Some Girl or Something
Lester knew he had to run but was frozen with curiosity. What terrible creature could easily dispatch so many deadly foes so quickly. He didn't have to wait long.
Through the smoke of the new entry wound a small figure floated into plain view. It was a nine-year-old girl.
She pointed her tractor finger at Lester's vault box IM-RY3. The box flew to her hand. She turned and floated back into the smoke.
Lester stood dumbfounded for a moment... at a complete loss.
Xor started to pursue the girl, but Nand blocked his path... this time a stern look of yellow eye lights was all that was needed after both had their daily fill of fisticuffs. Critter also looked to Lester for guidance, stifling his instinct to swoop over and steal the loot.
"Was that a human or a bot? She was the strongest thing I have ever seen. And why did she take my personal vault item,"
A second vault item was just delivered... a fresh supply of bomblets in the form of a bandolier .... 64 ammo in all... a powerful pistol side arm, top rated Tactical Engineering trousers and Tactical Engineering armor Lester donned his new gear still in a daze.
He continued to think: 'Clearly this being was human if only in part and could not be blown up just like every other problem we've faced recently because of ethics. Plus she has it. The whole thing I'm here to protect.
"warbots, begin mission."
"objective: acquire cube from girl. constraints: safety for girl."
"sub Critter. begin Mode: mobile stealth. track 'her'. stream reports. execute"
Critter burst through the broken wall tracking the mystery girl...
"sub Xor: grant auth on attack to Nand revoke on Xor:
Xor shuttered at this and Nand delighted... Xor could no longer use any attack without Nand's approval.
"sub Nand: grant auth on defend to Xor revoke on Nand" Nd approval from Xor for defensive actions."
"release constraint condition: if defences > attacks * 5 override Nand."
(meaning for every 5 defences that Nand allowed Xor would get one attack without the need for approval from Nand....
IT was a cleaver program of checks and balances to keep the two from failing the mission because of their proclivities.
"execute" the plan was now in effect!
Unexpectedly Critter flew backward piercing the smoke reentering the room at high speed and crashed into the opposite wall. No damage, but a bit of a shock.
Lester speaking to himself again, "Yes, this will be harder than I thought"
He composed himself for a while and connected to the Flotilla feed… seek… scan… seek… GOTCHA! Lester found her via the Flotilla surveillance.
"She's in the conveyance.... not sure her final destination, but she'll soon pass through junction TL-22-22-8. That's where we will nab it" He had made a hasty plan as he needed to quickly recover the cube and get everyone off the flotilla. He accessed the Vault and summoned a thunder spear.
Twelve minutes later Lester and crew were in their ambush position
The girl sailed through junction TL-22-22-8 as smooth as glass with cube in tow very unlike the bumbling and tossing of Lester’s technique earlier.
At the appointed place a precision explosion ripped through the tube mere meters in front of the girl.... it was a thunder spear that passed right through and that pierced two holes about half a meter in diameter each.
20 milliseconds later the girl passed the cavity and Critter leapt through the first piercing grabbing the cube with his tail and sailed through the exit wound.... in another second the girl was hundreds of meters away,
Critter barreled into Lester's arms... both elated they had recovered the. huh? Critter's tail and the cube were both missing! What went wrong?
Lester looked at the feeds again and noticed that the cube was still with her with part of Critter’s tail flapping in the wind... attached to the cube but severed from Critter himself.
'She countered us in milliseconds.' He thought.... I can't go easy on her... she's dangerous even if she is a little girl.
Lester observed the spy feeds a little more.... He watched as she ripped through a small rabble of Zell like they were paper.
She's going to the elite hanger he was finally able to discern... who is she and what is she up to? A malfunction?