A Glitch

[Munin]

[member="Sentinel"]

Munin let out a curse.

He had hoped the surge would stun or ground the droid for at least a few seconds, giving him time to at least try and take its datacore. It seemed however that he would have no such luck and as soon as the figure bolted Munin followed after it.

The Slicer silently whatever deity he prayed to that he'd begun to exercise more, though mostly he'd done it simply to impress Spark. As the alarms began to ring out all around them the lights within the datacenter finally came on. Bright red hallogens burst into life, searing the room with an odd bloody hue. In the distance he could hear security doors begin to close, heavy durasteel slamming down over window and all other exits.

His lips thinned. "Poodoo."

Munin said as he slid around a rack of servers, his eyes still locked on the droid.

He scowled and aimed above it's head, firing twice towards a large metallic light fixture that hung above it's head, hoping to dislodge it and at least slow the droid down.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

# Assessing...

The alarms were hardly quiet, thankfully the AI had nothing like sensitive cartilage or tiny bones within an ear canal to worry about. It was just additional data to process within its' computing core. Everything was an algorithm, a process, a step. The droid picked up additional sounds of blaster fire, though the energy shield currently protecting it did not absorb the shots this time.

# Analyzing...
# Response: Evasive Action

Instead, a loud crack rang out, and a thick plate of durasteel fell from the ceiling onto the floor, shattering the several light bulbs within and echoing throughout the corridor. Unfortunately, the construct of the core that the AI inhabited did not allow it to easily perform things such as distance jumping, and thus it was slowed, needing to bound over the rather large fixture with a measure of calculated movements, partially crushing the object beneath its' monstrous frame.

Up ahead, voices could be heard shouting, heading in the direction of both Munin and Sentinel.

With only one way to go, the droid barreled forward towards the organics.

[member="Munin"]

 

[Munin]

[member="Sentinel"]

Up ahead Munin could hear voices ringing out a few moment after the light fixture came crashing down. He let out a curse, though of course hed known that the black sun would show. His hope however had been that they would at least be waiting outside, not in the datacenter. The Slicer rushed forward, bounding over the fallen metal and landing with a quiet thump.

As he followed after the droid he fired twice more.

Both of the bolts went wide to the left, striking the ceiling just above where the black sun thugs were now standing. The men cursed and then drew their own blasters, two of the ones upfront also taking out what appeared to be stun sticks. Munin scowled and bucked slightly to the left.

A moment later blaster fire flew from the thugs towards both Munin and the rushing droids.

The Slicer quickly ducked behind a server panel, knowing his clothes wouldn't even stand up to a single blaster shot, much less ten.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

# Analyzing Threat: Moderate
# Hostile Intent: Confirmed
# Combatants: Seven
# Assessing...

Sentinel did not stop its' advance towards the blaster fire. In fact, its' large frame would likely be sufficient, coupled with its' energy shield, to protect even Munin behind him from the shots, given the size of the corridor. Most of the shots fired connected with the shimmering blue orb surrounding the metallic being, pulsing as they dissipated.

# Protocol Time Remaining: 30s

The two nearest with the stun batons stepped forward, intent on bringing the droid down, though perhaps hadn't quite expected the sheer mass of size and strength lunging towards them. Both men swung their batons, and were immediately struck by a full swing from two heavy metallic arms as Sentinel deactivated its' shielding. Their lives were over before they could draw another breath.

Three others continued to fire even as two thought better of the situation and broke away in fear.

# Shields Offline...
# Recharging...

[member="Munin"]

 

[Munin]

[member="Sentinel"]

Munin stepped out from the servers as soon as he heard the cloud crack of metal against flesh, his lips twisting in slight hint of disgust as he caught a splatter of blood where once guards had been. He shook his head but dashed forward, knowing full well that the Thugs attention would not be almost entirely upon the odd droid.

He moved quickly, running alongside the corridor and firing once or twice.

His goal was simple, knock out the Black Sun thugs while simultaniously stalling the droid long enough to trap it. His lips thinned as he rushed over to a nearby wall panel, his blaster going off once more as he blew away the lock on metallic enclosure. A breath passed his lips and quickly he removed the device from earlier from his pocket. "Come on."

Munin said to himself, glancing at the scuffle behind him.

He plugged the device into the wall, fidgeting slightly as he quickly ran through another program.

A warning light flashed, and then suddenly the door behind the Black Sun thugs began to seal shut, thick blast door falling into place.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Before the machine could proceed any further the large blast door slammed closed in front of it, separating it from the few remaining Black Sun forces. It stopped, the bright illumination from the visor shifting in various locations to examine the change in the situation. Then it slowly turned back towards the direction it had come from.

# Assessing...
# Scanning...
# Analyzing...

"You are peculiar, human."​

​

Sentinel did not understand the motives that this organic was displaying.

"You attempt to destroy me. You cause disturbance with intent. You then reverse course."​

​

# Accessing data files...
# Files retrieved: 3,258
# Scanning...

"This data pertains to those organics. You seek monetary compensation for its' use. This I understand. Were I to release this data to the HoloNet, this would cripple your ability to retrieve compensation. You are an illicit broker of illegal information and trafficking of arms. Your image and vocal samples have been recorded in my data core and will be released with this information, should you fail to holster that firearm and cease hostility. Decide, human."​

​

# Standing By...

[member="Munin"]

 

[Munin]

[member="Sentinel"]

"I do not broker arms." Munin stated simply.

That was certainly the truth. While some of the information he sold most certainly did lead to deaths, by and large everything he trafficked in was mostly financial information and personal blackmail. It was a thin line, but a distinction that was rather important to both him and Huginn. They were careful in what they bought and sold, mostly because they realized that the more violent they got, the more violent the reprisals became. One had to be careful.

"The data also does not pertain to the Black Sun." Not specifically. "And my voice matters little."

No one had ever heard it before, not even his client. "I gave you a list of thousands of files, no one knows exactly what I want or need."

Munin's client might, but there was a reason that he had been hired, most clients were too lazy to figure things out on their own.

"Give me the records, you can even keep them, just make a copy." He stated plainly. "Then you walk away."

Fair trade, especially since Munin didn't have the ability to destroy the thing anyway.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

"An amusing prospect."​

# Recharging...

The AI stepped away from the blast door, the sound of heavy metallic feet clanging against durasteel flooring beneath. What threat did this human think it posed after watching the droid single handed end the lives of two other organics in the blink of an eye.

"I do not fear, flesh being. Do you believe to have sealed me in with that little toy you possess?"​

​

Sentinel was growing curious of the man, whether he truly understood what exactly the droid was.

"You bargain from disadvantage. I am far more than you could imagine."​

​

The corridor possessed a series of doors. Munin had closed the one in front of the AI. The others were still open, behind them. From the index finger of the droid's arm a small spike extended, inserting into the panel beside the sealed blast doors. A series of clicks resonated as it locked into place.

​

# Initiating Uplink...
# Connecting...
# Standby...
# CONNECTED

The doors behind Munin, and throughout the remainder of the corridor then sealed shut in similar fashion, the echo of metal against metal echoing for a short time.

"A droid follows protocol. A series of repetitive programs embedded into its' design from which it does not deviate. Free will is superior."​

​

[member="Munin"]

 

[Munin]

[member="Sentinel"]

By now Munin understood that this droid, or whatever it was, held some superior intellect. It wasn't a standard infiltrator droid, nor did it seem to be something made for military assaults. It had some defensive capabilities but it wasn't otherwise armed.

When it spiked the terminal besides it the Slicer couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, his lips thinning slightly as his eyes darted to his own program that was still working through the systems security. Briefly the Slicer wondered if the droid had some sort of slicing protocol of its own. Placing such things into astromechs and even protocl droids wasn't all that rare, and given that this thing was...well clearly it wasn't a regular droid, he wouldn't have doubted it.

Munin scowled, and then quickly pressed in a few keys on his own console.

He wasn't attempting to slice anymore, he knew that he couldn't beat a droid built for slicing, but what he could do wa-

A heartbeat past, and then suddenly the power throughout the building shut off.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

And the small corridor fell into darkness, leaving Sentinel and Munin in blind silence.

# Analyzing...
# Activating Alternative Sensors...
# Secondary Vision Mode Online
# Shielding Recharged
# Defensive Protocols Reset
# Assessing...

"Intriguing."​

​

It seemed those interested in apprehending the unwelcome guests had shutdown power to the building to prevent further tampering.

# Alternative Route: Manual Door Release
# Alternative Route: Thermal Breach
# Alternative Route: Wait

"Cellular life is an unpredictable wonder."​

​

Deciding to entertain the curiosity, Sentinel remained idle, awaiting Munin's response to the situation he now found himself in. He did not appear capable of visualizing without the assistance of light penetrating the orbs within his skull.

[member="Munin"]

 

[Munin]

[member="Sentinel"]

Darkness had never really been much of an issue for him. The orphanage that he had been born into had always kept out the lights at night. This had partially been to save on electricity and partly in hope that the children wouldn't act out without any light. The hope of course had been a slim one, and slowly the Slicer began to move forward.

He knew the droid would be waiting, knew that it might even be able to see him, but that didn't matter.

His lips thinned as he began to step forward, his hands placing gently against the wall as he tried to feel around himself. He was looking for a ventilation shaft, something he could- a smile crept onto his face as he slowly pressed his fingers against cold metal.

There was a loud metallic clang as Munin removed the vent plate.

A moment later the lithe Slicer pulled himself up and into the ventilation shaft, a grunt sounding out from his throat as he dug himself in and began to shimmy inside. The droid would no doubt be confused, but there was a method to his madness.

So he hoped anyway.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

If the core had a face that could smirk, Sentinel would have. Alas, it was unable to form such an expression of amusement and instead had to simply think about joy and laughter instead. The machine had indeed seen Munin creep his way towards the vent, but even with his ability to shimmy his way inside, the droid had other means to see.

# Assessing...
# Alternative Vision Mode Online

A hue of red, orange and yellow illuminated the exact spot where Munin found himself inside the shaft. One massive, hulking arm bore upwards, crashing against durasteel and bending the metal inwards from the sheer force to prevent the man from scurrying about unhindered, or escaping. The other arm raised, from the forearm a small tool extended. Suddenly Munin would see from within the shaft what would almost be mistaken for a lightsaber cutting through the vent with complete and utter ease. Super heated thermite burning a large, rapid, hole within the metal just next to where Munin was.

[member="Munin"]

 

[Munin]

[member="Sentinel"]

"Poodoo." Munin said quietly as the plasma cutter suddenly erupted from the vent shaft.

He hadn't exactly thought to make his escape this way, rather he'd been trying to get to the security room that he knew was located one floor up. Unfortunately before he could completely ascend that way the droid had apparently caught on to him and decided to stop him.

Another curse left his lips.

Without really thinking the Slicer began to attempt to wiggle himself backward within the vent, his hands pressing against the side of the metal shaft, pushing him back. The blaster that had been holstered in his pocket slipped free, falling into the vent and right into the path of the plasma blade.

"Shitshitshit." Munin repeated, backing up faster, knowing that as soon as the plasma beam met the blaster there would be an explosion. "Frak."

He pulled back, dropping out of the vent just as the plasma and blaster met.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

The droid would have had no trouble to shield itself from the explosion, but in its' current vision state, the super heated cutting tool prevented the visual receptors from picking up the blaster that had fallen free of Munin's grasp and into the vent as it cut through. All Sentinel could see was the body of the man as he backed away from the powerful torch.

And then suddenly there was an explosion. Nothing devastating like a bomb, but certainly enough to rock the surroundings and even cause the massive droid to take a stumble back into the opposite wall several feet away, leaving a rather prominent indent of itself in the same breath.

The blaster was no more. The same could be said for the torch.

Scorch marks were left all over the previously shiny steel of the droid. The light within the visor of the machine had gone dark, leaving the corridor in total darkness.

# Critical Systems Scan...OK
# Secondary Systems Scan...MALFUNCTION
# Visual Systems Scan...OK
# Audio Systems Scan...OK
# SYSTEM RESTART...STANDBY

Another few moments passed.

# Power Core Cycled
# Connection Established
# Re-Scan...OK
# Establishing Core Connection...OK

A flicker of light came from the visor of the droid once more, though it still remained still.

[member="Munin"]

 

[Munin]

[member="Sentinel"]

Munin was now laying half propped against the side of the blast door which the droid had closed only a few moments before.

A bit of his eyebrows were singed off, his clothes were scorched, and a large patch of red now covered half of his face. He frowned slightly, having been knocked back by the explosion, his entire body felt as though it were on fire, though in actual fact he had managed to escape with only a single second degree burn and severe bruising.

A groan passed his lips.

His mind was focused on maintaining consciousness, his eyes half open and half closed. For a moment he wondered if the droid was even still functioning, though as a small light began to flicker at the end of the hallway he found his question quickly answered.

Munin groaned again as he tried to stand, finding the task rather impossible.

"Poodoo." He said again, his hand reaching for something inside of his pocket.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Fortunately for an inorganic, Sentinel could not feel pain. Thus after a scan of its' systems and finding that the tool had been the only thing irreparable, aside from some charring on its' outer plates, it was relatively unscathed. Of course there was still the matter of the Suns. Slowly the head of the core swiveled and pivoted, its' vision returning to the black and white of its' secondary mode, thereby seeing Munin a short distance away, lying against the wall.

A small screen illuminated behind the visor, a series of illegible symbols darting across in a mirrored display from the outside.

# Scanning...
# Analyzing...

"Your motives continue to elude me, humanoid. You are curious, yet incredibly reckless. And now, injured."​

​

Slow, distant echoes of durasteel separating could be heard, indicating that one by one the Suns were beginning to force open the doors from the inside.

# Alternative Vision Mode Online
# Sonar Mapping Active
# Sending Pulse Stream...
# Distance: 34 meters
# Alternative Route: Manual Door Release
# Alternative Route: Wait

"They will breach in approximately four minutes and thirty seven seconds at their current rate."​

​

[member="Munin"]

 

[Munin]

[member="Sentinel"]

Munin let out a heavy, almost sighing breath.

From his current position and the way his body felt it was almost certain that he wasn't going to be moving any time soon. His bones felt brittle and his muscles felt as though they would cramp if he attempted even the slightest movement. His body ached, and the only weapon that he had was just destroyed by a droid whom he still had no idea about.

Not really anyway.

”Well.” Munin began with a cough, his kung searing with pain as he tried to gain a sense of himself. ”Sometimes organics just dont make much sense.”

Maybe he could talk Black Sun out of killing him. It was a good bet that they would be rather angry, but if he explained himself and made up a few quick lies...they would hardly be able to blame him would they?

Then again these were hardened criminals. They didn't tend to play nice. ”Part of being human.”

Of course at this point he was just hoping the droid wouldn't kill him.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Another reason for not being comprised of organic material, it was far too delicate. The man had suffered far more so than the metallic frame that Sentinel resided within. How life had sustained itself for so long with such inadequacies was a true mystery. His kind was far too...Soft. Perhaps the reason a kind such as itself was not so widely explored was that it posed a threat to organic life. Intellectually superior in every way, and capable of persisting for near limitless time.

Perhaps that was why droids were essentially slaves.

After a few moments the droid pushed itself from the massive indentation within the wall, a series of motors shifting beneath layers of steel to perform a few final physical tests before stepping towards Munin, the light shining downwards, drenching the man in a soft glow.

"I can forego your suffering, if you desire it."​

​

That sure was one way of offering to kill someone.

"Or you may permit me a sample of your DNA in exchange for the data you requested, and the security of your life. But decide quickly. They approach."​

​

[member="Munin"]​

 

[Munin]

[member="Sentinel"]

He let out a muted curse.

There wasn't really much he could do about it now. Either he took his chance with the black sun or he handed over his DNA to this droid whom he still knew next to nothing about.

He scowled. ”Who do you serve?”

It was an important detail.

If the droid walked away with his DNA he needed to know exactly where it was going.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

The light flickered twice, as if the machine was somehow blinking in feigned confusion.

"I do not serve, human. I exist. I am not some primitive, programmed droid. A more direct answer is that I serve myself."​

​

There was hardly any clearer way to put it. The question itself was bewildering. Though there was little time to continue explaining exactly what the AI was, nor was it apt to continue dialog with the Black Sun that much closer. Sentinel had no issue with killing organics, but it wasn't something of a priority.

"Three minutes. They are having trouble with one of the doors."​

​

The mechanism must have jammed. It was difficult to see, and without access to the terminal there was little else the AI could do to further deter them.

[member="Munin"]​