Chapter 26
Rochester, Homeland
Commander Hussein said to the chief and the major, “During the last assault the LSD was neutralized by the clever use of a fire extinguisher, and our entire Inquisitor unit six was destroyed. Your people really have no choice but to go in alone.”
The chief said, “We’ve been microwaved a couple of more times than I care for, if you are suggesting we mount another human wave assault. Keep in mind that I may have some men in there still alive who are getting thoroughly cooked every time they use that microwave. ”
Hussein said, “With the extensive collateral damage in the building, we don’t know if they still have improvised microwave capabilities.”
Major Bernard said, “We don’t know if they don’t. So why don’t you walk up there and find out for us?”
Hussein said, “Let’s try to be serious. Don’t either of you have any creative tactics you can try?”
Chief Mitchell said, “Seriously? You want to try to be serious and you ask that? All our best stuff is in that building. You know, the police station. Sure, we have some battlesuits that maybe will stop microwaves. We got flashbangs. Here’s a hint; they’re Inside the building.”
Major Bernard smirked. “Including four more Plasfusion weapons. On the bright side, there is probably nothing in there that would help anyway. Commander, you might as well save your drones for crowd control later right here in this city.”
“They’re no good for that,” Hussein said.
Gunshots from the direction of the building sounded through the night air.
Chief Mitchell asked an officer who was on the radio, “Now what’s happening?!”
“I don’t know . . . wait, I’m getting word.” The operator held his hands over his ears. They waited for the message. “They said on the other side of the building, this toy dinosaur came running out and everyone was shooting at it, they got it of course, but then they realized it was a distraction because then a Lucid droid ran out of an opening in a side wall.”
“Why would it run away?” Mitchell pondered. “It was having so much fun tormenting us over and over and . . .”
“They say it took off through our lines and it was carrying some Plasfusion rifles.”
“Daaa!” Commander Hussein said. “You better find that thing right away! We can’t afford the Lucids to have those!”
The chief knew that his men would not want to look for the heavily armed bot in the dark among an extremely hostile populace that would attack without any further provocation.
The Major shook his head. “Not good. We should have all thought of that. They really wanted those weapons. Maybe I shouldn’t say it, but I say we already can’t be too far from some kind of robot takeover. Those Lucids aren’t even our best AI and look what they can accomplish. We are always a step behind them.”
Technological singularity was long feared to be the point where artificial superintelligence is said to runaway with faster and faster self-improving technological advances, until humans are no longer able to coexist with AI masters. Technology would advance to the point that man would be unable to even comprehend their surrounding world.
Commander Hussein said, “Our count is they are down to maybe one Lucid , but there may be more of those toys. We have to do something. We’ll send the LSD and mini-cannon again. I doubt if the microwave is still functional, but if it is, maybe we can identify the generating device and take it out. We need to confirm if the building is empty, and then inform high command ASAP,”
Minutes later, the Inquisitor drones approached the police station from the sky down toward the second floor. They entered the building through a broken out second floor window. The LSD was running, photographing and holographically projecting various items inside the forensics lab.
********
Back in Stalin City, top leadership was monitoring the Rochester situation closely.
Governor-General Okafor said, “Well General Sims, it appears your best efforts have fallen short. The Lucids still control the half destroyed police station.”
“I need a little more time, Governor-General. We can bring more assets into the operation. Word is there has been some recent progress.”
Okafor asked, “Has da building been recaptured?”
“No sir.”
Computer security advisor Irwin Tensprackle said, “We have to end this now. I’m being as serious as I can right now. We have given the Lucids way too much time at that sensitive area. We run the risk that they could figure out how to gain access; and how to use the access to hack our entire power grid, security system, or who knows what. It is very difficult to make it impossible for them to perform a global crack. Even though many of the prohibitions are hard-wired and cannot be overridden via software modifications, there are probably numerous ways for them to get around them. I know they will figure it out. They have that AI synergy in motion now. Let me say this in the strongest terms; bomb them right now, Governor-General. Give them this one, but no more. Our entire nation may be at risk here.”
Okafor said, “Thank you, Irwin. General Sims, order the bombing of the police station.”
********
Meanwhile, back at the Rochester police station, the two drones were making their way toward the basement without opposition. The mini-cannon spewed a stream of heavy rounds that blasted the heavy door completely off of its hinges. The big bug Sidekick scurried into the doorway and was blasted to bits by the mini-cannon drone’s streaming hot lead. The damaged Lucid android was still at the controls. Gorky the Sidekick was also in the room and was totally mesmerized by the LSD.
Outside, Chief Mitchell ran to the Inquisitor armored vehicle and said, “Everyone evacuate the city block! Get as far away as possible! They are going to bomb it in five . . . no, four minutes!”
“Daaa!” Commander Hussein shouted. “We gotta get those drones out right now!”
The drones never had the time to finish the perfectly executed assault. Instead, the remote drone pilots feverishly tried to salvage the valuable tech weapons by navigating them back through and out of the building before their certain demise.
The drones weren’t too far away from the building, and neither was Gorky who ran out the back door toward U-1’s location. Then when the massive ordnance hit ground zero, there was a blinding flash like a supernova on the ground, with a thunderous deafening noise that shook the ground and all of the surrounding buildings. Afterwards, debris from the mushroom cloud rained down for several minutes in the smoke and dust filled air, choking everyone around. The loss of the police station sealed the loss of the shadow control center and the officers who were held captive inside. Then, all of the power to the city went out.