Book 3: Chapter 136: Malevolent Collison

Book 3: Chapter 136: Malevolent Collison

USD: One day after Cadre-S Graduation

Location: Van Biesbroeck's star, Meltisar, MIL-1A, Joint Services Research and Development complex, Heuristics Department

Theas eyes narrowed as her heart pounded mercilessly in her chest. Harrowing screams assaulted her ears, echoing relentlessly through every channel. In the AGAI labs central nexus, a small river of molten metal cascaded from the ceiling. The liquid metal mixed with the dying remnants of the Tau ShipCore, dissolving into lifeless goo.

As she watched the Tau tear its own ShipCore apart, Thea realized that any hope of salvaging the anguished NAI had vanished. She now faced a rogue scientific experiment that had commandeered the Avatars body for itself.

Her breath trembled as she exhaled, anxiety gripping her like a vice. This was a formidable challengeone she wasnt certain could be overcome.

Steeling herself for action, Thea aimed at a row of computronic modules beneath the lab and fired her railgun into the crystal floor. A deafening explosion shattered the glass surface, unleashing a storm of razor-sharp shards. Her own nanites swiftly formed a protective sheathe that deflected the deadly debris.

The railgun shell continued its relentless trajectory without slowing down. It plunged through a dozen modules and reduced them to writhing masses of dying nanites.

What she desperately wanted was a bomb to end it all at once. But her railgun was the most potent weapon at her disposal. Determination burned in her eyes as she jumped through the hole she had made. Immediately, artificial gravity took hold of her.

Clenching her teeth, she took aim and fired repeatedly at rows of computronics in an attempt to overload or disrupt whatever they were being used for.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

Without an anchor to brace herself, each shot from Theas railgun forced her sideways due to the forceful recoil. She kicked off the walls with agility and skill, maintaining her momentum as she moved downward. Another digital scream echoed from above, causing her to wince as she risked a glance upward.

The Tauno, the AGAIwas now enveloped in churning black metal. The only resemblance to its previous human body was its familiar bipedal form and the two menacing black orbs that fixed their gaze on Thea.

It had completely broken free from the machines that once held and nourished it. Thea wasnt sure if anything of the Tau remained or if there had ever been more than the desperate cries of a tortured spirit begging for release upon her arrival.

A swarm of nanites devoured the floor beneath the AGAIs body. As more material disintegrated, a maelstrom of metal formed a lethal whirl around the monstrous figure.

Despite her efforts, Thea couldnt block out the haunting, pained wails of the machine. Activating a filter, she managed to silence them completely. However, there was no escaping the acrid stench of scorched metal and the frenzied whirlwind of devastation surrounding her.

Before she could obliterate another row of modules, black tendrils of nanites erupted from nearby mainframes, lunging to ensnare her in midair.

Theas nanites exploded outward in a spherical defensive cloud, applying pressure and momentarily slowing down the tendrils advance. Realizing their density was much higher than hers, she clicked her tongue in annoyance before morphing her railgun into a rapidly vibrating blade.

Her eyes locked onto the terrified passengers. Get to the back, now! Thea shouted.

The tram wailed in agony as the emergency brakes strained to halt the speeding vehicle, even as it endured the abuse she and the AGAI had inflicted upon it. A heavy clank echoed through the tunnel as the passage narrowed, tearing the bulging wall from the side of the car entirely.

It was a testament to safety and engineering that it hadnt derailed, causing a catastrophic pileup.

A volley of smaller black darts pierced the front wall, stopping only as each black shard melted into her shield. Thea expanded her cloud into another car before ripping its separating doors off their hinges. The car ahead was a horrifying scene of blood and carnage.

Theas eyes narrowed; anger surged within her at witnessing the AGAIs blatant disregard for life in its pursuit of destruction. Reaching back through an entryway, she used her blade arm to sever a connecting brace between the cars, then applied an extra brake formed by nanites to slow them further. The rear cars disappeared into the darkness behind them.

Civilians taken care of, she turned and charged forward toward the AGAI while forcing her nanites to assimilate material around herrapidly increasing their numbers as she cleared each car one by one. No survivors were left among them.

Quickening her pace and heart pounding furiously, she finally reached trams front. With bated breath, crashed through the door, spotting the AGAI and freezing due to imminent danger. the AGAI hadnt chased her down the tram because it had latched onto the vehicles miniature reactornow pulsating menacingly with a glowing, writhing mass of nanites.

A laser erupted, incinerating everything in the surrounding air. Her nanites vaporized in the sudden flare, and she hurled herself to the side as the cars behind her transformed into a molten mess of material.

One car behind them detonated and was torn from its links, causing it to collide with the tunnels walls. Only the lead engine and passenger car she had landed in continued hurtling down the track.

She realized she had been struck as a warning indicated her pain threshold had been reached and had shut down multiple clusters of nerve fibers. Her left hand landed on her right shoulder, finding nothing but a writhing blob of nanites plugging a hole where her arm should have been.

A screech from the AGAI reminded her she didnt have time to recover. A black blade whizzed downward at her, and she narrowly converted her left arm into a sword in time to deflect the blow into the trams sidewall. The sizzling pop of nanites cannibalizing each other escalated as her cloud folded inward, rapidly losing the battle for dominance.

Infuriated at having its strike thwarted, the AGAI retreated a step back before transforming its sword arm into an oversized hammer. Thea pushed herself up, but only managed to lift herself an inch before bouncing back onto the floor; pressed against the trams sidewall. A dizzying array of errors and warnings accumulated in her peripheral vision as damage mounted, resources were devoured, and modules began to overheat.

Realizing she needed more time to regain strengthtime she didnt haveshe hastily crafted a data packet and broadcast it widely, hoping something CS would catch it. At least if she went down here, theyd have some warning about what Meltisar had created.

The AGAI swung its black hammer horizontally toward Theas head. She weakly raised her sword to try deflecting the blow, knowing that even if the hammer didnt crush her, the densely packed nanites would flay her until she dissolved in a bubbling mess of rampant machines.

As the tram arrived at the main hub transit station, the AGAIs hammer sliced through the thin sidewall of the car like it was nothing. Just before reaching her, it collided with one of the stations main support columns and hooked onto it. the AGAI was yanked away as the tram continued moving forward, hurling the abomination into the vehicles roof and then out the back of their last remaining car.

The abuse was too much for the tram; it twisted sideways out of its rail guide and turned sideways as it barreled through the hub.