New Awakening (reposted)
The screwdriver small by any standard looked impossibly tiny in Hanks huge, blue hands. It seemed absurd that he could use it at all let alone manipulate it with any kind of precision. ’Like a gorilla attempting to perform brain surgery’ he thought with a wry smile.
Except of course that brain surgery was only one of the things that Dr Hank McCoy could perform, his immense hands being endowed with a dexterity and gentleness proportionate to their size. Which was fortunate for the many patients whose lives his skills had saved over the years and equally unfortunate for those unlucky enough to be classed as his enemies. Now as he approached the prone form before him he hesitated slightly, focusing his astute mind on the task on hand. This was going to be interesting to say the least The operation he was embarking upon at the moment was groundbreaking if nothing else. State of the art one might say. As was his patient.
The robot lay stretched out on the table, fooling the eye with its seeming humanity. Hank knew it for what it was . A construct, brilliantly executed, the finely grafted skin which covered its metal structure giving it the illusion of life. A walking weapon built for destruction, efficient and deadly. A shadow crossed Hank’s face as he thought of the grief this creature had already caused. Its bullets had ripped through a young woman’s body taking the life of her unborn child.
A wave of sadness washed over Hank and once again he hesitated. Why not just destroy this thing and have done with it. Intellectual curiosity alone could not justify taking the risk of reawakening this killer to wreck further havoc on the students of the institute. But, he told himself, there was always the chance that some good could be hauled from the horror of this situation. Whoever had sent this machine to destroy Riley and Cat was obviously still out there. That they had access to immense resources was obvious from the complexity of the robot which had fallen into his hands. Surely studying it could help them learn more about this mysterious enemy, perhaps even give them the means to destroy them before they could cause any further damage.
All well and fine Dr McCoy but be honest enough to admit, at least to yourself, that there is more to it than that. He had read Riley’s report of the tragic incident, only guessing at the anguish it must have cost him to write it. And yet even he, who had most cause to hate this machine, had been forced to attest to its strange behaviour. An unfeeling killer who warned its victims of its intent, apologised for its actions and ultimately sacrificed itself in an attempt to put an end to the carnage? It was more than puzzling. It opened up a whole range of metaphysical questions that Hank found almost irresistibly intriguing.
In any case, all philosophical implications, aside the robot was physically here in the institute, having been teleported to the med lab by Kurt shortly after the shooting and afterwards secured in the advanced lab until they decided what to do with it. It was not out with the bounds of possibilities that it was fitted with some sort of tracking device, and the fact that it could conceivably lead its creators to the school was an unacceptable risk. Hank stared at the gaping hole in the robots chest, stark evidence of its desperate ‘suicide’ Looks like an invitation to me .and bent over to take a better look
He had previously ran a series of extensive tests on the creature including a full body scan but its major systems were so well protected that he still felt he was going in blind. One thing was certain however. Residual traces of radiation, not harmful but complex surrounding the area where his now destroyed power source had lodged. Whatever gave you life you my friend will not be easy to replace. For the moment however let us concentrate on removing any potential sources of problems that you may have hidden about your person.
Hank adjusted his safety glasses and verified once more that the lab was secure. He had little doubt that whoever had crafted this being would not take lightly to anyone foraging around in its innards.
Let us just hope that any booby traps are within my capacity to disarm. Otherwise there will be a rather embarrassing blue mess to clean up! Taking a deep breath he began to probe into the depths of the circuitry that constituted the anatomy of this strange creature.
He proceeded slowly, cautiously, recording his findings meticulously as though conducting an autopsy. There was a beauty and symmetry about the construction which delighted his scientific mind. Whoever had created this was certainly a genius. Intellectually it was a privilege to cross swords with such a master, pitting his own wits against the deadly labyrinth which stretched out before him. A bizarre game of chess where each move could prove to be the last.
Finally after long hours of painstaking work he sighed. There! A transmitter circuit. Well hidden and insidiously dangerous, linked as it was to an explosive devise located deep within the chest cavity. Designed if I’m not very much mistaken to destroy the processor chip thus rendering your little prodigy here totally ineffective. And of course killing me should I happen to make the slightest mistake whilst trying to remove it. Check! I believe my mysterious adversary Now to see which of us can win the game.
Calmly, steadily he reached towards the microchip, seeing in his mind the complicated path the electrical pulse would have to take to trigger the trap. Now I’m supposed to think that because he is shut down this pulse will not be generated. Somehow I am not convinced.
Hank had already detected hidden just beneath the surface of the robots skin miniscule captors, infinitesimally small solar panels no doubt able to provide the unit with the bare minimum of power necessary to function at a reduced capacity. More than enough to trigger the explosive device and so numerous and dispersed that it would be impossible to verify with any degree of certainty that they had all been drained. No we have to assume that this is live and act accordingly. Speed is of the essence. Let us hope that mine will be enough.
Scientific calculations rushed through his brain ‘fast, so very fast this invisible pulse’ To fast for any normal human reaction to prevail against it. I however am far from being a normal human. You are unlucky my friend to have come up against someone with the intellectual capacity to realise what must be done and just possibly the dexterity necessary to do it. He made a move once more towards the circuit then pulled back smiling broadly. However I am sure that you would have taken even such a remote possibility into consideration. Sometimes even a queen can be sacrificed if there is a pawn waiting to replace her. Now where would you have concealed your back up unit?
Long minute passed as each pathway was checked and rechecked till finally he was satisfied that all the intricate ramifications of the bomb has been assimilated. It was clever but then he had expected nothing less. In fact, caught up as he now was in this intellectual challenge, anything less would have disappointed him. So let us see if this is possible. Three points to be deactivated simultaneously. Truly simultaneously. Not one heartbeat separating the three actions. In theory all but impossible to coordinate even with trained experts working together. Unless all three circuits were deactivated by the same person there would be inevitably a delay and that delay would prove fatal. Now the question was could he do it.
Two actions was no problem. He was ambidextrous in the truest sense of the word, his synchronisation perfect and undisputed. Bringing the third element into play could prove more challenging. Hank glanced at the robot lying on the table. He seems solid enough and I’m sure he wont mind the momentary embarrassment of the situation. So saying he leapt up onto the prone figure and settled himself comfortably on its midsection. Now to see if all those sessions in the danger room will finally pay off. He grasped one small soldering iron in each hand and took up the last one in his prehensile right foot.
He slowed his breathing forcing himself to remain calm slipping almost into meditation. One small movement and I will take the king. Or die trying. One! Two! He leaned forward and touched the circuitssensing the pulse trying ineffectively to make its way to the deadly explosives. A small moment of doubt and the relief! Checkmate I do believe!
For a moment it was enough just to sit there savouring the victory but soon the cold facts of the situation forced their way into his mind. Certainly the institute was safe from anyone who may have been tracking the robot but this led him on up the weighty question of what to do with it now. He descended from the table and looked at the recumbent form. So much information potentially lay within its memory banks. He doubted his capacity to access it all successfully.
Yet could he take the risk of awakening this sleeping killer. It was true that without its power source the robot would be barely functional, still precautions would have to be taken. Reprogramming for the moment could be counter productive, after all its original programme could reveal a great deal about the intentions of those who had despatched it. Hank thought the matter over. The advanced med lab was specially constructed to be able to contain some of the more problematic patients they had to deal with from time to time. He calculated that it could contain this creature in its weakened state.
The explosive device was still present if neutralised within its chest. It would take but a little adjustment to give him control of it. An action he deplored but which seemed judicious given the risks involved. He rapidly made the necessary changes, modifying his communicator to act as a primitive detonator and once more stood back to look at the life like figure.
And now Pinocchio lets see if we can turn you into a real boy he said and pressed the activation switch.
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