54404 activated her built-in communicator and transferred her findings to Command. She promptly received an order in response. Investigate at all costs.
Driven by an irresistible compulsion to go after even the lightest shred of evidence, she noticed that the transmitter was still active, its hyperspace gate still giving off the typical glow. More clues might be on the other side. Without thinking, 54404 rushed to the teleport gate and threw herself into it. Only in a small corner of her mind remained a nagging doubt if that was the smartest thing to do.
Styx Base
While I was still congratulating myself on a good job, I saw that the teleport gate in the ACF was spooling up for another transfer. "Elya, close the door!"
Before I had completed the command, the door of the capture chamber was already slamming shut. A Mack MG stumbled out of the teleport gate and ran headfirst into the armored door. I snapped "Nanite annihilation field and zapper!"
Lightning and a baleful glow from the annihilation field lit up the chamber, and the newest guest of Styx base fell over twitching. I turned to Wendy, who was still sitting in Herbie, and shouted "The multitool from the cockpit, quick!"
The cockpit canopy opened a crack wide and the desired tool came flying out. I snatched it and advanced to the capture chamber. "Wendy, when I open the door, can you hold her with Herbie's big hands? But keep her inside the chamber!"
"Sure, I can do that!"
Wendy approached with the massive walker and got ready.
"Now!" The door opened on Elya's command, Herbie surged forward and grabbed the Mack MG. In the grip of his huge hands she looked like a toddler. Correctly guessing my intentions, Elya shut off the lightning barrage as I made to enter the chamber. Jumping in, I went straight for the neck, pried a certain cover open and unplugged the data link between head and torso. It was the first time we had caught a Mack MG undamaged, aside from some minor scratches I had just given her.
Back at Styx Base, I told Elya to disable the mental enslavement software immediately. So when I woke up our latest sleeping beauty, she immediately reverted to her human personality.
"Where am I? And who are you?" she asked with a bewildered look.
“Welcome to Styx Base. We are Vanguard Command, allies of Haven but not under the government’s command. This is our base. I’m Caitlin by the way, and this is Wendy. But tell me something about yourself!”
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“I’m Anna. Anna Ford. Fuck, I just woke up from the nastiest nightmare ever. I was a robot slave whose very self was in metaphorical chains, barely able to think for herself... waitamoment!”
One Anna Ford went missing during the incursion eight months ago. She was part of a group of college students who did not make it to a shelter in time. The bodies of the others were found, but not that of Anna. This might be her.
Anna started to feel up her body, then she knocked on her breasts. The muted metallic clang was what I expected, having seen Mack MGs in the nude before. Or what counted as nude, if you cut away the clothing. While the limbs and the head looked human enough to pass a perfunctory inspection, the torso was a metal shell. It was hidden under a dress that ended in a short skirt made of armor plates, all of it permanently installed on the body. “Oh nooo, I’m still trapped in this nightmare!”
“Well, you are not a slave anymore. You are still trapped in a Mack robot body though.”
“Now that you mention it, my thoughts seem to be free now. Talking to you like this would have been impossible a while ago.” Anna got to her feet and walked around the room. “This feels weird. Un-alive, but also strong and free of pain.”
“You're the first one who's managed to find something good in wearing a Mack body” Wendy mused.
“I had a chronic medical condition, and while it was not outright crippling, the pain never quite left me alone. It was not as bad as the mental enslavement though.” She shuddered at the memory.
I took control of the conversation again. “So do you want to swap it for something more human-like? We can build you an artificial body that looks almost indistinguishable from the real thing, and I’m told it feels like it too.“ I ended the sentence with a little smirk and a wink.
Embarrassed silence filled the room.
Wendy took over. “There have been others like you who found a place in Haven society again. Like me.” She tapped her own chest and added “This is what Vanguard Command can give you. The artificial body Cait mentioned.”
Glad about the change of topic, Anna said “Awesome! But what are you doing these days? Getting accepted by people cannot be easy if you come back as one of the Enemy,” Anna asked.
“I’m managing Vanguard Enterprises, a joint venture between Cait and the Haven military. In short, she is my boss. It is working out pretty well actually. Of course, Caitlin’s implicit endorsement helps. Not outright looking like a Mack might make a difference too.”
Anna seemed a bit unsure. “This is a lot to unpack. Can I think about it for a bit?”
“Sure! I have an offer for you. Stay here with me for a few days while I build a new hovercar. We recently lost our old one, and Wendy needs to go back to Victoria to run Vanguard Enterprises. That means she will take the little flier we used to come here, and we will be stuck for a bit.
“In the meantime I can tell you all about our little outfit, and while the fabricator is busy, I’d like to examine your Mack body in more detail. There is some research I’d like to do on it, and with a cooperative subject I might get some results I wouldn’t get otherwise.”
“I’d be happy to help out!” Anna answered. “And I already think I would like to stay with Vanguard Command one way on another. I just don’t know in what role yet.”
At this point Wendy announed that she had appointments to keep and better be on her way. I escorted Wendy to the Variocopter. Out of Anna’s earshot I asked Wendy “What do you think about Anna joining?”
Getting into the cockpit of her little air taxi she grinned “That was an easy catch!”