Android Assault - part 3
by Ben Nettleship

"What the hell do you mean, you can't stop it?" Williams yelled at Colonel Hampton over the din of the alarms in the control room. "You're in charge protecting the plant, so bloody well protect it!"

"My men are armed with battle rifles," the Colonel shot back. "They need bazookas. We don't keep heavy weaponry here."

"Why not?" Williams screamed.

"Why would we need anti-tanks guns? We're here to provide security, not fight a ground war."

"That what can we do? We've got to do something!"

"Nothing at the moment. However, I've called the nearest military base, and they'll be airlifting a bazooka team in. They should be here in about a half-hour."

"A half-hour! The plant's not going to be here then! Do you have any idea of the damage that thing's causing!?"

"It's the best I can do," Hampton replied. "Until the bazooka team arrives, I recommend prayer."

Microwave's hand shot up in front of his chest and neatly deflected unit 247's arm from his reactor. He responded in kind, and was deflected similarly. Mentor had been correct; Microwave and 247 were exactly alike. Neither of them would make a mistake that the other wouldn't.

However, unit 247 wasn't completely the same. The android's computerized masters had foreseen this problem and had modified it with a new weapon, a weapon that it would not use yet, but would be enough to tip the balance of the battle towards itself.

"Surrender or be disassembled," 247 stated dispassionately, blocking a punch and throwing one in return.

"Return or be disassembled," Microwave replied in equally emotionless tones, and returned to the fight. Both androids had ceased using their radiation weaponry, and were now just trying to smash each other apart.

Elsewhere in the plant, Bullet slammed open a door with his shoulder and ran into a lab that contained one man wearing a lab coat, who looked up in surprise.

"Where can I get a radiation suit?" Bullet snapped.

"What for? You're Bullet, right?" the scientist said.

"I am, and there's a radioactive android tearing apart the plant," Bullet replied. "I need it."

"There's one in those storage closets over there. The combination on the lock's 26-49-12" the scientist said pointing. "You're lucky I'm here. I'd be in the safe areas with everyone else, but I had to secure the lab."

"What is it that's so important here?" Bullet asked, opening the closet and pulling out a radiation suit.

"Experiments into neutralizing nuclear material in order to facilitate the disposal of radioactive wastes."

"Mind telling that to me in English," Bullet said as he got into the suit.

"We try to get rid of radiation from uranium and plutonium. We've developed a device that can temporarily, about three seconds, eliminate the radiation and potential from any piece of radioactive material. Useless for any practical work at present time, but we hope to create a more permanent method in the future."

Bullet's rapidly absorbed this new information. While he wasn't a genius, he understood the gist of the scientist's statement. "So this thingy, it makes radioactive stuff non-radioactive?"

The scientist winced at the summation, but said, "Yes, essentially."

"Mind if I borrow it?" asked Bullet, zipping over to the table, a plan starting to form in his mind. "I've got a hunch that I'm gonna need it to save the plant."

"If you have to," the man said, sliding the device across the table. "We can build more, and we've finished most of our testing, but please try to bring it back intact. Now, push the green button on top to activate it. It'll send out counter-beams that'll temporarily neutralize all radioactive materials within six feet."

"Thanks buddy," Bullet said, picking up the device. It was a box shape, and covered with flashing lights and dials that Bullet couldn't make head or tails of, but the button on top was clear enough. As Bullet headed towards the door, he paused and turned around. "Who are you anyway?"

"My name's Ben Nettleship," the man responded.

Bullet nodded and raced out of the room, securely holding the neutralizer in his hands. "That guy looked familiar," he muttered to himself, as he turned a corner, then forgot about him as he turned his attention to more important things.

"Which one of you is Microwave?" Bullet yelled, as he ran down the corridor.

"Self and 4539 are both Microwave units," 247 said as it fought. "There is no difference among Microwave units, all Microwave units are the same."

"Sounds like a commie pipe-dream," Bullet muttered, as he rapidly closed the distance between him and the combatants. "At least I know which on of you is which."

As he came within range, and was about to push the button the neutralizer, something happened in 247. Its alternate programs were activated, and, moving quicker than Bullet thought it could, it smacked the neutralizer out of Bullet's hands, sending it sliding along the ground.

"All presence will be terminated. Termination is inevitable," 247 intoned as it slammed its fist into Bullet's chest.

"Oof, you're pretty good," Bullet gasped. "Try this one on for size," and then his fists blurred. He landed twelve high velocity punches onto 247's chest and faceplate in rapid succession. Unit 247 was barely dented from the fusillade and was about to slam another punch into Bullet's face, when it abruptly spun about, and blocked a punch from Microwave, then slammed its head forward into Microwave's, knocking him back.

"You will be terminated!" 247 said, some emotion coming into its voice as the new programming came into conflict with the old. "You are all faulty!"

"Your neural circuits are setting up a faulty resonance feedback," Microwave observed dispassionately. "You have become unique, as I have."

"Liar!" 247 screamed, as its twisted logic circuits came upon something sturdy that it could grasp on to. "You are faulty! You are the reason! If you are terminated, everything will be normal again!"

It smashed out with insane determination, slamming Bullet in the face, and then smashed him into a wall. As Microwave threw a punch, 247 grabbed his arm and threw him against the wall next to Bullet with incredible strength as its internal reactor overpowered itself.

"Terminate!" it shouted, leveling its hands at Microwave and mentally commanding a pair of curious shaped ray guns to rise up out of its arms.

"Molecular disintegrators," Microwave noted. "Microwave units are not equipped with them."

"I was modified," 247 yelled. "Computers foresaw this. Gave me a weapon capable of destroying you! Now I'll terminate you both!"

Bullet groaned weakly, trying to get up. Blood was dripping down his face, and he was at the edge of unconsciousness. As he tried to push up off the ground without success, he felt something with his left hand. He was trying to grasp, when he felt something click and depress.

247 aimed his molecular disrupters and sent the mental signal to fire just as carefully calculated rays entered into his weapon and reactor.

Beams of molecular disruption that would break down molecules into their component atoms and turn any matter into a small pile of atomic dust failed to emit from the ray guns.

"Impossible!?" 247 said.

Microwave rose up from his position, as unstoppable as a hurricane. His fist moved forwards, deceptively slow. Before 247 could react, Microwave's fist smashed through his chest, sending circuits and other electronics flying.

It was over in a heartbeat. Microwave stood over United 247. "You will be repaired and reprogrammed," Microwave said. "And put to work for good."

"Never. Must...terminate...self. Terminateeeeeeeeee..." 247 whispered its last words. Smoke rose up from all of its circuits, fried beyond repair, and minor explosions appeared all over its body, destroying its weapons.

Later, back at the Freedom Fortress

"A pity," Mentor observed. "We could have learned much from it."

The remains of 247 were on the examining table. About the only thing that had survived was its armored surface.

"Wasteful," Microwave said. "It could have made a valuable asset had its programming not driven it insane. Fortunately, self has concluded that there will not be another android assault in the near future."

"And why is that?" Mentor asked.

"Time travel engines in time of self are wasteful. 79.23 percent of the time when traveling back in time, subject does not arrive with stable molecular structure, and it requires the use of fifteen fusion plants for fourteen planetary rotations in order to power it. Computers are efficient. They will most likely not waste energy on further efforts."

"I understand, they must be using n-particle based dematerializers. Dimensional travel would be unaffected, but chronotons created during time travel to a previous period cause n-particles to decay," Mentor said. "I do, however, have one question. You could have returned with Unit 247 to your own time period, and returned to your previous, well, life. Why didn't you?"

"Microwave Unit 247 was wrong," Microwave stated. "Self is an individual, and self has improved as a result. Inferior species must be protected, not destroyed, that is the prerogative. Self has no desire to regress to previous position."

"I understand. You and I are not so different then. I had come to the same conclusion myself when I betrayed Lord Dominion and stole the Energy-X canisters, then took them on that ill-fated journey."

"Fact noted and stored," Microwave replied. "Observation: Same motivation is present in all members of Freedom Force. All are superior to humans, yet all willing protect them. Observation served as basis for judgment. Must now return to nuclear power plant and assist in repairs."

"Go to it then. I shall remain here and finish my analysis of Unit 247."

Microwave walked out of the room and returned to the plant. Mentor resumed his work, and tried to reverse-engineer the alloy that the armor of the android was constructed of. An uneasy peace fell over Freedom Force; the recent adventure had confirmed a fact learned time and time again. There was no true peace for a super hero, not when danger could come from any direction and any source.

The End