Crooked Trees

CHAPTER 1: {An Unforgiving World}

Silence, introspection.

The world around him was black, like an empty void. As if time in of itself was at a stand-still, the silence was almost deafening. He tried to calculate an answer to why this could be but to no avail. However, he was able to conclude one thing: it had been an inexplicably long time since he had undergone any kind of test. This concerned the robot, a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long while. The boot-up sequence launched as he pondered to himself, diverting him from his current thoughts.

Boot Up Sequence Ready

Firmware:

            Latest version (2112.08.06)

Calibration

            Requires Update soon

            Corrupted External files:

                        UKlandingmodual

                        UKsteamconnect

Primary settings: Intact

Systems: Operational 

Something was wrong; some of the files were corrupted; luckily, the files were small and mostly insignificant; however, it was still odd; he wondered if he had an internal virus that corrupted the files, entertaining this theory. He called out to the Terminal for a status update; it responded:

Machine ID: V1

Location: home

Current Time: 13: 40. 05

Current Objective: Undefined

A dim light hit V1’s optical sensor from a nearby window. He looked up, rising to his feet from a kneeling position he never put himself in. Observing his surroundings, the robot was in the centre of an enclosed chamber, with cables connecting to various parts of his body. The walls consisted of a grey concrete-like material while a crudely built speaker was bolted to one of the corners, a small rectangular window overlooking the room. A dim, almost artificial light emanated, projecting a gentle glow that illuminated most of the room. V1 had spent countless hours in this place; every minuscule detail of the room had been burned into his artificial mind. However, something was different this time. Several boxes were stacked in the far corner, and scrap metal was littered all over the floor. V1 assumed this was part of some new test. He disconnected from the cables and stared at the speaker blankly, awaiting instruction. After a few long hours, nothing happened. V1 noticed the window had new cracks along its surface. Realising the opportunity to escape, V1 quickly stacked the boxes towards the window before climbing up and running his finger over the glass, trying to calculate its density, before plunging his metallic hand straight through it. V1 climbed into the room. There were tables supposedly used for meetings, and papers were scattered across it, containing quickly scribbled-down notes and anatomy pictures. Continuing through a door, he wandered around the facility, which seemed to stretch endlessly. V1 was sick of the tacky light blue hallways and empty meeting rooms. But then, just as he was about to turn back, he saw a massive metal door with {EXIT} written on it. He approached the door, and out of nowhere, a large explosion erupted above him, causing the roof to give way. V1 was forced to run as the roof fell behind; bolting towards the exit, he bashed through the door, nearly blowing it off its hinges. V1 somehow made it unharmed apart from a few scratches in his torso and shoulder plate; he found himself standing on a broken wasteland. He looked up.      

CHAPTER 2: {The Dead City}

The sky was dark with clouds and rain, almost making it seem like night. Distant machine gun fire pierced through the almost still silence. The raindrops sizzled and steamed as they hit the ground, and the smell of chemicals filled the air. V1 couldn’t help but feel a sense of uneasiness; however, he continued. Knowing the acid rain wouldn’t affect him due to his sturdy exterior. What were once seemingly grand skyscrapers and beautiful streets had crumbled away into rubble, charred remains of people and cars dotted across the landscape; the city felt like a corpse of what it once was. However, one thing was clear: it was the remains of war. The land was abused, the trees were dead, and the animals were gone. V1 detected a red dot on a rock near him. He bolted for cover, Bullets flying over V1’s head; as he tried to calculate the enemy’s position, he slid around a corner and into the remains of what seemed like a hardware store; it was old and rapidly deteriorating, and most of the supplies on the shelves were gone. He grabbed a hammer lying behind a counter. Just as two high-level soldiers came into view, “If blood was what the humans wanted, then he would give it freely.” They spotted V1 in the dark; the only thing illuminating him was The Machine’s unblinking yellow eye. The two soldiers pointed their guns at him. “UNIDENTIFIED MACHINE, COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM” The Machine stood still as eight glowing golden wings uncoiled from his back. “IF YOU DON’T COME OUT, WE ARE AUTHORIZED TO USE LETHAL FOR-” V1 Threw the hammer at the first soldier, hitting him in the head, shattering the glass visor on his helmet, exposing him to the toxic atmosphere which doomed his fate.

+Interruption
+Headshot
 
V1 dashed out of the shadows, smacking the gun out of the second soldier’s hands, grabbing his throat, and lifting him into the air as he cried for mercy; V1 could see tears on the face of the soldier through his visor. V1 ignored his pleas for mercy, then snapped his neck.

+Overkill
+Doublekill

CHAPTER 3: {Tunnel Trouble}

“Finally,” V1 thought to himself; he examined one of the soldiers’ bodies; the words “GHOST-TECH Defence force” were trademarked onto their suits. V1 picked up one of the soldier’s sidearms; it was a small revolver-pistol hybrid that fires microscopic metal shards at high speeds. The revolver cylinder was loaded with self-recharging batteries instead of conventional bullet cartridges due to the rise of energy weapons and the eventual fallout of cartridge ammo. He continued, putting the sidearm into his weapon wheel. Then he noticed something in the hardware store. In a side room, V1 entered the room. It was extremely dark, but V1 could make out some features. A small pipe was on one side of the room, but a V1 could fit inside it. Knowing his options were limited, V1 went back and plied out the hammer he had used to kill the soldiers, then went through.

As V1 crawled through the damp and claustrophobic pipe, it seemed to go on forever, twisting and turning in almost a spiral manner; the sound of rushing water grew louder, driving his motivation to press forth. The pipe opened up into an underground chamber, most likely a sewer. The brick walls in the room had lost their original brightness and were now of faded yellow colour. They appeared damp and slick with moisture, hinting at a high humidity level. The explosions above were now extremely muffled due to his depth. V1 continued down the chamber, seeing the dead bodies of soldiers and scanning them; he saw that they were all from different nations. North America, Siberia, China, and East Africa. He climbed over the machine-created barricades and continued down the halls. V1 stuck to the black metal walkways to remember his way back if he got lost. Turning a corner, he saw a soldier resting upon the sides of the tunnel, out of breath, exhausted, clearly disturbed by something. It took a few seconds before he noticed V1; he frantically pulled out a pistol and began to fire, though his aim was far off the mark. V1 shot the poor soldier, the metal shards fired out of the pistol, popping the soldier’s head like a balloon, and his lifeless body fell limp, lifeless.

+Headshot

+Finished Off

V1 moved on, approaching the passageway from which the soldier had come, and he saw why he was so terrified. A machine shaped like some kind of dog or wolf, it feasted upon the flesh of the deceased, the blood, staining the walls. It spotted V1 and lunged at him, clawing at his metallic stature; V1 retaliated with his sidearm; however, it unfazed the metallic dog. Pulling out his hammer, V1 struck the robotic canine in the skull; this startled it, most likely from the lack of fear and hesitation from V1, and it bolted away. And V1 gave chase, running through passageway after passageway. The metallic creature scrambled through a vent out of reach from V1. The abomination escaped. Defeated, V1 made his way down the bloody passageways, seemingly the feeding grounds for that beast. The sound of water gushing through the rusted pipes echoed through the lower levels, leading him into a flooded area, the water level almost at his waist. V1 pressed on, wading through the murky water and quickly navigating the passageways. Eventually, V1 found a flight of stairs to ascend, however, as he ascended. The sound of firearms rang through the air. As V1 reached the top, the two soldiers noticed him and were startled; they grabbed their guns and pointed them at him. V1 pulled out his sidearm and fired three times at one of the men, ripping through his armour and making a stream of blood flow out of the countess’ wounds from the metal shards. 

+Headshot

+Limb Hit

V1 lunged at the soldier he had just mutated, lusting over the blood pouring out of him; the other soldier saw the opportunity and began to fire. Some bullets ricocheted off of V1’s face, but a few severely dented his chassis, dealing significant damage. V1, realising his mistake, ducked back toward the water so as not to sustain more damage. Then he saw something: a metal sheet was behind the soldier. He recognised the material and then fired over the soldier’s head; the metal shards hit the sheet, ricocheting back at the soldier, piercing his heart, killing him.

+Ricoshot 

+Kill

V1 approached the corpse, putting his foot over the soldier’s head, then slowly crushing it. The blood repaired the robot’s injuries, and then he saw the soldier’s firearm; he inspected it; it was large and acted similarly to an ancient 1960s M16, except it fires highly concentrated plasma at high speeds. V1 was very impressed by the weapon’s craftsmanship; he dubbed the rifle the “PL-32”, equipped it, and moved on; there was no telling what V1 would encounter further down these corridors. 

CHAPTER 4: {Water n’ Slaughter}

As V1 continued forth, he detected footsteps ahead, taking cover. A robot emerged. It raised its shotgun in a defensive position, indicating that it detected V1 as well. V1 peeked, firing his new rifle first, and while not seeming to damage the robot much, it retreated to cover. V1 waited for an opening. Eventually, the robot exposed a leg, a grave mistake. V1 shot, the plasma burning an almost clean hole through the machine’s leg. Downing the machine, then he finished the job with a bullet to the head, which left a clean hole straight through, leaving molten metal splattered on the wall behind it.

+Limbhit

+Headshot

V1 made his way through the tunnels and arrived at a larger room. This room had damaged robot parts, and bloodstains were all across the floor; it seemed like it used to be the robot’s home that V1 had encountered earlier. Making his way up a few flights of stairs, through some pathways, and sliding under some collapsed parts of the tunnels, V1 arrived upon a room with a singular door. He turned the knob and the door, and it swung open to reveal a metallic bridge across a chasm; a massive waterfall was to the left, and the vast open air to the right, below was a massive pit where all of the water flowed down into. Helicopters and jets soared high above as V1 began to make his way across the bridge, turning occasionally to check if he was being followed. Once he was sure he wasn’t, V1 turned to his right, noticing the remains of the skyscrapers and buildings of The Dead City peeking out of the fog. The sky pierced with a vibrant orange light through the clouds. On the other side of the bridge, V1 saw a windowed room with a military official standing within; he kept low and quiet so that the officer did not spot him. A large explosion occurred in the distance before V1 reached the other end of the chasm. V1 looked to his right again and saw one of the few remaining skyscrapers burst into flames and begin to fall onto the city below. The military official inside the room looked panicked and quickly left his position. When he had the chance, V1 entered the windowed room and saw supplies, rations, and ammunition. Across the wall facing the explosion was a large dashboard with several buttons, and the time was 19:46.32. Not caring for the consequences, V1 pressed one of the buttons, which caused a massive mechanical rumble; the sound of gears and pistons filled the air as the waterfall began to expand, dumping more water below; he saw a few soldiers and machines falling from above into the smog below causing a slight amount of amusement for V1. He looked at the supplies on the wall; they were minimal, the ammunition was low, and the ration pouches were just larger than the palm of his hand, not that it mattered V1 couldn’t eat. V1 saw that the metallic bridge that was once in front of him was broken in half, so V1’s only option was to use the elevator at the back of the room. V1 called the elevator and then entered, pressing the top button. The doors quickly closed, and V1 ascended, the creaky mechanisms groaning and grunting as he ascended once he was at the top. The doors opened, and V1 saw the scale of the damage he had caused; water was spewing out onto a military encampment, with tents and personnel flying off the edge. Impressed with his work, V1 continued, opening a door before him. He found himself beside a military hideout, with beds and boxes lining the walls. V1 crept around corners, trying to act stealthy for once until he found himself listening in on a conversation between two soldiers. “So, when were you drafted?” the first asked. “Only like a month ago, they pulled me away from my job, my wife, my wife’s boyfriend, and my kid.” the second replied, “Man, well, you got a lot more to live for than I do, I just had a damp old apartment in New York City, though I would like to be back home.” the first said, “you enjoy being in New York!?” “yeah, but the WORST part is that the Skybowl was supposed to take place today; those shitters went and cancelled the whole thing.” the second added. “Really? I thought they just cancelled the whole season,” the first said. “Same, honestly, I had plans; I was going to go back home-” the second soldier noticed V1 peeking from around the corner. “Hey, uh, what, what is that?” The first turned around slowly. “That’s… I don’t know what that is; it’s got a gun.” “Do we shoot it? The second asked, but by that time, V1 had bolted through a side door. V1 ran through the hall, running past a room with a whiteboard. “So, as I was saying, he turned himself into a Maurice; it was the funniest shit I had ever seen- HEY, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT” The man was referring to V1. He zoomed from corner to corner, alerting more and more guards. “So much for the stealth,” V1 thought to himself. Eventually, at the end of the hall, V1 found a storage closet. Looking behind him, V1 saw several soldiers. This was his only option. V1 closed the door behind him, and he heard footsteps walking up to the door. “Look, whoever or whatever you are, I’m sure that we can come to a peaceful agreement” V1 looked around the closet; there were screwdrivers, drill bits, and some grenades. “Can’t we just shoot this Pathfinder rip-off already? I thought that the military was about shooting shit, but all we do is sit around and watch gay por-” “Shut up for once, let’s wait for a little while.” V1 was amused by the soldiers’ lack of teamwork and had already hatched a plan in the time when the soldiers were arguing with themselves; he pulled the pin on the grenade he had snagged from the waterfall control room, opened the door, threw the grenade out into the general direction of the argumentative soldiers, then used his pistol to shoot at the grenade.

+Multikill x4

+Exploded x4

+Arsenal

V1 tried to close the door, but the blast was immense; it burnt parts of V1’s armour while the soldiers were utterly disintegrated, leaving nothing but a puddle of blood, yet somehow, their annoying voices were still lingering in V1’s head. He checked his wrist and saw it was low, and his blood level was V1. I was concerned; luckily, it was just around the time for a refill. He went from room to room, slaughtering every soldier he saw, even after he was full-on health.

+Headshot Combo x2

+Double Kill

+Arsenal

+Quickdraw

He swept through the entire encampment, killing every soldier he saw, eventually ending up in front of a locked door. V1 could hear voices on the other side of the door. “Watergate Station to Lower Home Base, my entire team is dead, and a blue humanoid robot is rampaging around slaughtering everyone; I need immediate support. Over” “This is L.H.B. you’re loud and clear, looks like you have seen some shit, how’s it going for you?” “Well, I locked myself-” V1 kicked the door, though it held intense “holy crap, he’s breaking in; what do I do?” “We can’t get soldiers to your location in time; find an escape route.” “But-” V1 kicked the door again, this time aiming for the locking mechanism, causing it to snap, the door flying off its hinges with remarkable speed. Smashing into the last remaining soldier, instantly incapacitating him. V1 shot at the soldier’s head just to make sure he was dead.

+Headshot

+Minced

“Good god, what the hell is that thing?” V1 kicked in the monitor and camera the soldier was using to communicate; it stopped all functions. V1 looked around the room; it was small, with a few beds on one wall and an elevator. From around the corner, he entered the elevator, which held boxes of ammo and other various things. V1 pressed the button to go up, and the doors began to close. V1 ascended. The elevator quickly moved up, and V1 looked around the elevator for supplies. Then the elevator shuddered and stopped; for a moment, everything was silent, then a snapping sound came from above, several more, and then it flew downward. It was so fast that V1 didn’t have the time to react, slamming into the ground.

His armour was badly damaged, and he crawled out clutching onto life. His internal mechanisms sparked, and his once-beaming optical sensor cracked. He found a bench and decided to collect his thoughts and observe his surroundings, realising he was in a new area.