The Planet 4.2

4.2 Destroy

We reached the main coring machines. It was a huge contraption with the nine coring drills that each measured five across in radius. On that it was attached to the huge nine plates that were connected to a series of cables that powered the coring drills. It was situated in the center of the plant and was surrounded by three rows of consoles and machineries controllers. It was all build in a circular arrangement around the coring drills.  It was distanced at about a hundred and fifty feet away from the coring drills with the space in between were placed with the absorbing plates in the ground. Those plates absorbed the vibrations from the coring drills.

When we were there, the coring drills were not working for two of the nine coring drills were mangled. The sharp tips were almost flattened to the core. It was as if it hit something harder than the anticipated hardness. A much harder surface for it was more damaged then dented. The whole place was silent and even the air circulation vents were working with its silent pushed of air. More to that we saw the shades of the energy shots on the consoles and walls.

Someone was there before us and was trigger happy.

And they tinkered with the lights too. It was flashing there and heck it gave me a repulsive imagination. Pardon me if I was waylaid in my thoughts then. Flashing lights were banned generations ago when they induced medical ailments like psychosis and also muscles contractions.

We chose to ignore the flashing lights and placed on the goggle from our webbing pack. We never leave base without them; never could tell when our naked eyes could see. The goggle gave us thermal visual. We had stepped in to the center of the section passing the consoles to look at the drills. Duggan looked at the damages while I accessed my own units which included a storage d download. I was checking the download for any updates on the damages. I wanted to compare the damage reports with the details seen by own sight. It was about right.

“Something caused the coring drills to go faster than its required speed and broke off its tips.” I told the Commander.

“Wow! Those were tough tips.” Duggan grunted. “They were titanium reinforced with some harder metals. I have seen them bore through harder rocks.”

I reached out to one of the coring drills. It was an undamaged one. I examined it carefully and looked at the surface. The surface was rough to my feel but it was not the texture I was fingering. My fingers have minute sensors that allowed me to read the surface contents. I read the different measures of metal and minerals on it which allowed it to bore through the hard rocks. I read a long lost chemical which was identified as Freon. Damned chemical damaged the once available ozone layer over Earth.

“John, if you are not too busy, can you check the connectors up there?” We were at the base level and there were three platform levels above it housed more consoles and machineries. “There may be more data in those consoles.”

I nodded and made my way past the consoles.

I heard the command and took to the stairs at the rear that will lead up there. It was by the far wall, and when I walked past the row of consoles, I saw that some of it had its cover opened and circuitries were tampered. It was as if repair maintenance works had taken place after the damages. I side stepped the crude layout there and made my way to the rear where the metal steps were located. Beside it was the standing lifting mechanism for the droids to reach the upper levels. 

With the silence there, every step of mine was heard by me along with my breaths taken through the mechanical pump in my chest. I was heaving not of exhaustion but of anticipation of not knowing what was there. I have been in battles and it was the lull before a battle that kept me in fearful anticipation.

It was then I saw the droid standing on it. They could go down to low power or dormant mode which did not register on the thermal goggles. What I saw then was greenish image. It was not seen earlier as it had remained still and with its matt shaded coating, it sort of blend in with the background there. I froze on my steps and by instinct moved my sight. If there was one, I would assume more were there too. I was not wrong. There was another droid on the far corner; standing still in the hidden background like the first one. It was then I scanned the area and counted six of it in the area. Four were on the same level as us but the other two was above us by one level. They were all still standing there but that made them looked menacing.

“Commander, we have droids here.” I voiced out. It does not matter if you whispered or shout, the droids could pick up any audible sounds however low or high. Duggan looked at me while Machete still leading his droid. The two of them stopped their works and looked around.

“Shit!” It was Duggan. He reacted first. He had recovered his blade but decided to use the PH-375-2. He raised his rifle and swung it around at the droids he saw.

“Commander, they won’t harm us. The first rule for the droids is not to harm humans.” Machete called out. “They are here for the works.”

“No, Machete. I read the schedules. They are not to be here. These are not maintenance droids. ” I voiced out with my rifle raised. There were different classes of droids and those at the section were marked assigned for the sub-surface works. They were the reinforced grade of the droids to handle the harsh conditions and heavy works. I saw the markings on the chest plate; it read as Grade V.

But it was too late. The droid Machete was leading suddenly turned on him. It was not controlled by Machete but it was misdirecting Machete. The seven feet droid hit back with a wide swing of its upper arms. The droid hit Machete on the side of the face. I heard the sound of bones cracked and saw Machete fell back lifeless. Duggan was quick in his reflexes with his rifle firing at the droid.

That was when all the rules were broken.

Well, we broke most of it.