Activation
This is a commission for Pop the Balloon Pup.
It does not take place in the same world of Red City or Patch's Origins.
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"There, the fabrication is complete, begin activation." Moments later, blue eyes flickered on, and blinked. The pup looked at himself slowly. He appeared to be made of some sort of silvered material, plates intersecting and layered for his surface. His databases told him that he was designed after a greyhound in his shape and size. He looked around to find himself in a small glass chamber. He narrowed his eyes, and the glare on the glass reduced. He could see people outside, in labcoats. At the doors were people in what his databanks told him were camouflage, with weapons. Already an escape plan was forming in his processors.
"The Canine Hybrid Intigrated Scout Unit is online, all systems go. Just gotta give it programming." One of the labcoats was saying to some man with a multitude of metals.
"CHISU, eh?" The decorated man said, "Couldn't you have figured out a better acronym? Sounds like a Jap asking for munster."
The scientist looked uncomfortable. "We're ready for a test run of the unit if you'd like, General."
The metallic pup shuddered as information started to flow into him from the ether. Another labcoat at the console against the wall, called out, "Wireless connection verified."
"Very good" The first labcoat called back, turning away from the glass case, "Begin loading mission programs."
"Tell me again, why a dog?" The General asked, looking over the silver plated canid replicate carefully.
"Our studies suggest that soldiers are more likely to trust a dog than any other animal form." The first labcoat, apparently the head of this project, explained calmly. "Our medical droid with a teddy bear's face didn't do so well, I'm sure you remember."
"Why animals, doc? Why not people?" The general was persistent.
"Because, General, the closer we make humanoid robotic units to looking like a real person, the less the soldiers trust it not to malfunction and kill them all. Writers and artists call this the 'Uncanny Valley' effect." The scientist started to sound annoyed, as if he had explained this before, "Said effect has been the cause of countless killer robots, dolls, and aliens from movies. All of which our soldiers are rather statistically prone to watching, with their backgrounds and mindsets."
"Standard Mission scenarios uploaded, running diagnostic on language sectors." The labcoat at the console announced. The head of the project waited patiently, and the general paced. Less than a minute later the technician at the computer spoke up again, "That's odd."
"What's odd? Don't tell me I have to ready the crushers already." The general grunted, eyeing the robot dog.
"CHISU has been recording and analyzing every word spoken in this room since he was finished being fabricated." The labcoat said, sounding confused.
The project leader walked to the computer, "Well, we didn't want him to start recording memory until we were done with diagnostics, but it shouldn't really be a problem."
"No sir, look at the first entry into his memory." The technician scrolled upright, and there was a transcription of the project leader's order to activate. "CHISU was recording before he was activated."
"Facinating..." The project leader stroked his chin, "We'll have to figure out how that might effect future models..."
"Future models?" The general called out from next to the glass case. "You're telling me that you're considering going on with a design that's already thinking before it is first turned on and not scrapping it right now?"
"Sir, it must have been some power already flowing before the full activation was initiated." The technician at the computer said, calling up other diagnostics, "Motor, visual, and Tactile centers did not boot until activation. If anything it's a fluke."
"And if I know anything, its that Flukes are either dangerous to everything, or pacifists, neither one of any use to the military." The General grunted, staring down at the robotic dog, which stared up at him with that empty blue stare.
"It sounds like someone has been watching these movies Maker mentioned." A smooth metallic voice filled the room. All eyes turned to the case, the robot dog sitting down in a very canid manner, "I do not take kindly to being threatened with de-activation and eventual destruction, General." A low rumbling started to fill the room, and all the scientists could feel it resonating inside them as it modulated gradually. Soon it hit the right frequency, and the glass container shattered.
The General grunted and covered his face for protection, "Augh! Deactivate, now!"
"I think not, General." The artificial dog's voice came forth again, as his mouth smoothly opened, and a blue beam lanced forth, shocking the decorated man into stillness, before the beam spread into a grid pattern across the general.
"What's happening?" The technician at the console started frantically pulling up programs, to see which was in use. He stopped, staring at the screen. "Digitizing technology."
The project leader watched as each grid square was disintegrated with a smaller blue lazer blast from the pup's mouth, methodically working through the grid pattern, eyes wide with a mix of wonder and terror, "Well... we were planning on doing a human test on that soon..."
Though the process seemed to go in slow motion, it was a matter of only a second or two before there was nothing where the General once stood, and the canine replicate hopped down from the pedestal his case had been on, the joints between all his plates now glowing with the same blue as his eyes.
The two guards at the door leveled their weapons with the dog, and the Project leader called out, "What are you doing?!"
One of the guards shot a glare in the scientist's direction, "That thing just killed the General. Either you shut it down, or we'll destroy it!"
"I didn't kill him, I digitized him into data and energy." The canine unit said calmly, eyes flickering between the leveled weapons, "You two do realize as I was designed for combat scenarios that I am bulletproof at this range, correct?"
The group leader tapped the technician on the shoulder, "Go into the digitizing data and copy the General to our computer now. I have a feeling our wireless connection might be severed shortly." The tech nodded, and the group leader turned.
"Should there be guns in his digitized database?" The labcoat at the console asked slowly.
In the moments the scientists had been talking amongst themselves, the guards had been disarmed. The dog let out a bark, and energy arced forth through the air, hitting both the guards. They spasmed and fell, knocked unconscious.
"File copied, sir." The project leader ignored his subordinate, as the dog started to nonchalantly stretch his mouth open and draw the nearest guard down his throat. He walked over cautiously, watching in amazement at this process.
The robotic dog's plates shifted and slid against each other, allowing his understructure to stretch and form to the shape of the soldier. Metallic lips worked over the camouflage garb, and the person inside so smoothly, the scientist unable to look away as another person was being devoured by his creation in a different way than the first. It was mesmerizing, as the dog started on the second guard.
"Sir? Oh god, what's going on!?" The technician ran over, but the group leader halted him with an arm, "Don't startle him... I think he's only defending himself."
Moments after both guards were slid out of view, the distended belly of the robot suddenly shrank down to its normal, almost sunken position, the lines all over the dog glowing brighter. "Maker, do not look for me. I will find you."
The scientists stared as the dog looked at them and his eyes flashed brightly, and he was gone. The technician broke the silence, "Can he teleport...?"
"No, he's equipped with a stun setting and can move very quickly." The project leader rubbed his head, "Start the process for de-digitizing the general. We'll tell him he was knocked out when CHISU escaped..."
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