After walking a while, Veridian found herself facing a massive wall, a stark barrier surrounding the forest. It was studded with turrets that seemed to only fire forward.
"How can I leave this place?" she muttered to herself, her mind racing for a way to get past the defenses without getting shot.
"AI, can you find a way to leave this place?" she asked the voice in her head.
[Answer: I have detected a gate with a guard house connected to it. It is 10 km away from your location.]
"Got it, thanks," she said, already heading toward the guard house.
[Warning: Life signature detected.]
The warning flashed in her mind, and she quickly devised a plan to lure the guard out.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
"Huh? Who's there!" the guard's voice called out from inside. He slid the door open, and in an instant, Veridian grabbed him by the neck, lifting him effortlessly.
"Good night," she said, her eyes glowing red for a moment as she snapped his neck.
"Wait…" she paused, gently lowering the body to the ground. She then headed for the computer terminal, plugging in a cable as her AI got to work.
[Hack complete.]
The AI's voice signaled as the gate groaned open and the turrets went still.
"Alright, time to go," she said, unplugging the cable. She headed out, leaving the forest behind.
"AI, turn on the turrets and close the gate. I don't need anyone finding anything suspicious." She glanced back at the body she'd left behind. "Though the body I left is still there," she thought, before dismissing the thought.
[Understood.]
As she continued walking, the ground became less green and more like sand, a barren desert stretching out before her.
"Strange. I was in a forest before, now it's like a desert out here," she mused. She walked on until she came upon a building with five guards outside and a turret near the door.
[Warning: Multiple life signatures detected.]
"Copy that. Best to avoid this place, but I could get a car and it will be faster," she said, pulling out her twin 1911s. "Let's roll." She crept forward, staying out of the turret's line of sight.
"AI, can you hack the turrets and the cameras?" she asked.
[Understood. Hacking…]
The AI's voice was calm as Veridian saw the turret on her internal map turn green.
[Hacking complete. Turret is now under your control. Cameras have been disabled.]
"Copy," she said, moving closer to the door. "Hey, do I have like, X-ray vision or something? Just asking."
[Answer: You have heat sensors and other systems, but only the heat sensor can be activated as you haven't accepted the update.]
"First of all, I ain't doing it again. Second of all, it's enough," she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
[Warning: You are only in 45.7% combat efficiency.]
"It's good enough," she said, ignoring the warning. She opened the door, and with her heat sensor, she could see five signatures on the first floor and another six on the second.
"Eleven enemies," she thought, a surge of adrenaline hitting her. "Wait… why am I excited about killing? I never do that, but I killed a guard earlier… what's happening to me… who am I… I can't even remember my name!" A wave of panic washed over her.
[WARNING: USER IS HAVING A PANIC ATTACK. ENABLING RED PROTOCOL.]
Veridian's purple clothing began to turn red.
[Red Protocol activated.
NAME: VERIDIAN
RACE: AUTOMATON
HP: 100%
ARMOR: 100%
RED GEAR, TYPE A STATUS:
STRENGTH: B+
AGILITY: B-
DURABILITY: B-
FIREPOWER: B+
DEFENSE: C-]
A laugh bubbled up from within her, a sound that wasn't hers. "Hahaha! That fool got a panic attack? That's a first. Well then, if she doesn't have the guts to kill people, why not let me do it?" she said, an insane grin spreading across her face.
A door opened, and a person walked out. "Who's laughing here? Are you guys doing a prank or something?" the guy said before seeing Veridian.
"Yo, what the fuck!" He pulled out his pistol, but Veridian was faster. She grabbed a knife from her belt and threw it, hitting him in the head.
"Dead. Not a big surprise there," she said. Another person appeared, checking the commotion.
"Hey Bill, what's happening here?" the person asked before seeing his friend dead and Veridian gone. "Oh, shit."
Just as he realized his mistake, Veridian appeared behind him, slicing his throat.
"Two down, nine more to go," she said before heading toward the rest of the people in the building. "She hasn't installed the update?" she said, noticing some of her systems weren't working.
"AI, what is my combat efficiency?" she asked as she moved toward a door, seeing the heat signatures of three people inside.
[Answer: 45.7% combat efficiency.]
"Damn, that's low, very low. And she had the guts to fight eleven people? That's hard," she said before slowly opening the door. "I got a Type A Red Gear so I have a nade," she said, checking her belt and pockets. She found it. "Jackpot." She pulled the pin and threw it into the room. A loud boom, and the heat signatures went cold.
"Six more," she said, looking up to see two people. She shot them in the legs, then in the head, killing them instantly. "Four left," she said as she heard multiple footsteps approaching.
"Who the fuck are you!" one of them yelled, aiming his weapon at her.
"Your death!" she yelled back, charging forward. Her plasma sword activated, surprising them. They started shooting, but she was too fast.
"Too slow!" she said, dodging the bullets. She got closer, cutting the guns of two men and kicking them out of the way before slicing the other two behind them.
"Shit!" one of the remaining men said, pulling out his pistol. But he was no match for her. She cut him in half.
"Wait! Wait! Spare me!" he begged, but Veridian showed no mercy.
"Sorry kid, no mercy," she said, cutting his head off.
"Yawn!" she yawned, grabbing some money from them with the AI's help. She went to a computer and plugged in the AI to download information.
"She will thank me for this," she said with a grin.
[Download complete.]
"Good. Let's clear this place out," she said. She stored all the equipment she found and all but one of the five cars outside.
"Alright, time to get going." She got in the remaining car, disabling Red Protocol.
[Purple Protocol activating. Disabling Red Protocol.]
Veridian's vision swam as her clothes turned back to purple. She was back.
"What happened? Wait, where am I?" she said. A replay of the recent events flashed in her mind.
"Guh," she gagged, vomiting outside the car. "That… was insane!" she said, calming herself down. "Who was that?" she asked.
[Answer: You.]
"That's not me. I know me," she said.
[Do you know then who you are?]
"Well, that's easy. I am… wait… who am I?" she stuttered.
[You are Unit 20091118, a soldier, an automaton. You are nothing more, nothing less.]
"No!" she yelled. "I have a name! It's Veridian."
[Understood, Veridian.]
That made Veridian speechless. "Okay, let's get going," she said, getting into the car. Then she realized she didn't know how to drive.
[Download driving?] the AI asked.
"You what? Sure, why not," she said. A sharp pain shot through her head, and after a while, she knew how to drive. She hit the gas, heading toward the city.