reduced to nothing, it looked like the blast came from the robot. She knelt down to have a closer look, if it had meant to blow up, surely it would have caused more damage, this was pretty small for the amount of explosive it could have carried. Sifting through the debris she found the crystallised core of a plasma welder, likely the cause of the explosion, not all that hard to convert into a pistol, but they had been known to go nova on occasion. It looked like the robot had pulled the gun to shoot the victim and it had blown the place apart, without the head they where unlikely to get any info from in, but the making from the missing robot could be seen just about, so the robot had been found but what was going on was no closer.
Finally she had gotten a name and address for the researcher from ROPC, they had taken far too long to find that. His name was Hirran Has and had left the company almost a year ago. She made her way to his home, quite low down the hive for a once head scientist. It was not too hard to find, but it really was not a great part of the hive. Slipping down the tight allies, away form the normal bustle and the glow of the lower hive, She knocked on the door and listened for any response, she did not expect much and after no reply she hacked the codepass and let herself in. It was a small cramped single room, a bed in a corner and bits of robot and salvaged parts of various machines. Nothing of note, other than a few conspicuous areas that seemed very clear of objects in the otherwise cluttered room. She inspected a few of a stray cables that apparently had been left, they looked very much like part of a large display setup, maybe for viewing some sort of video feed. She only just noticed the thudding footsteps behind her, spinning around she saw a robot made up of spare parts and holding a plasma cutter pistol. She instantly went for her pistol but her hand had not even touched the grip before a white hot flash and “sop” sound signified the firing of the makeshift pistol. The bolt thudded into the left of her torso, spinning her around before collapsing on her back. She swore loudly, she was starting to think that today could only get better, she had just been shot and still had not had any lunch. Looking up at the robot as it tried to work out why the pistol was not working with oddly human motions, using her free arm she pulled her pistol the core spinning up a moment before she shot it square in the power core, people always told her that a high powered pistol was needles in her line of work, what did they know?
It stood a moment before crumpling as it it had forgotten how to stand, she wasted no time worrying about that as her right arm scrabbled for her data jack, she had to move fast it was clear they could move quickly she had to find him now or this could go on for weeks, grabbing hold of it she jammed it into the port on her neck, her body convulsing as she dived into the network. Suddenly everything snapped into focus, she was falling, zipping past gate after gate, neon signs and data falling past her as she tumbled. Whoever it was had quite the advantage on her, but as one of the few full conscience on here, it was easy to see the glow deep below her. Then without waning it darted through an open gate, hoping to keep the distance, she wished she could reach out and just pluck it from the aether, only it was as simple as it all looked. She dived through a gate above, forcing it open enough to let her through, she could see it below her bobbing about as it found the open route back, leaping and skulking as she far above forced the gates open. Starting to gain on it as it scurried back home. She was picking up some speed now, getting back into the rhythm, forcing her way through the blockades, expressing her authority over the network. Just as she caught up with it, it dived into a walled complex, clearly having found its home, she could feel him inside, safe for now. She circled the complex like a hungry predator, feeling the will to fight inside, deciding not to run. That gave her time to get in. Starting to smash against the walls, ignoring the attempts to fend her off power zipping past her, she smashed again and again, at the strongest parts of the defences, forcing him to put more and more into the parts she was pretending where weak. Until eventually he pulled too much way form the weak points, and she was in ripping and tearing through the data throwing the walls apart and exposing the insides with glee, within moments she had all the info she needed, and most importantly a location. The moment she issued the order, the walls clamped down around the location, here and the real world, trapping the occupant until the police came to grab them, she smiled as she slipped out into her body.
She woke with a start coughing up blood and rolling onto her side, giggling a little to herself, she did not get to do that enough, but frack me was it fun. After a few moments she decided to check the damage. She had been lucky she guessed, the brunt of the shot had hit her replacement torso plate, however her synthetic breast had been disintegrated and her robotic left arm had stopped working completely. She sighed and got up, she was bleeding around the bionics and it hurt like all hell, and her jacket fack, that was just in bits, damn Robo. It was not long until the place was swarming with tech staff pulling everything they could from the downed robot and any tech that had been left. She decided maybe a hospital was a good idea, today had been long enough.
Hirran had been arrested, and had apparently been more than happy to shout about how the government was oppressing him and the only way to the “enlightenment” was the awakening of the people by chaos. He had been using the robot attack as a catalyst for panic and had apparently had plenty of other attacks lined up. Kanta was not in a great mood, he sounded like a cultist, and they never worked alone, and here she was sat in a hospital having her damn arm fixed, again. It was at this point Commissar Ishtar walked in, “Major, so glad to see you are OK, a very good job on Has, he had been sent to the Capital ship for interrogation”, Kana gave her a puzzled look, quite why go through that hassle for one guy, “I know what you are thinking, and we both know he is unlikely to be alone, we have quite some work ahead Major, I will update you soon, and make sure you adequately rewarded for your service to the hive”, without waiting again she flashed a smile and strode out of the room. Kanta was right, cute Commissars was cheating.
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