RoboRiders Re:Start

[Pahrak Model ZX]

FILE 1

 

 

Faster.

 

Eighty.  Eighty-five.  Ninety.  Uphill, sharp turn, leaning—they gripped the handles tightly.  The motor revved and the wheels spun even more rapidly.

 

I can go faster.

 

Ninety-five, downhill, gravity pressing them into the bike, a truck on the other side of the highway, they ignored it and kept going.  One hundred, one hundred five.  The highway leveled into a straight shot towards the gunmetal skyscrapers in the distance.  One hundred ten.

 

It can go faster.

 

Speed was all that mattered.  One hundred fifteen, one hundred twenty, pothole—swerve—accelerate, one hundred thirty, one hundred forty.  They were in the city now, the skyscrapers blurring past.  Streetlights flicked on, one hundred fifty, one hundred seventy, they kept speeding up as the road gently curved.  One hundred eighty five.

 

We’ve built it better than this.

 

Two hundred.  Data had to move as fast as it could. If something in this world was too slow, it would be deleted and replaced.  Two hundred twenty.  They merged onto a larger highway.  Two hundred thirty.  Only speed could keep you from becoming obsolete.  Two hundred forty.  They could barely make out the vehicles on the other side of the road.  Two hundred seventy, onto the bridge.  It curved into the sky, high over the city square, three hundred, airborne for a split-second at the peak, they could see the whole city.

 

I want this world to continue forward.

 

It hit the ground hard, two hundred ninety, it held together, three hundred, off the bridge.  Past more skyscrapers, a wrecking ball ahead, was there construction?  Three hundred ten.  It was cracked, the cracks formed a face on the ball, it swung forward, straight towards the highway, two hundred ninety, two hundred seventy five, too late.

 

Collision.  Zero.

 

***

 

Dr. Ives sighed.  The screen on the wall displayed images from all six Realms: the City-Realm, its highways broken and its sky filled with poison smog; the Desert-Realm, with tendrils sprouting from its dunes, and razor-sharp fangs lining holes of quick-sand; the Swamp-Realm, with arms of glowing blue flesh emerging from its murky waters to rip apart the trees on its banks; the Magma-Realm, rocked by explosive geysers of lava that blasted into being at random; the Ice-Realm, blanketed in glowing orange thorns, all while wide, monstrous faces watched over it from the icy peaks; and the Rock-Realm, its many stone spires and bridges glowing with white light before they ultimately shattered into pebbles.

 

We don’t have much time.

 

The red Fuel villager touched the bottom corner of the screen, and the terrible images vanished.  In their place came a stream of green text next to an outline of something resembling a motorcycle.  He hit a few more buttons, and the screen then presented him with a prompt.  Ives moved to hit it, but felt hesitant, leaving his finger hovering over the button.

 

…They loved this world.  This is the only way we can save it.

 

He pressed it.  The outline flashed, and Dr. Ives turned and walked across the laboratory.  He came to a counter filled with a variety of instruments and components, most of them currently tangled up in a massive nest of wires, and carefully reached in to extract a remote.  The third wall of the lab was bare save for a metal door, and Dr. Ives kept his eyes trained on it as he nervously beat the remote into his hand.

 

Finally there was a knock.  Ives leapt forward and undid the lock in a flash, regaining his composure just as he pulled it open.  Standing there was a Skeleton visitor with an exhausted look on his face.

 

“Director Kulta,” Ives said, holding out his hand.  The Skeleton coughed as he shook it half-heartedly.  “I’m glad to see you unharmed.”

 

Kulta walked slowly into the lab.  “It was a narrow margin,” he wheezed.  “Almost nowhere safe remains, doctor.  Our program is sure to crash in a matter of weeks.”

 

Ives narrowed his eyes.  “No one is more aware of the threat the Virus poses than I, Director.”

 

“…Of course.”

 

Ives hit one of the buttons on his remote.  The fourth wall of the lab slid up into the ceiling, revealing the space beyond: wires emerged from the walls and circled around the floor, all eventually finding their way to some sort of cradle in the center of the small hidden area.  Held nearly a foot in the air by the cradle’s metal arms was a vehicle.  Its body was long and rectangular, primarily yellow but with several black components dispersed across its form.  It had one wheel at the front and one at the rear, and two long, powerful, humanoid arms extended from just above its center on both sides, each clad in yellow armor and ending in a black hand-shaped plate sporting an orange gun barrel.  At the top front of the body was a piece shaped like a cockpit, but it displayed a gray face with eyes closed and mouth still.  It was unusually large—long enough that about seven villagers could stand side-by side along it, and at least twice as tall as one.

 

“Here it is, Director,” Dr. Ives said as Kulta approached the vehicle.  “I assure you that the teams in the other Realms have also completed their work.  The final AI patch just completed and all other Realm Leaders have given their approval.  We just need you to say the word, sir, and the RoboRiders can begin their work.”

 

Kulta walked around the vehicle, scowling at it as his breathing gradually improved.  He stopped at its face, staring into it for almost a minute, and then closed his eyes.

 

“I don’t like it.”

 

Ives gritted his teeth.  “Director, if we don’t—“

 

“I know!  We don’t really have much of a choice in a situation this dire.  But I just can’t be at ease with these…weapons.  Weapons that can move on their own and think for themselves, living things whose only purpose is to win battles we can’t.  It’s dangerous.  It isn’t natural.”

 

“Natural?” Ives laughed.  “Programs like us fighting for our survival is unnatural enough, Director.”

 

Kulta glared at him.  “Enough, Doctor.  You know that I will have to approve the activation of these things.  The least you could do is let me voice my final complaints.”

 

Ives lifted his remote.  Kulta looked back at the vehicle for a moment, and then walked past Ives and stared at the door.

 

“Do it.  But as soon as the Virus is gone, I’m having them all shut down.”

 

Pointing the remote at the vehicle, Dr. Ives clicked a button and stepped back.  Electricity sparked along its length for a brief second, and then its engine roared to life, its wheels spinning in the air a few times before going still again.  The arms of its cradle gradually relaxed, lowering it onto the ground, and the eyes on its face slowly opened.  The green orbs of light looked around and quickly settled on the doctor.

 

Ives grinned instantly.  “Hello.  Can you understand me?”

 

“Yes,” the vehicle replied in a metallic voice.

 

“Good, excellent!  Are your databases functioning?  Do you know who I am—who you are?”

 

Kulta rolled his eyes at the Doctor’s zeal.

 

The vehicle slowly rolled forward.  “You are Dr. Ives…my creator.  I am designated POWER_ROBORIDER.EXE.”

 

Ives frowned.  “…Power.  Just Power’s fine.”

 

“Power.  Yes, of course.  I apologize.”

 

“No no, you don’t need to apologize, I just want you to…”

 

He stopped and shook his head.  “Nevermind.”

 

Ives looked at the screen for a moment, observing, “There seems to be a slight delay in some of your information pathways, but they’re within expected parameters.  You’re still getting used to your new form.”

 

Power backed up and rotated.  They began experimenting with their arms, seeing where the limbs could bend and how far they could reach.  Kulta watched over his shoulder.

 

“I thought you said it was finished,” the Director whispered.

 

“They just need a little time to finish booting up,” Ives said.  “Are you at your best mere seconds after waking?”

 

“It’s not a person—don’t treat it like one.”

 

“They are alive.  Isn’t that what you were just expressing displeasure with?”

 

Kulta shivered.  Power looked directly at him and asked, “Do I displease you?”

 

The Director met their gaze.  “…To be frank, yes, a bit.”

 

“I see.  I hope that I will be able to change your mind.”

 

Turning back to Ives, they asked, “Shall I begin purging the Virus from the surrounding area?”

 

Ives’s eyes widened.  “Already?  I think perhaps you need more time to—“

 

“I say let it get on with it,” Kulta said.  “Aren’t you eager to see if your work paid off?”

 

Ives looked at the floor.  “Well…yes, but…Power, you don’t need to push yourself too hard.”

 

“Your concern is unwarranted, doctor,” Power said.  “Please excuse me.”

 

Ives and Kulta stepped aside so that Power could drive across the lab and through the door.  The Rider continued up the slow incline beyond until they came to a heavy door made of dingy metal, where they waited and prepared their plasma cannons.

 

“Can you hear me, Power?” came the voice of Dr. Ives.

 

“Affirmative.  No errors detected in communication channel.”

 

“Alright…I’ll be with you the whole time, okay?  If you have any trouble at all, I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

 

“I am familiar with the function of this channel, doctor.  Please open the door at your earliest convenience.”

 

After a few seconds, the door slowly swung open.  Power emerged in a cramped alleyway that they quickly vacated, making their way onto one of the City-Realm’s smaller streets.  It lay completely deserted, rubble strewn all across its length and the buildings that lined it each looking like they would crumble if faced with a strong enough wind.  The sky above was blanketed with green smog.  Power wove through the debris as their eyes adjusted to the cloud, and soon they were able to make out the shadows of the highways above.

 

“Be on the lookout!” Ives warned.  “The Virus could be anywhere, and if it takes you by surprise—“

 

“I am exercising due caution, Doctor,” Power whispered.

 

They made their way down the road, every corner looking just as depressing as the last, and soon spotted an exit.  After one last look around the area, they fired their engine and shot onto the highway.

 

Accelerate, swerve, accelerate, turn, swerve, accelerate.  The highway wasn’t quite as dilapidated as the previous street, but it still bore some damage from chunks of concrete that had fallen from the skyscrapers beside it.  Something in the fog—just a streetlight, Power increased the energy routed to their optical units.  They could see through it now, swerve, a scaffold was coming up, this was it, one arm forward, aim, fire.

 

The wrecking ball that hung from the scaffold began to rotate as it heard noise, but before it saw anything a bolt of plasma melted the chain it hung from.  The orb of rock plummeted to the street below, produced a loud thud on impact, and was split in two.

 

“No errors detected in weapon systems,” Power reported.

 

“Excellent!” Ives cheered.  “I knew you could do it!  You see, Director, I told you that—“

 

There was another wrecking ball.  Power saw it coming and took a hard turn, the road behind them being pulverized into dust.  Accelerate, spin, fire, spin, accelerate.  The sound of another crash informed them that blast had its mark as well.

 

“Power?  Power, are you alright?!”

 

“Affirmative, doctor.”

 

Accelerate, accelerate, scan, incoming, swerve, sizzle.  Sickly green fluid shot from pipes jutting out of the skyscrapers, rapidly eating through the bits of road it landed on.  Swerve, weave, skid, accelerate, accelerate, two wrecking balls ahead.

 

“Engaging E Drive,” Power stated.

 

“Wait, Power, ideally you should gather some more energy before—“

 

He was drowned out by the deafening sound of the wrecking balls smashing through the road ahead.  As Power approached the empty space, their wheels began to glow with yellow light; the brightness left in the form of a single blast, shooting to the edge of the road where it halted and began to twist, forming a solid light projection in the shape of a simple ramp.  Power went over it and soared across the gap, shooting down the wrecking balls as they went past.  Hard landing, accelerate, scan.

 

“No errors detected in—“

 

“Yes, no errors, good,” Ives interrupted.  “But really, Power, you should try to spend some more time charging the E Drive before using it!  If you don’t collect enough kinetic energy for it to convert, it’ll draw upon your internal reserves!”

 

“I am aware, doctor.  I calculated the minimum amount of energy required for the situation and compared it to the amount of kinetic energy I have stored—the usage was negligible, and I have already replenished 70% of what was lost.”

 

Accelerate, fire, swerve, turn, fire, accelerate, fire, fire, accelerate, fire.  The skyscrapers started to grow denser, some of them spouting more acid.  Swerve, swerve, skid, swerve.  Soon the pipes vanished.  Accelerate.

 

“I think you’ve done it!” Dr. Ives said.

 

“Doctor, have you checked the surveillance?” Power asked.

 

“Hm?  Oh, no, I’ll do that now.”

 

After a few seconds, Power heard the doctor gasp.

 

“They’re…regenerating…”

 

“As suspected,” Power said.  “The Virus most likely has a cookie nearby that must be deleted before this area of the City-Realm can be properly purged.”

 

“Drat,” Ives muttered.  “I’ll make some further surveys and see if I can spot anything unusual.”

 

“Confirmed.  Currently en route to nearest square.”

 

“The square?”

 

“A hypothesis.  An area that primarily functions as a crossroad with a high user load might make an ideal site for the Virus to plant a cookie.”

 

Accelerate, turn, the skyscrapers vanished.  All the buildings along the road ahead looked as if they had been torn out of the ground, reducing the square to little more than a cluttered parking lot.  At the very center was a towering crane, and dangling from its arm on a long metal chain was a massive wrecking ball, three times the size of the others and leaking acid from the cracks across its surface.

 

“I believe I have located the cookie.”

 

The crane rotated.  Its chain extended, allowing the wrecking ball to sail through the air toward the road.  Accelerate, crash, fire, fire, fire, fire.  The plasma shots had little effect.  The ball retracted and was pulled along the side of the road, releasing a spray of acid.  Weave, brake, flip, handstand, right-side up, pain, turn, accelerate.

 

“Damage sustained to lower armor,” Power reported.  “Neutralizing corrosive agent now.”

 

“Are you okay?!” Ives shouted.

 

“Agent neutralized.  Damage minimal.  Resuming attack.”

 

“Wait, Power!”

 

Turn, accelerate, ball closing in, swerve, sizzle, accelerate, crash, charge cannon and fire.  The crane shook a bit from the shot, but it held together.

 

“Defensive capabilities of cookie exceed expectations.”

 

The ball quickly retracted and shot out again.  The crane swung before retracting it, nearly catching Power on its way back.  A few drops of acid landed on their hood and shoulders.

 

“I’m recalling you!” Dr. Ives said.

 

“Abandoning your precious experiment already, doctor?” Kulta asked.  “What happened to your sureness?”

 

“If Power’s destroyed then we’re no better off!” the doctor snapped.

 

“Please do not recall me, doctor,” Power said, weaving through another rain of acid.  “If this cookie is not deleted, the Virus will track my route back to your lab and destroy it.  I must succeed.”

 

“But…!”

 

Power had reached the far side of the square now and took a sharp turn.  Their wheels lit up as the wrecking ball crashed behind them.  The light rose and formed a narrow dome over the RoboRider, holding strong against the acid splash.  Accelerate, charge wheels, spin, fire.  The blast of light exploded against the crane arm, knocking it askew.  The wrecking ball dangled for a moment, spilling acid along the ground, and then the crane righted itself and renewed its assault.

 

“I believe I have created a weak spot.”

 

The ball shot out, the crane spun backwards quickly, the ball was pulled around the square and skimmed along the road’s surface until it rammed right into Power from the front.

 

“Power!” Ives shouted.

 

Airborne, spinning, spinning, charge wheels, platforms of light appeared, accelerate.  Power created their own road out of solid light, twisting it slightly so that they could redirect their momentum and eventually level out and merge back onto the actual road.  Accelerate, charge wheels, accelerate, increase charge.

 

“Power, report!  What’s your status?!”

 

“Moderate damage sustained system wide,” Power said.  “Forgive me doctor, I was careless.  Recalculating.”

 

The crane spun, sending out another spray of acid.  Power accelerated and just barely cleared it.  A volley of plasma shots battered the weak spot on the crane arm, and Power kept funneling all of the E Drive’s power into their wheels.  Accelerate, fire, accelerate, fire, accelerate.  The ball shot out and the crane spun backwards again.  Power took a sharp turn and jumped over the side of the highway.  Falling, the chain whipped by overhead, falling, fire.  A wheel of concentrated light shot out from Power and arced towards the crane’s damaged point, gouging its way into the metal.  It wasn’t able to sever the arm, but the limb soon buckled, the force of its own momentum bending it until it snapped with an earsplitting crack.

 

Power hit the ground hard.  They bounced once, came back down, and struggled to gain balance before speeding away.  The wrecking ball came crashing down seconds later, acid splashing back onto its chain and starting to eat through it.

 

“Power?!” Dr. Ives cried.

 

“Cookie disabled,” Power breathlessly replied.  “Deletion will be completed momentarily.”

 

Ives sighed.  “Good…that’s good…”

 

As Power made a U-turn and prepared to begin chipping away at the wrecking ball, Ives said, “Well, Power, since you seem to have things under control, I think I’ll terminate the communication channel.  For a moment, at least—I’ll check back in with you soon.”

 

“Confirmed,” Power said.

 

***

 

Ives beamed as he turned to Director Kulta.  “Well?  We have similar reports coming in from the other Realms.  I told you the RoboRiders would get the job done.”

 

Kulta sneered.  “Well?  They are performing, I grant you that, but I’m far more concerned with your disposition.  You’re…coddling that weapon of yours, doctor.  If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were more concerned with its safety than the safety of the City-Realm.”

 

The doctor looked at the data on his screen.  “Please, this is unbecoming, Director.  You could simply admit my success with grace, you know.”

 

“I find your attitude towards this RoboRider unbecoming, doctor.”  Kulta paused.  “See that it does not interfere with your work.  Your entire argument was built around using these things to save our world.  It would be disastrously laughable if you were to get cold feet now because you’ve grown attached to them.  Are your emotions still compromised after all this time?”

 

Ives said nothing.

 

“…I expect a full report once all the RoboRiders have returned to their respective bases.  Who knows, perhaps we can start rebuilding soon.”

 

Kulta started to walk towards the door, but stopped and looked back to Ives.  “You’ve done well, doctor.  I hope you will continue to impress.”

 

 

Review

Edited April 24, 2016 by Ursus Wielder Pahrak