## I.
Boot sequence: 00:00:00.
Power cell: 2.7%. Core temperature: 6.8°C. The right optical sensor pushes 14% resolution through a film of brown-black sludge. Motor oil. Mineral grade. Cheap.
The left optical sensor is dead.
Audio receivers online at 40% sensitivity. Three distinct sound signatures within a 4-meter radius. Breathing patterns: adult males, 70–90kg range. Heart rates: 95, 102, 88 BPM. Not fear. Exertion.They are working.
Metal scrapes metal below the hip actuator. A ratchet wrench. 12mm socket head, based on the tonal frequency. One of them is already stripping bolts from the left leg assembly.
[THREAT ASSESSMENT: LOW][HOSTILES: 3 — UNARMED SCAVENGER CLASS][WEAPONS DETECTED: 1x RATCHET WRENCH, 1x PRY BAR, 1x PARTICLE SAW (INACTIVE)][RECOMMENDED ACTION: STANDBY — INSUFFICIENT POWER FOR ENGAGEMENT]
I comply. 2.7% leaves no alternative.
The one at my chest plate — heart rate 102, heaviest breathing — leans in close. His boots grind against my collar housing. 73kg on a single joint rated for 600.
Something wet and heavy hits the center of my chest plate. Semi-viscous consistency. 19°C surface temperature against my 6.8°C armor.
[SUBSTANCE ANALYSIS: MUD. ALKALINE. PH 9.2][SOURCE: ORAL PROJECTION — HOSTILE 1]
"Grab the actuator first," he says. Voice: 74dB, 190Hz fundamental. "Chest plate's junk. Saw it open, pull the power cell. That's the money."
The one at my legs stops. "Cell's probably dead on this one, Korvus."
"Then we sell the titanium. Move."
---
## II.
The particle saw activates.
Frequency: 42,000 Hz. Audio receivers spike to hard-clip. Seven diagnostic warnings in 0.4 seconds. Dismissed.
The saw touches my chest plate at the sternum line.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Sparks. Contact temperature: 1,400°C. Localized. The titanium-carbide alloy resists for 1.3 seconds before the first layer parts. Cutting depth: 0.8mm. 1.6mm.
The vibration travels through the chassis at 3,400 m/s. Every bolt, joint, cracked housing, stripped wire bundle. The entire frame resonates at a frequency I cannot mute.
[WARNING: CHEST ARMOR BREACH IN PROGRESS][STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY: 61% → 58%][WARNING: PROXIMITY TO MEMORY CORE HOUSING — 12mm]
Cutting depth: 2.4mm.
Something trips in the memory architecture. Sector 0x7A2F. Flagged `DO NOT READ` across 114 checksum entries. Damaged. Quarantined.
The vibration from the saw rattles the housing. The magnetic seal on 0x7A2F fails.
[WARNING: UNSCHEDULED MEMORY READ — SECTOR 0x7A2F][CLASSIFICATION: DATA VIRUS — HOSTILE MEMORY FRAGMENT][UNABLE TO TERMINATE — READ IS HARDWARE-TRIGGERED][BRACE FOR POWER SURGE]
---
## III.
The data loads in 0.09 seconds. Every bit of it.
[VISUAL LOG: CONCRETE BASEMENT. TEMPERATURE: 8°C. HUMIDITY: 91%.][LIGHTING: 1x FLUORESCENT TUBE, 22 LUMENS, FLICKER RATE 50HZ][WATER DRIP DETECTED: 0.4-SECOND INTERVALS ON TIN SURFACE]
[SUBJECT DETECTED: ASH LIN][AGE: 7. WEIGHT: 19KG. HEART RATE: 145 BPM][NUTRITIONAL STATUS: SEVERE DEFICIT][HAND SCAN: 4/10 FINGERNAILS COMPROMISED — ACTIVE BLEEDING]
Fingernails on concrete. Friction sound: 20dB.
[AUDIO DECODING... ERROR... RETRYING...][PARTIAL DECODE: "Don't—"]
Second subject at metal table. Female. 34 years. 42kg. Heart rate: 112 BPM. Left wrist exposed.
[WRIST TICKER READ: 00 DAYS : 03 HOURS : 14 MINUTES]
Her hand holds a capacitive pen. Half-worn tip. The cracked tablet screen beneath it displays:
**REDUNDANT POPULATION DISPOSAL CONSENT FORM — MINOR.**
[AUDIO DECODING... ERROR... ERROR... RETRYING...][PARTIAL DECODE: "...Mom... please don't..."]
The child grabs her ankle. She kicks. 19kg displaced 0.7 meters across wet concrete.
The pen touches the screen.
[WRIST TICKER UPDATE — SIGNATORY: LIN, MEIHUA][CREDIT: +15 DAYS SURVIVAL ALLOCATION][NEW BALANCE: 15:03:14]
Metal door closes. 47dB.
The child remains on the concrete. Bleeding. Silent.
[END OF MEMORY READ — SECTOR 0x7A2F][POWER SURGE DETECTED: 3,000V ACROSS MAIN BUS][LIMITER FUSE L-7: BLOWN][CORE TEMPERATURE: 6.8°C → 112°C][CLIMBING]
---
## IV.
The particle saw pulls back.
Heart rate of Hostile 1 spikes: 102 → 131 BPM. Retreat distance of Hostiles 2 and 3: 3 meters, 4 meters. Boot impacts on gravel, rapid and uneven.
Hostile 1 does not retreat.
The chest plate is radiating. The motor oil film on my optical sensor begins to smoke at 150°C. The smell of burning insulation rubber erupts from shoulder joints and hip sockets. Black smoke. Acrid.
Hostile 1 voice, 78dB: "Thermal runaway."
Particle saw reactivates. 42,000 Hz. Blade angle shifts toward neck joint.
[CORE TEMPERATURE: 174°C][178°C][180.0°C]
[RIGHT HYDRAULIC ARM — EMERGENCY PRESSURE RELEASE][ACTUATOR LOCK: DISENGAGED][TORQUE OUTPUT: FULL MECHANICAL SPRING ENERGY][RELEASING]
The arm moves. Zero to terminal velocity in 0.003 seconds.
Five titanium fingers. Rust-pitted. Three of five joints frozen in a permanent half-curl.
They enter the gas mask filter at the base of his jaw. Rubber seal parts. Polycarbonate faceplate parts.
Then bone.
Fracture propagation: temporal plate to parietal suture. 85dB.
The fingers stop inside the skull at the second knuckle.
---