Barely five minutes had passed since the first TACTA machine deployed its protective field...
But in that short time, the entire perimeter had become surrounded by a massive swarm of Protectorate surveillance drones. Every square inch of the area was under intense scrutiny. Even though the Factory was currently sealed off, it wouldn’t be long before the protective field began to gradually deactivate. And it was clear what would happen next.
In the sky, the dark silhouettes of heavy bombers were already visible, hovering in position. If necessary, their ordnance would obliterate everything within several kilometers, leaving nothing but dust and rubble in their wake.
On the ground, the military had tightened the noose around the Factory, methodically blocking every possible escape route, including underground passages. Most of these soldiers were fresh recruits, just yesterday ordinary citizens of the Kyiv polis. But now, they were armed to the teeth, the future elite of the Public Efficiency Class, eager to prove their loyalty to the Protectorate. The fiercer the resistance from the renouncers, the more thrilling the hunt would be!
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“Guys… this…” Dasha rasped suddenly, her voice so strained that everyone fell silent and turned to her instantly. “You need to see this. Right now… Yeah!”
“What’s wrong, WonderWhiz?” Maksim asked immediately.
“I… I was just about to initiate the next phase of the System’s deployment, but… but…”
Vasilevskaya, visibly shaken, fidgeted with her hands — first trying to shove them into her pockets, then crossing them over her chest, but that felt awkward and uncomfortable. Finally, the agitated girl settled on simply hiding them behind her back.
“They’ve… They’ve changed everything! TACTA! Look!” Dasha blurted out, her words tumbling out in a rapid, jumbled rush. “I’m in shock! I just wanted to launch it, but then I saw the report on Moira’s advanced training programs activation. And now three-quarters of Alisa’s processing power — no, eighty-five percent even! — has suddenly freed up, and I don’t understand… the processing power in her body has increased by 1580 percent, and I… I just…”
The girl was trembling of excitement. Never mind the looming threat of the Protectorate and its deadly killer drones — before her was a real technological-software MIRACLE that eclipsed the immediate danger.
The thing was, she hadn’t programmed anything like this. Alisa’s mind had just somehow restructured itself during the upgrade, shifting to a new operational model… and all that in a single leap! Now, almost all of it genuinely “lived” in the robotic body, except only the quantum core at Moira.
And if TACTA had this kind of technology — and they surely did — then this meant Alisa… might soon be independent of the powerful stationary AI! And all that newly freed processing power would go to Dasha’s new “child”, the SYSTEM!
Maksim gestured for Nika and Alisa to finish loading the ordered equipment onto the roboplatform and rushed over to Vasilevskaya.
“WonderStar, calm down,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders. “We’ll definitely discuss and sort out all of this. But right now, we need to move. Can you briefly explain what happened and whether it might interfere with our current plans?”
“I… I just wanted to launch it… I saw the report on Moira’s advanced training program activation. And started it. For the System. Yeah. Because it was successfully installed, following the new scheme… Since we don’t have A.M.I. on our tail, I’m using the update installation without a full reboot, like for T9-T10 AI systems. And... she wasn’t just updated completely! Moira herself noticed the freed-up resources and integrated them into her update! I swear, I didn’t program anything like that! How is this even possible?”
“WonderKid! Briefly. Just the key points!”
Realizing that she might let the team down in their critical situation, Dasha pulled herself together and gave a concise report:
“The update installed successfully, the new version is functioning correctly, no errors. Right now, she’s actively learning and has already ‘consumed’ the data cluster we prepared for gathering teams among the solo residents. She’s currently processing combat information, and we’re recording everything we get from Miro and the other teams for further analysis.”
“Very soon, she’ll start assisting our actions and even help in battles. Just don’t expect too much too soon. Our System is still very young — it was ‘born’ just a few hours ago… And lastly, control of all drone swarms is operating normally; we have enough resources. But Moira is running at full capacity, so we’ll need to enhance her later.”
“We’ll definitely enhance her!” Maxim exhaled with relief. “Alright, if everything’s on track, let’s move out. Dasha, you’re in charge of the comms and connection to the TACTA network. Nika, Alisa, finish loading the hardware and get it downstairs. We’ve got just over seven minutes before the Drone takes off — our goal is to be as far from here as possible by then.”
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“Guys, I’ve finished the setup, yeah,” Dasha announced on the run a few minutes later. “Connection to the TACTA orbital relay is established, channel is stable. Switching to our commutator, I’ve sent the links to the group chat!”
By this time, the team had already managed to move all the necessary equipment downstairs. They were now sprinting through a passageway toward the large assembly workshop located on the first floor of the “13-2-B” building.
In the augmented reality interface, a sequence of mediaglyphs flashed in the upper left corner of each member’s view: “Connection to the Linkers’ commutator terminated,” “Connection to RATATOSKR commutator successfully established,” “TACTA: Channel Stable,” “MOIRA: Channel Stable,” “Team Connection Check.”
[Maksim, connected. From here on out, no more voice communication until the end of the operation — stick to the conference and keep it silent!]
[Alisa, connected.]
[Dasha, online.]
[Nika, got it. But what the hell is a ‘Ratatoskr’?]
[A squirrel named ‘drill-tooth,’] Maks laughed. [It’s from Norse mythology. I’ll explain you later if you’re interested.]
Stolen novel; please report.
[It’s a good name,] Dasha grumbled. [And it fits. Yeah!]
[Fits perfectly, WonderStar,] Maksim agreed. [What’s the status on the Factory’s cameras and security network?]
[It’s completely down,] the black-haired girl replied, adjusting the straps of her military helmet, and trying to hide the slight tremble in her hands from fear. [We’re deploying our additional drones now, plus we have a connection with the swarms already in the air. But I’ll try to establish a link directly when we reach the terminal. Maybe something’s still operational...]
The corridor had ended, and Nikola, who was running ahead, stopped abruptly at the entrance and slapped her hand against the sensor. A wave of hot air and the roar of machinery hit them as the doors slid open. It became so hot and din that their helmets’ noise-canceling systems kicked in.
Their gear — backpacks with equipment, extra weapons, drones, and bots — had been stashed in advance between the machines, covered with heavy plastic sheeting. The team’s next actions had been pre-coordinated. Maksim and Redhead rushed to the weapon crates, Alisa began activating additional drones and other tech, installing the communication micro-modules they’d purchased from TACTA. Meanwhile, Dasha pulled out smart cables and connected them to the Factory’s terminal.
[Max, I checked — the Factory’s security system is completely wiped,] Dasha reported half a minute later, unplugging the smart cables from the ports on the tech block mounted to the wall. [It was a hacker attack… They somehow managed to access the central security server… We can forget about using the local cameras, I can’t do anything from here.]
[Got it. Alright, disconnect… But… Actually, wait. Did the Protectorate take down only the safeguarding system, or all the Factory infrastructure?]
[No, just security. Cameras, turrets, locks, emergency lighting… that kind of stuff,] Dasha replied, a bit surprised as she quickly reconnected to the virtual remote access terminal.
[Do you still have access to the local engineering network? Is this building connected to it?]
[Uh-huh… And I can see this workshop in the network too, yeah.]
[Excellent,] Maksim nodded. [I’m sure the Protectorate will figure out where we’ve gone soon enough. That explosion on the roof won’t hold them back for long. So, let’s leave a little trap here!]
[Okay. What do we need to do?]
[Let’s divert the overheated steam from the outer loop into the ring system. We’ll keep the pressure close to critical, releasing just the bare minimum. One drone should be left here to monitor, and when the Protectorate forces poke their noses in, we’ll seal the release, and it’ll blow.]
[Not a bad idea. Their sensors will only see working machinery, not mines or bombs. They might not realize it’s a trap right away,] Nikola agreed. [Plus, the steam rupture will mess with their thermal imaging and optical camouflage systems.]
[Good,] Dasha nodded. [I’m already connected. But you need to guide me how to release the steam without blowing everything up right away! I only know how to handle this kind of steam.]
She waved a vape device in the air, which of course she had on her, even though Maksim had forbidden vaping during the operation.
[Sure,] the guy agreed, pulling up a multi-layered schematic of the building and its utilities in the conference chat. [Let’s get to work!]
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[But seriously, Alisa,] Maksim asked after finishing the trap setup in the manufacturing hall with Dasha’s help, [what exactly happened to you, and what else should we expect next?]
[Well, I’m officially a living cyborg now, so, you know… My body had just got to smarten up to match the industrial standard of homo cybersapiens, ha-ha,] she laughed. [Good thing I don’t need to eat. Otherwise, I’d start gobbling everything down like big brother, and we wouldn’t have enough resources to keep the team fed.]
The girl wasn’t just chatting and joking around — during this time, she had finished all the work with the drones. The scenario “we’re cut off from the camera access” had been chosen as the primary contingency by the team, as being without recon during a Protectorate assault would be a death sentence. So, they’d planned ahead, breaking up one of the drone swarms into a multitude of individual flying scouts.
They decided to assign two small recon drones to hover over each team member — one positioned higher for tactical overhead view, and the other at head level. With their cameras, everyone now had a full 360-degree view. Given the seriousness of the situation, they used for this purpose the best machines gotten from Miro — military-grade models. Even though over half of their “fleet” was either civilian or hybrid models.
The most advanced of the military drones, a corporate spy recon unit, was placed even higher to provide a full view of the entire field of action. Unlike the others, it had stealth capabilities, radar invisibility, and a camouflage coating, even though not as effective as TACTA’s modules. Plus, it had top-tier electromagnetic protection.
Moira was tasked with processing the video feeds and marking detected objects on the tactical map. And the AI was running at full capacity – it seemed, a little more, and she would be smoking. The cooling systems were straining to keep her from overheating. This was because Professor Goric and Co also wanted the same setup as soon as they learned about it.
In addition, before the main action began, a “Coordination Server” was deployed on Moira’s platform to gather all the data from the drones used in the operation. It was a good thing that the AI was underground; otherwise, such thermal activity would have definitely attracted the Protectorate’s attention.
So, by the time the TACTA Drone took off and the protective field was lifted, they had the “eyes” fully prepared to witness the beginning of the Protectorate’s attack.
And the invaders didn’t keep them waiting. Swarms of “predatory birds” surged through the first breaches in the protective field. In less than thirty seconds, the air was filled to the brim with combat drones, bombers, and transport ships as the Protectorate launched the full-scale assault.
The first shots and explosions echoed through the area, growing more intense with each passing second.
@SYSTEM [Target locked]: Protectorate strike team detected!
Amid the chaos of drones and other aerial machinery, the AI flawlessly identified and highlighted those heading toward the recently vacated building, where Maksim’s team had summoned the Drone on the roof.
The Protectorate had formed a strike team of five two-meter-tall search-and-destroy units, resembling Earth police multicopters but without rotors.
As cover, they had two jet-powered unmanned fighters — these “flying killers” were the main strike force. They were capable of engaging both aerial and ground targets, accelerate rapidly by boosting their engines, and hover in place.
Trailing them was a transport — a relatively small vessel resembling a squared-off flatiron with short wings at the rear. Given the loaded pylons on the wings, it likely served as a hybrid bomber as well.
[About ten meters long…] Nikola mused aloud, [we could fit about twelve to fourteen troops in something that size.]
The Protectorate’s assault quickly escalated. The enemy’s “flatiron” craft, surrounded by drones, reached the building. Despite its bulky appearance, the machine skillfully hovered in place. Its bottom hatch opened to reveal a wide maw from which nearly invisible, semi-translucent figures began to drop.
Noticing that it wasn’t a fall but a controlled descent, Maksim updated the marker type from “bomber/combined” to “bomber/air assault.” The escort drones fanned out to scout the nearby area.
[They’ve got optical camouflage!] Nikola commented.
[I accounted for that possibility during the design phase,] Dasha noted. [It’s not true invisibility… The System will manage detection and targeting!]
However, they didn’t get a closer look at the troops, as the Protectorate immediately launched their attack. Both air-fighters, with their jet engines roaring, streaked toward the team’s scouts, immediately unleashing a relentless barrage of fire. Despite Alisa’s quick reaction, there was no chance to respond. Their drones’ feeds went dark.
A series of powerful explosions immediately followed — those were the charges Max had pre-planted on the roof going off. The blasts were mirrored by similar outbursts on the building’s first floor.
The explosives they’d bought from Miro at a steep price had been well worth it — Maxim and his team had no intention of making it easy for the Protectorate.
[If they all jumped out just now and survived the blast, then we’ve got ten guests,] Alisa calculated.
[They could be bots, or even holograms. We don’t know. Either way, the mines and traps are ready. Welcome to the bloody party, bastards!] Maksim grinned.