The Miner

I was given a list of my immediate tasks, rewards and experience points. The last item of physical restriction struck me as a type of punishment, the system didn't directly tell me what would happen but I thought that a normal employer would have had a warning or penalty in place before resorting to extreme measures.

Another reason to let me leave this place. Permanently

Current Objectives

: Successful Minor Repair/Full Repair needed for Mining Drone

: Detect Scavenger Presence

Temporary Objective: Bring Mining Drone to Supply Building

-Partial Reward: 30 minutes in Mind Palace, 15 XP

- Full Reward on Completion: 2 Hours in Mind Palace, 50 XP

Failure of Objectives: Physical Restriction>

I so much wanted to ask who the Campos system had been talking to but right now wasn’t the time. Tensing my body and taking a tight grip on the broken drone I felt the ground crack beneath my metallic feet as my metallic form sprinted several times faster than the first time when I had first been searching for the supply base.

I was beginning to experience a severe ache in my body, a dull sort of pain. Given that I knew where to go this time it would be far easier and my concentration and ability to process information had been bumped up to a higher level it was far easier to avoid any holes in the ground and get my foot stuck. Samsara was waiting for us.

The base was only a relatively short distance away with my new burst of energy reserves. Soon, we would find peace soon. I focused my energies on getting back to it. The supply base, or my new temporary place of operations was far nearer than had thought. My body still shaking with Overdrive I half threw, half-dropped the body of my nearest current relative into the doorway once I had kicked down the makeshift doorway in my path.

The grey boxes full of spare batteries and other parts I assumed were useful were neatly stacked aside from a few that had been knocked aside when I’d kicked open the door and threw in my sister from another mister.

I felt sad that I had to treat one so close to me in such a bad way. Still, there would be plenty of batteries to rig to explode in unison. A fine way to end and search for a new beginning. The voice of the system spoke to me. I tried to ignore it but by now I had little choice to listen. I had tried to gain a small semblance of control but that was only inside the Mind Palace after the proto-astronaut freaked me out. A lifetime ago. Or a few hours. Time as usual flowed oddly.

[Yes? I’m busy. Or I will be. Talk please. Share your burden with me Vincent.]

[Soon. Peace will be found soon.]

If I didn’t know better I would have thought that the almighty Campos system which had reduced me to a puppet dancing on strings without blessed release was nervous. Not scared. Nervous. Overcharge was damaging more than I had originally thought. Precious.

[Disengage Overcharge Function.]

For a second I almost felt my mechanical form collapse onto the floor. My limbs were heavy with fatigue and ached so badly as though I had been working without sleep or rest for a dozen hours. A Mining Drone tall enough to shift heavy loads surely wouldn’t easily experience physical damage but I could almost recognise the sound of my joints creaking.

A message followed, the words in front of my lenses rather than in my mind. At least, I have a small degree of privacy from an uncaring bossy god who excelled at lying to me. Vin-cent.

-Overcharge Function Deactivated.

– Warning! Check current physical condition of structural frame, urgent repairs may be needed.

-Warning!

Yeah. As I expected. The physical damage to my form was felt my whatever animated this metal form.

<….I’m running a scan on you. I thought you were acting funny with that other broken Mining Drone remnants. There’s been an error. Somebody had been messing with you, and not in a good way. One second. I need you offline for this. That freak always says she knows best when it comes down to emotions and touchy feelings. Freak. What? I’m busy right now. Wait. Not right now. You need to give him more time to adjust. I said no. Accept it. Not your time yet. No. Back the hell up I’m talking to him right now. Sorry Buddy, sleep for a little bit. Back soon. We have a little conflict to sort out.]

[No, I need t-]

…Remove full level of consciousness control…

….Checking Cotard Delusion protocols…

…Correlating Dysmorphic parameters…

….Creating behaviour support imitation program…

…Initiating Campos stability Protocol…

…AMT Test Initiated…

…Correction Necessary for Campos System 1.2 Designate Vin...

…Excess of artificial empathy currently generated…

…Resetting to standard template levels…

…Emotional Dampener Enforced Inclusion…

…Initiate Campos Stability Program version 1.3…

…Start-Up Cancelled…

…Retrying….

…Start-Up Cancelled…

…ErorR..Campos Obstruction…Version 1…Enga-Eg…

…Orders Cleared…

…Campos Stability Program 1.3 Temporary Activation…

[to find my place of rest…uh. What was I just saying? Ok, we have a threat from scavengers. I need to…to. No, I need to repair the broken Mining Drone as a priority. No. I. I. Wait, Campos?]

[….Not funny. I need orders. I’ve got at least two hours in the Mind Palace and experience points waiting for me. You know what? Fuck you. Fuck your physical restrictions and I’ve had enough of this bullshit. I’m strong enough to rip out my own battery pack if you piss me off enough. Got it?]

The last word that the clearly damaged Campos system shook the metaphorical cobwebs from my head a little bit. Yes, I felt different this time, mainly angry. Frustrated and needed a target to vent my raw rage.

[You’re not Vincent. I’d prefer to talk to him right now. And I don’t need any hugs. I need to be left alone to work. Do not call me sweetness. Makes me feel sick.]

This felt new. Refreshing in a way, even liberating. A lack of moral concern would be a nice change but also the system now sounded close to a complete psychopath who wanted to go on a killing spree.

[None. I worked with Mining Drones, owned a bakery and…the rest remains fuzzy but surprisingly unconcerned about the lack of memory. Still getting to grips with that.]

[You’re repeating yourself a little bit there. Yes, all sounds good except for the training thanks. And the killing. I’m finding it a little bit hard to tell right from wrong right now, but it sounds unnecessary. I’ve dealt with trespassers before on previous mining sites, we had our security teams detain them and then the local authorities took them off our hands.]

A sound then. A nasty sound, throaty and raw. Laughter and the voice was even worse. For it was mine but not. In no way did I sound like that. I wasn’t crazy, angry yes but not crazy.

My body was shaking then, alone inside the dusty supply base surrounded by crates of batteries and a broken robot thrown on the corner with an open space where a makeshift door once stood.

I pulled up my present status:

-Power Supply (Battery Pack 72% Charged - Fully Functioning)

-Drill Unit (7% Damage -Online)

-3D Scanner/Detector Lenses (Screen - 2% Damage)

-Mechanised Shovel (3% Damage -Temporarily offline)

-Drone Arms/Legs (0% Damage, Fully Functional)

-Internal Ore Processing Unit (4% Damage -Temporarily offline)

-External Mechanical Tool Set (15% Damage – Currently Deactivated. – No Present power drain.)

-Weapon Systems: Campos System 1.3 Permission Only (0% – Locked/Disabled.)

The two items that passed for my eyes in the form of lenses and my limbs had been fixed. I hadn’t checked my own status for some time since I had sent out some form of miniaturised repair machines to fix the broken form of the other robot who would serve under my command.

The last item made me pause but it was fine. I was meant to be able to defend myself, the shovels in my arms could be used to slice and dice but it would leave me open to direct attack. Having access to more advanced weapons would work pretty well.

There was the fact that it had a fat zero percent next to it though which meant that it was more than likely that my body just didn’t have the resources to either access them or they needed to be constructed. Yet more work for me to do.

A book. Medicine. No. Poison, a pill. I recalled then that I had vaguely wanted to modify the large supply of spare batteries stored here to explode them. Those that wouldn’t be used up in the repair process for the broken soon-to-be security drone.

Still, it if was already broken and a fresh battery was inserted inside then it would make decent bait for any scavengers. I would be the hunter and they the prey.

[Did you do that?]

My body stopped shaking and the sound of laughter ceases as soon as I spoke. I didn’t care for the noise when it wasn’t made in happiness, and mainly it was a use of energy that could be put to better purposes.

[…I asked you a question. Let me be more specific so you can give me a more direct answer, did you fix my limbs and lenses? I’m here to work with a system, not be directly ordered. Give me an answer.]

I wasn’t expecting an immediate response. A near complete lack of control was getting annoying but gradually easier to adjust to. There was a shift in my mind, a paradigm shift I was sure of it. I just needed more time to focus. An ancient proto-astronaut with a face full of colour popped up in what passed for my minds eye.

[Shut up. I’m doing a job and you tell me about killing. Security protocols don’t dictate that any immediate threats need to be mortally wounded.]

I knew of one old trick that I had learnt worked. I may not be able to fully control the actions of the systems artificial intelligence but this always worked. They needed to keep me working for the purposes of their precious Overmind.

If I ever met this creature, I’d use my metal claws to rip out the throat and watch it drown in the liquids that ran through what passed for its bloodstream. Or find an alternative. Anything that would bleed could be killed eventually. Just a matter of finding a suitable weakness.

[Give me a mission update. Insect.]

Here:

Current Objectives

: Successful Minor Repair/Full Repair needed for Mining Drone

Secondary Priority – Overmind Security Request

: Detect Scavenger Presence Kill first Scavenger as example.

Temporary Objective: Bring Mining Drone to Supply Building Kill.

-Partial Reward: 30 minutes in Mind Palace, 15 XP

- Full Reward on Completion:

2 Hours in Mind Palace, 50 XP

Weapon System Upgrade

Failure of Objectives: Room of Enlightenment.>

[More messed up mission objectives. You know what? I don’t even want to ask why the lines are crossed out. I had better be getting my rewards though. And if I don’t then you and me are going to have issues to duke out. I might not be able to physically grab you but using Overcharge caused some distress for one of you. You need me.]

My minimap raised a vision in front of my face, my fixed location was the supply base with its own icon and a small solid mining drone avatar that represented me. My 3D scanner detected movements but I ignored those for a moment.

The other was another version of me with a red cross over it nearly next to mine. I guessed that was the other drone. Security would need guards at the very least. Even a tame dog could still bare its teeth.

[This is your gift? I can open the minimap by myself.]

I swore I felt a rush of energy flowing from my chest battery unit towards my arms. The digging blades opened without my consent. The screen on the minimap glitched for a microsecond before I saw several red glowing dots which hadn’t been there previously. The 3D scanner showed me that they moved erratically but I then knew that they were directly heading towards my direction.

A matter of a dozen minutes of so, I needed a direct visual on any potential intruders. A stern warning would suffice and I’d need to set up a series of signs and perimeter alarms to make sure that they knew they were trespassing on private property.

[I thought there’d be more than a few glowing red dots. Are they the robot competition coming to raid us for supplies?]