Unity by Carl Stubblefield (epub read online books TXT) 📕

drop to the ground. She lowered it to the forest floor and then oriented herself with her minimap. Then she began to navigate the branches. The silk ribbons maintained their tone, holding her aloft as they pulled her from tree to tree at almost whiplash speeds, dodging and shifting so that she didn’t catch on anything or get hit by an errant branch.

Reaching the edge of the forest, she could see the towers in much more detail. Data-mine worked this time as she spied the figures atop the watchtowers, their red eyes visible glowing in the dark.

Soul Scavengers

Guardians of the Gulag, who rapidly swarm anyone invading their territory and drain them dry.

Carry-on and On: These soldiers are exact duplicates of each other and can activate an ability to communicate with a hive mind, making them ideal for warning others when they are alarmed.

Soul Tear: With focus, can rip MP and HP away from a target. Amount drawn increases with additional Soul Scavengers attacking the same target.

With the information, she could also see red cones illuminating her display, where the sentries were scanning the area around them, adding red spotlights intermingled with the bright white ones. Yuki jumped down and caught herself with the ribbons, lowering herself soundlessly to the ground.

Timing the pattern of the spotlights, she darted across the empty space until she was at the compound’s wall. She was out of the path of detection this close to the wall, so she began to climb with the ribbons and barely stopped short as a spotlight from an adjacent tower crossed in front of her path.

Activating Data-mine again, she was shocked to see the number of red circles populating the side of the tower. Scanning the tower on the other side, she observed the chaotic path of lights. While it appeared erratic at first, there was a pattern there, and after a couple cycles, her predictive algorithms kicked in and she felt confident scaling the tower.

Again, the herky-jerky tugs of the ribbons moved her up the side of the tower. Occasionally, she had to stop to let her senses settle but she scaled the tower and hovered with her eyes just peering over the edge of the roost. Two guards were there, one watching the forest and the other keeping an eye on the neighboring tower.

Seizing the opportunity, Yuki vaulted into the middle of the turret and flung her arms out sideways while mid-flip. The two Soul Scavengers were beheaded such that the heads did not even separate from the bodies. The two sashes grabbed them before they could fall and slowly lowered the two guards and Yuki to the floor below the parapet wall. Thankfully, these digital constructs had no blood or gore to contend with.

Yuki waited to see if any alarm would be raised, and after a tense five minutes, she dared peek above the parapet wall. The patterns had not changed, so their hive mind ability must need to be consciously activated. A critical failure in design. Looking inward at the compound, there were multiple small bungalows arranged in concentric rows. In the center, there was a squat structure, and all roads lead to it like spokes from a wheel.

The majority of security appeared to be focused outward; there was little that she could see patrolling the inner confines. Her inner paranoia porcupine prickled at the whole process being too easy. It was possible that they didn’t expect anyone to pass the first illusioned gateway, but usually breaching an AI fortress was a constant battle from start to finish. Something felt off. Unable to assess exactly what was bothering her though, she could only press forward.

Updating her nav-point, Yuki grasped a nearby zipline and slid down amid the bungalows.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Something for your M.I.N.D

Yuki stared at the large building in front of her, an unpleasant stench becoming cloying as she got closer to the mushroom-colored building. There was also a rhythmic hum that reminded her of the breathing of someone asleep. The ground vibrated on the ‘exhale,’ tickling her feet and sending shivers dancing along her spine and back.

Bright light spilled out of the building—so much that it was impossible to see inside. She attempted different angles but kept having to blink her eyes as she looked into the multiple doorways that surrounded the building. It was like staring at some high-beams, and it killed her night vision.

The area appeared deserted though, at least on the streets. Yuki kept her guard up; she could sense something stirring in the small bungalows and it was uncertain if they held prisoners or foes. The space around the building was empty, and there appeared to be no doorways on the ground level. A flat platform encircled the structure and light blared out of the windows on this level.

With stealth out of the question, Yuki ran for the building, leaving long shadows bouncing after her in the light, unnerving her with the feeling of exposure. When she was close, she used her ribbons to vault her up to the second-story platform and crouched down to see if there was anyone following her.

Nope. Nothing. The lack of a normal boss or even resistance was making her more paranoid than if there had been constant attacks. It made her feel like she was missing something vital that she would regret when everything began to hit the fan. She growled as she strained her perception and came up with nothing.

Yuki peered into the second story window. Inside was deeper gray, with brown accents, further reinforcing the fungal look. The smell though. It wasn’t like mushrooms, it was… something else. It was on the tip of her tongue but she couldn’t quite place it, but deep down some part of her must have known because of the trepidation she felt. The closest thing that kept coming to her mind was beef broth. She just hoped that whomever had done the security on this AI had cut some corners, since it was unlikely for anyone