City-21 “Kyiv”, UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion
Highway, 59 km to the south from Kyiv, August 12, 2049, 8:34 PM
Under the glow of a full moon, a desolate highway stretched through the fields, fifty kilometers south of the former Kyiv, lit only by a dim lunar light. It was the first night of the curfew, and the heavy battle drone “Owl” completed its twenty-second patrol loop over its assigned quadrant.
The Protectorate’s armed forces, having suffered considerable losses in equipment on the first day, were feeling the acute shortage of drones and ready ammunition – the rapid-production factories had yet to reach full capacity.
As a result, the command had to deploy all available the terrestrial vehicles, both civilian and military, to maintain order during the curfew.
“Owl-5312” was a drone from another era, rather battered and worn-out apparatus. Born during the early days of the NATO war with the Russian Empire, this relic had spent years patrolling the borders of demilitarized zones. Its primary tasks were simple: detect and shoot if the target did not identify itself upon request.
Like other drones from nearby military bases, once it connected to the new command, the “Owl” pledged allegiance, received a full missile load and fresh batteries within an hour, and set off on patrol.
The Protectorate assigned this old earth flying machinery the simplest of missions, those not requiring quick maneuvers, high-precision targeting, or fast computing. One such mission was to patrol a perimeter zone encompassing a speedway but devoid of major population centers.
Weighing about two tons, the “Owl” carried six powerful air-to-ground missiles. It was equipped with a robust search radar scanning the surroundings. However, it lacked the introscopic sensors that modern units boast. Instead, it used outdated low-resolution cameras and infrared devices, lagging about forty years behind current technology.
The drone’s ability to select targets was limited, which was why it was assigned such a straightforward task: destroy any objects within its operational range that lacked the proper clearance and did not respond to the “Friend or Foe” query.
Cruising in a low-energy consumption mode a few hundred meters above the ground, its radar detected a moving object ten kilometers ahead, entering the patrol zone from the north. The “Owl” switched to combat mode, adjusting its course to intercept the target. At the same moment, its electronic brain widened the communication bandwidth with the control center, logging its actions and confirming the decision for potential destruction.
// Object classified: civilian automated freight vehicle.
// “Friend or Foe” query sent.
// Response: negative.
// Database review for high-priority objects.
// No matches found.
// Analysis for the most economical destruction scheme.
// Decision made.
// Destruction confirmed.
A rather shabby-looking automatic Unimog truck, with its hood and front bumper deformed and badly scraped, and its cabin windows covered in black film, was moving along the highway when the “Owl” caught up from behind.
The flying hunter invoked protocol 9-01 for the elimination of violators on a significant roadway – a protocol that had been gathering dust since the days of guarding demilitarized territories. The main objective of this operation was the complete, indiscriminate destruction of the vehicle and its contents, while keeping the roadway clear. This meant the “Owl” was to not only destroy the target, but also “clean up after itself.”
Two missiles of different types were launched from their mounts at an interval of one and a half seconds. The first, with a high-explosive warhead, reached the truck and detonated underneath its front-left side. Like a colossal kick, it knocked the vehicle off the road and flung it several meters aside.
The following missile, carrying a heavy payload of plasticized phosphorus, struck the overturned truck, creating a fireball at temperatures reaching 1500 degrees Celsius, leaving no chance for anything within the blast radius. The truck’s body, with all its contents, lit up brightly and began to melt, consuming the oxygen around it as the “Owl,” continuing its protocol, made a low pass to record the results for reports and archives.
// Report formed on the implementation of the “Demonstrative Inevitability of Punishment for Law Violation” paradigm, under the article “Unauthorized City Perimeter Breach,” response “target destroyed”
// Report sent to higher priority stream
// Minor stream disbanded
The old IR sensor of the “Owl” recorded the hellish bonfire devouring what had once been a truck. Now only a blackened patch of ten meters in diameter remained, and what exactly was burning was beyond the diligent drone’s outdated cameras to discern. Had it been equipped with modern introspective sensors, they would have indicated no biological entities onboard, and that the vehicle was operating on autopilot. This would undoubtedly have drawn the attention of a higher-level stream, perhaps even intelligence services. But... this did not happen. This oversight allowed one of these “biological entities” to comfortably sprawl on a couch in Dr. Zelman’s clinic, popping open a cool can of beer...
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City-21 “Kyiv”, UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion
Industrial Zone “NES Factory”, Medical Center “Lizard Tail”
Maksim Chernykh’s team, August 12, 2049, 7:10 PM
Before they began to seriously settle into the underground clinic, three “partisans” gathered in the lobby.
“Well, ladies, I guess, the easiest part is behind us,” Maksim declared, scrutinizing their new quarters. “But alas, the real challenge is yet to come. First, we’re now starting the preparations to launch Moira and Alisa. After that, it’s surgery to patch everyone up. We also need to figure out what’s happening above during the curfew and establish contact with the locals, maybe arrange some barter or purchase proper weapons and ammunition. Nika, you know the Factory best – got any insights?”
“Of course!” Nikola smiled confidently, while she was like a small but fierce red-haired whirlwind, scurrying around the room, and inspecting every corner. “Well, there’s no connection to mobile extranets at the Factory currently, but it does have a local network functioning just fine – and I have an invite. There’s a big trading forum and various closed groups for different topics. We can access it from one of the Doc’s computers.”
“Nika, could you pass me… the invite?” asked Dasha, “I can set up a gateway there to our local net; I’m about to get it up and running anyway. It’ll be… easier… for everyone. Yeah...”
“Sure, sending now,” Redhead responded, having completed her inspection of the premises. “Doc made quite a good bunker here, by the way. I’m confident we’ll be fine! Look, Max, there’s a plan of the entire clinic hanging here.”
“Hmm... this hall is ideally situated,” Maksim mused aloud, moving closer. “To the left – the surgery and recovery rooms, to the right – the workshops and storage. I propose we make this room ‘Central’ and not scatter everything across different areas. Better stay mobile in case we have to leave this wonderful place ASAP.”
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“Makes sense,” Nika nodded. “Shall we bring in the ‘carts’?”
“Dasha and I will fetch them,” Max smiled. “Meanwhile, clear the center, okay? The platform and the bot will fit in here just right.”
Nika snorted but went off to move the furniture while Maksim and Daria headed back to get the tech. A few minutes later, both ‘little horses’ stood heavily in the center of the hall. Afterward, Dasha dashed off and returned with a trolley loaded with purchases.
“Great! Now, we just ought to lock down the elevator for maximum security…”
“Max, don’t you think that’s a bit paranoid? It’s the curfew upstairs,” Redhead pointed upwards. The clinic door locked automatically, direct access was limited to staff and some VIP clients. “Who could possibly come in?”
“Alright, alright,” the young man grumbled. “It will do for one night. Well, let’s split up and continue. Nika, will you handle the unpacking?”
As he spoke, Dasha finished inspecting the administrator’s desk, and Nikola had already removed both backpacks from the bot’s sides.
“Uh... Gonna grab a protein bar,” commented Nikola. “Terribly hungry, just starving... I’ll sort out the stuff, of course. Just first wanna run through the rooms, see what we’ve got. Knowing Doc... we can expect any wonders!”
“Hey, let’s finally boot up Moira and Alisa,” The main Wonder interjected, clasping her hands behind her back and rocking from heel to toe. “It’s crucial not only for the operation but... in general.”
“Of course, we’ll start them up as soon as we’re ready! That’s the top priority,” Maksim agreed. “Speaking of which, WonderKid, I have a question. That new version you wrote this morning… Are we gonna start the old backup or do the new update?”
“Oh… right! That’s right! Absolutely, the new one, of course! Totally!” Dashka almost jumped, her eyes sparkling excitedly as she emphatically pointed upwards. “This... this...” Suddenly, her speech slowed, her gaze fixed on something only she could see. Startled, Nika even thought that the flow of time had changed for the disheveled girl.
“Dasha, please, calm down,” jolted forward, braking sharply near the frozen girl, Max reached out and embraced her. “Easy, sweetheart. Relax, just breathe. Breath. You know how.”
Redhead hold her breath in shock, watching this scene. It occurred to her that she should jump in and help, but she was utterly at a loss as to how. It looked like Maksim’s hands were gently pressing on Vasilevskaya’s back and shoulders, pausing on certain spots, either pressing them or tapping out some rhythm, as if trying to calm or start something… unseen.
[Maksim? What’s wrong? Need help?] Flashed the glyph on the private channel.
[No. Just stay out of it. She’s having a profound insight. Just need to calm her down a bit. We know how], he hastily wrote back, and the chair rolled back, creating space around Daria.
The girl closed her eyes and started moving. Soft, fluid steps, smooth continuous hand motions. She seemed to be floating, at the same time attracting and repelling the space around her.
“It's clearly Tai Chi, Chen style!” Nika realized with surprise. “Sure, it’s some adaptation, considering the madness of today and the conditions she’s performing in... But, kurwa, that’s impressive.”
[Don’t tell me your “robotics lovers’ club” delves into Chinese martial arts as well? I’ve had enough shocks for one day!] Red sent another private message.
[Just me. Not us,] the guy replied, smiling at her.
[And what's this then?] she continued questioning, noticing Maxim had moved back to give Daria space to complete her moving sequence.
[Well... consider it a specialized form of psychotherapy. It’s quite close to the truth, actually. Right now, it’s crucial she doesn’t indulge in any Delta-2 drugs, including the infamous “Synth” before we can get her proper medication. I’ll handle the rest.]
[Thanks for the explanation! No sarcasm, actually. You guys’ trust really means a lot to me! Can I do something to help?]
[Just support her and discreetly ensure this silly girl doesn’t stick a vape with “synth” in her mouth automatically. She’s prone to that sometimes. And given that this little genius can also control her body without disconnecting from Deep-VR… You get the idea.]
[I suppose I'll soon run out of capacity to be surprised! Body control from within Deep VR… people who can do that are one in a thousand!]
[Much rarer than that, Nikola, much rarer. So can I count on you?]
[Are you even asking? Of course! Oh, look, she seems to be finishing.]
[Yeah. Let's see what revelation she’s had.]
Her movements slowed, a final inhale, a final exhale. Dasha stopped, opened her eyes, and slowly focused on Maxim and Nikola. Suddenly, she shuddered as if awakening from a deep slumber, hugged herself, and murmured apologetically,
“Oops… Sorry… I… umm…”
“It’s all right, WonderStar. Everything is well,” the young man’s voice was gentle, but confident and reassuring. “Are you okay now? Ready to share what you’ve figured out?”
The disheveled girl only nodded, took another deep breath, and began,
“It is that I’ve just realized how much everything has changed for us. And I’m not talking… about Protes, or other monsters... I mean the more... more important things. You know, we’ve always had a considerable amount of power dedicated to limiting Moira’s true potential.”
“With each evolution of the Сore, I… I wasted so much effort to ensure that after the upgrade, Moira didn’t bust across the network that she’s long surpassed a mere T-six-three-plus AI. But now we’re free from all those constraints, absolutely! This is important! This is so, so, so important! Max, all the ideas I’ve had to shelf for so long, we need to put them into action. Just need is to choose! In the new upgrade, we can add this... this...”
Maksim quickly placed his hand on Dasha’s shoulder and squeezed a little. She choked on her words, falling silent as she gazed into his eyes. Then, the girl closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and continued,
“I’ve figured it out... I know now... what needs to be changed! It’s a quick fix! And I’ll rewrite all the startup protocols! Max, we can install the update and boot up Alisa at the same time! It’ll be long setting up, running in the background for a few more hours, but Alisa will be operational right away! With the new update! Even better new one!”
“Great work, WonderStar! Simply outstanding!” he praised, pulling the gesticulating girl onto his lap. Initially taken aback, she soon clung to him, hugging him tightly, and grabbing his wide shoulders. Dasha even slyly sneaked a glance at Nikola who discreetly turned away, whilst not wasting a chance to seize already second protein bar.
Maksim gently moved back, allowing Daria to reluctantly slip from his embrace. She sighed softly to herself then resolutely added,
“We need to rethink all of our plans for scaling up Moira’s power, such as enhancing Alisa’s capabilities. You realize what potential is opening up for us?”
“Definitely.” The guy nodded. “But first, we need to survive, to slip away from the Protectorate’s watchful eye. And find a safe way to leave Kyiv. Only then can we start floating further development plans.”
“Yeah… I forgot for a moment why all this is happening…” Daria pensively shook her head. “Then I’m gonna prep to boot up Moira! With her, the Ravens will also rise. Finally, we can get some real work done... at least here.”
“Ravens? What are you talking about?” Nika queried.
“They’re my AI agents based on Moira’s framework. Like Marcek, only, sorry, way cooler.”
“…I miss him.”
“I know the feeling.” Vasilevskaya nodded seriously and turned to the platform. “I’ll definitely create someone impressive for you... later, I promise. But now, I’d better set up a proper local net, besides we have all the needed hardware. Plus, we can finally communicate without P2P. I hate... limitations… so much.”
She deftly maneuvered one of the “ProjectBox” with a manipulator, placing it near the sockets in the corner of the room. Grabbing a router and a miraculously salvaged from the truck the bag with cables, she flopped into a chair and started to work.
“Just need five minutes! Max, can I vape a little in the corner? A tiny one, huh? Just a bit-little-zero, huh? A teeny-tiny zero? Pwetty please...”
Nikola snorted into her fist, settling onto a backpack full of clothes and pulling out a third protein bar.
Max sighed, surveying his “brave partisan-ladies”. “Tch… Look at them, all relaxed already, after getting just a little illusion of safety. We can only be allowed to rest after we finish our work!”
“No more snacking on those bars! Doc said, there’s normal food here,” he directed. “Redhead, exploring is on you. Hustle! You’re handling the inventory and keep a log. Once Dasha gets the net up, transfer the full report online. Just set the network scanner to search mode, not to miss the invite.”
“Yes, captain, right away, captain!” Nikola saluted playfully, pocketing the treat sneakily. “Permission to proceed, sir?”
“On the double!”
Max chuckled as Nikola dashed toward the surgery.
“Now you, little steamer!”
“I’m not a… steamer…” the girl pouted.
“Whatever! No narcotics without absolute need on the base! ‘Synth,’ considering the circumstances, is strictly off-limits. Understand?”
“Yes,” the disheartened Wonder nodded gloomily. “But I wasn’t going to... really! I remember... really! You already... forbade it... really! See?”
“Good. Best to hand over your device to Nikola then.”
“No! No! It’s mine!” she flinched under his stern gaze but quickly corrected herself, “oh... I will… I’ll hand it over, Maksim, truly. Just a little vape and then I’ll hand it over.”
“Okay then. You can vape a ‘zero’ over there, by the vent,” Max pointed. “Move your gear there, and you’re all set.”
“Thanks, Maxie, you’re the best!” Switching instantly from dismay to joy, Dasha even jumped a little. “I’ll get everything done quickly!”
“Well, that’s more like it – moving at last.” Max smiled, and replied in the conference so Nikola could hear, “Ladies, I’m heading to the power control room, aka the generator room. We should check how we’re doing on power. WonderKid, when the network is live, send me an invite. Let’s go! Nikola, when you get back, take all Dashka’s stash of ‘synth’ for safekeeping. Leave her the vape, but make sure it’s only ‘zero’.”
“Thank you, thank you, hooray! You really are the best!”
“I’ll do it,” Redhead nodded with a smile.