There I was, in a dimly lit room, plunging into the final preparations. It wasn’t anything too exciting—just me going over a checklist. High-level scientific concepts were well above my pay grade. I just did as I was told.
“Everything’s in order.”
“Good work,” replied the AI on the other side of the screen.
Raven was a character once tasked with assisting Field Battle’s many players. Back then, Raven hadn’t been anywhere near advanced enough to qualify as a true AI. She’d been nothing more than a kids’ plaything who could, at best, pick out a contextually appropriate, automated response. The Raven in the miniature display, however, was smart enough to respond to my muttering with kind words.
As expected of an AI made by the one and only Shiiko Katsura.
Granted, Shiiko’d had a preexisting sample to go off of, but to create something this impressive with limited time and resources was a monumental feat made possible only by her exceptional talent.
Also, there was a good reason for why this AI had the original Raven’s voice and appearance—apparently, having a prebuilt receptacle at the send-off point would boost our chances of success and use up less data, or something along those lines.
“Off you go now,” I said, rolling my aching shoulders. “You’ve got a big job ahead of you. Make it count.”
Raven nodded. “I will.”
“And the password?”
“Survive, and humanity may flourish once again.”
“Perfect.” Smiling, I hit the return key.
Raven froze, and a progress window that read “Transferring data...” popped up on the OLED display.
That was all there was to it. No drama, no excitement, nothing.
The progress bar slowly filled up. I idly watched it fill all the way... or at least, that had been the plan.
From outside of the abandoned building I was holed up in, I could hear some sort of rubble come crashing down. Thanks to my extraordinary instincts, honed through countless experiences, I already knew...
It was them.
“Give me a break...”
I just finished the job of a lifetime. Lemme savor the moment a little bit, will ya?
I grabbed the Barrett M82A1 resting against the wall. It had originally been intended to be a bolt-action sniper rifle, and it showed. The gun had a long barrel, small magazine size, and an unwieldy frame, making it unfit for CQB and generally just annoying to use. I’d have thrown it away if it weren’t for the fact that it was the only gun I had on hand that could take those bastards down in one shot with its .50 BMG cartridges.
“Well then.”
There’s a lot I still don’t fully understand, but right now, all I have to do is wait for some results. It’s a real gamble, but it’s a gamble worth taking.
I sighed, slinging my backpack full of homemade Molotovs over my shoulders.
Humanlike figures passed through the shimmering veil of heat, the midsummer sun shining down on them. I couldn’t quite make them out because of the glare, but I knew they were anything but human.
“The happiest of happy endings is in reach. No backing out now,” I muttered, pulling on the Barrett’s reload handle.