The Miner

My robotic eyes zoomed around the supply base. Even though the boxes has been mostly neatly stacked previously they certainly weren’t now. There was some serious scratches on the walls. Uh, deep enough to have gouged into concrete. Right. Not good. Oh. The shovel blades on my arms were extended. They were slightly bent. Ah. Right. Minimap.

[Minimap right?]

I brought up the minimap and 3D scanner in front of my immediate vision. Ah, those red dots were closer now. And also clumped together in a group. Far closer than I remembered Around a hundred metres away from my immediate location.

Those glowing red dots worried me slightly. But if they were human it would be a sweet relief to meet others and ask for help. Enough was enough. I recognised that I needed assistance now. Perhaps they could even use technology to transfer my mind from this mining drone back into a better form.

<…I asked for your name. Then you have a choice. You are damaged. Observe the truth. Learn true clarity of purpose.>

Hope was the best drug in any situation. I knew the truth but ignored it. My status window appeared, slightly hazy this time due to the reddish tinges on the sides.

-Power Supply (Battery Pack 66% Charged - Fully Functioning)

-Drill Unit (7% Damage -Online)

-3D Scanner/Detector Lenses (Screen - 7% Damage)

-Mechanised Shovel (29% Damage -Temporarily offline)

-Drone Arms/Legs (12% Damage, Fully Functional)

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

-External Mechanical Tool Set (17% Damage – Currently Deactivated. – No Present power drain.)

-Weapon Systems: Campos System 1.3 Permission Only (98% – Locked/Disabled.)

Damaged. Yet more damage. What was this ones deal about a tantrum? Ah, my name he had asked for a name.

[Your name. Tell me your name again.]

Great. Another crazy one. Polite at least. And I wasn’t suffering a massive jolt of pain in my body but usual aches and pains. Showed me that I was getting used to this situation. The red dots on the minimap beeped and my 3D scanner showed movement. The cluster was definitely moving in my direction. Towards this military base. Wait. Where was the other one. The picture of the broken mining drone failed to show on my map.

[My name…my...my...call me Miner. Yes.]

The corner. I had dumped the other one inside this base I was sure of it. Why wasn’t the icon showing on my minimap? No. I had dragged the damn robotic mining drone here. Not ok. Seriously. I needed eyes on the job instead.

Dismissing the minimap and scanner I wanted to make it give me a proximity warning if the red dots moved within sixty metres of my location. I’d have enough time to react then. This makeshift supply base was a mess. I stood up.

[Quiet.]

Current Objectives

: Successful Minor Repair/Full Repair needed for Mining Drone

Secondary Priority – Overmind Security Request

: Detect Scavenger Presence Kill first Scavenger as example.

Remove security threats.

Temporary Objective: Bring Mining Drone to Supply Building Kill.

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

- Full Reward on Completion:

6 Hours in Mind Palace, 300 XP

Optional: Weapons systems upgrade.

Failure of Objectives: Room of Enlightenment. Death>

I waved one hand through the air. My body ached far more than I thought, I felt slower. Action consumed power. Movements took energy, thinking took energy. Need-need another battery.

I stood up, slightly crouched as to not hit the ceiling. Drone. Where was the other drone. The door was ajar. This time knocked down to the ground. Dusty, stacked crates scattered around. Boring. I could walk this room in several steps. There was nothing else in here except for the batteries. A concrete box that survived until now, no visible technology that I had been able to pick up.

Death. He had told me that it was my failure of an objective. Real death. Not this state but actual death.

I had a question. I wanted an answer. Death not withstanding I had to know if I’d done something that I would regret later.

[Vinny. Where did the other mining drone go? I didn’t break it. Don’t tell me that I had a tantrum and ripped it apart.]

[System, give me a mission update. Thanks. I’d like to know how much in the way of experience and time in that mind palace that I’m due for this work.]

…Overmind Security Order Override…

…Overmind Security Order Correction…

….Campos System Designate 1.3 initiating temporary security orders…

This was the first time that I’d had an error message pop up instead of being given results.

[I get it. In set circumstances you get more control. Am I right?]

<….Choose. Direct or passenger control. Eight minutes and twenty seconds. They’re coming for you. Right. Now. Check your 3D scanner and minimap if you don’t believe me. No. Let me ask you a question.>

This was getting annoying now. A joke was a joke.

[I get it. I need to take this work seriously. I’ll just go and tell these trespassers that they’ve on a company site and this is a restricted area.]

I heard a beeping sound. The thought of the other mining drone would have to wait for a while, I’d have my questions and answers would be needed. Time to take it tough with this new character Vinny. Besides, my body was starting to cramp in my imagination from standing in the same static position inside this run-down supply base.

Shifting my metallic form I moved towards the exit door. Standing around trying to negotiate with an extremist artificial intelligence was a headache. Metaphorically of course.