Echoes of Adam
The Watchdog protocol aircraft were faster than I'd anticipated. Because of that, we met up earlier than planned, forcing the battle to unfold much closer to the observatory than I'd hoped.
'Tricky.'
If the target was the observatory, even a stray drone or two could cause catastrophic damage. Ideally, I'd wanted to leave enough leeway to chase them down... but
'No need to worry anymore.'
The flying objects that crossed paths with me froze in midair, as if caught off guard.
'What the hell is their propulsion?'
Up close, it was clear. No flames spewing from engines, no wings. They looked exactly like UFOs.
'Little aliens piloting spaceships, huh.'
I was musing on that when the flying objects made the first move. I shoved the throttle forward to match them.
A high-pitched whine pierced the air. The moment Hermann said that, a blue laser beam lanced out from the 'drone'.
Should I test its power? I deliberately maneuvered the Nexus so the beam grazed my armor.
Sizzle—
'...Dangerous.'
The intense heat turned the armor plate white-hot, melting it away. It wasn't enough to punch straight through in one hit—thank god—but this was no ordinary drone's firepower.
'The difference from conventional drones: brutal combat power based on lasers.'
Well, no backing out now. I dove into high-mobility maneuvers amid the drones encircling me, spraying bullets everywhere.
Bang, bang!!
Each shotgun blast carved deep gouges into their matte-black armor. Soon enough, one erupted in blue flames.
'About three down.'
Their durability was beyond expectations. But if there was any consolation, their movements were predictable.
'This'll be easy.'
Bang, bang!
I mixed in evasive maneuvers and started thinning their numbers rapidly.
It felt effortless to me, but apparently not to Hermann's eyes. He didn't hold back his admiration every time a drone burst into blue fire.
'Is that all?'
The initial seven drones were nearly wiped out. It hadn't even been a full minute.
But I didn't think that was the end.
'No point sending forces if it's over this quick.'
They probably knew our strength. I'd made no effort to hide it, after all. And it didn't matter who "they" were.
Since a Nexus had shown up during the first raid on this observatory, they knew about me.
'And they think drones can handle me?'
That was underestimating me big time.
'They won't make it that easy. This attack is just the vanguard...'
The thought crossed my mind as I caught the last one and riddled it with bullets.
"Copy that. Engaging."
No sooner had he spoken than signals popped up on radar. Experience would tell faster than words here.
Sizzle—
I waited for them to enter visual range. Then, static interference crackled over the comm channel.
Bad timing. I narrowed my eyes and listened closely.
A chilling, mechanical voice emanated from the radio. But what threw me more was that it was a voice I already knew.
* * *
"Status report! What's happening?!"
"Multiple signals entering from exo-atmosphere confirmed! Movement detected from the Alpha Sector quarantine line too!"
"Damn it... Track them as best you can! Hijack every available satellite for response!"
"Firewalls are... Understood!"
The Tech Development Bureau's 'Spire' situation room buzzed with urgency. Staff hammered keyboards frantically; some clutched one ear, shouting into comms as they dashed off.
"Stayed quiet this long, and now they finally move."
The analyst, who'd rushed over at the alert, stared darkly at the main situation board.
I'd expected it, but not this soon.
'The variable, as expected.'
We'd been in a fragile standoff, and now that balance was shattered. A move that hurt both sides.
And the silence-breaker was nothing less than utter destruction. The graph in one corner of the screen spiked and dipped relentlessly, sending chills down my spine.
"Observation point 'Morning Star'... Currently deviating from primary orbit and in motion."
"Speed steadily decreasing. At this rate..."
What happens when an object tightrope-walking centripetal and centrifugal forces loses balance? Obvious.
"It'll be pulled back by gravity. Any usable attack points nearby?"
"Seems they chose it with that in mind. None. The few possibles are blocked by large debris or have complex calculations..."
"...No choice, then."
The analyst's gaze shifted from the unstable orbital data to the surface map.
"Intercept it."
"...Won't that draw too much attention?"
"No helping it. The era's starting to shift."
The analyst paused before adding,
"We'll endure what we must. Try to protect everything, and you lose it all."
"Got it. Searching for ground attack points that can reach the projected entry path..."
The operator's fingers flew over the keys. The analyst gnawed his nails—a rare habit—and watched the situation with mounting anxiety.
* * *
"...Adam?"
It was Adam's voice. It responded from the other end.
"......"
I fell silent, then said,
"You're not Adam."
From it, instinctively, the same vibe as Mastema. A dead man back from the grave, alive before my eyes.
'Digitized consciousness.'
But different from Mastema. He had felt so human that I hadn't realized his lack of a physical body until checking the cockpit.
Alien. How could anyone call that human? Same digitized mind, but unstable and bizarre—like Frankenstein's monster, human parts unnaturally stitched together.
"Who are you?"
"Why are you in front of me..."
I trailed off, frowning. What was the point of engaging?
"Doesn't matter who you are."
As if realizing something, 'Adam' cut off abruptly. An unnatural silence after the unnatural speech.
"Funny, I was thinking the same."
Agreement here, at least. Yeah, who cares about the enemy's identity. If it's hostile, fight. Win, advance.
Silly question. I accelerated. Signals closed in from afar, and finally, the mystery weapon mimicking Adam revealed itself...
'......?'
True to the voice, its form was utterly alien. For a split second, I thought it was just a stick floating there.
'No, not just a stick...'
Focus. Aux systems linked, zooming optically.
Up close, the rod split into articulated sections that could move independently.
'Unfolds into humanoid form.'
It gave the impression of a Nexus frame exposed without armor. Of course, even the lightest frame had space for a pilot and nozzles/wiring, so thicker than that—but still.
Click, whirr—
As that thought hit, the escorting drones started acting weird.
"Hermann?"
The central rod unfolded into humanoid shape, and drones latched on around it. They split in half, tiny heat sinks popped out, locked together—
It had fully assembled into a complete Nexus configuration and began moving in earnest. A transforming combiner robot? In this world?
'Cool.'
Whoosh! Blue flames jetted as it launched. Lightweight Nexus class. It vanished from view in an instant.
Signal from the flank.
A whine—blue laser from empty space. System strain spiked from the heat.
And so the battle with 'Adam' began.