Machine Learning (Captain Allen and DPD SWAT POV)

Diamond Dogs

"Conquering all obstacles, both large and small, I shall never quit. To quit, to surrender, to give up is to fail. To be a Recon Marine is to surpass failure; To overcome, to adapt and to do whatever it takes to complete the mission."

The intelligence room was the most modernized area of Forward Operating Base Ajani. Calling it an FOB seemed inaccurate since it was only a step above a firebase, but I was starting to get the impression that its classification was earned by the technology housed in this room. A multi-screen setup covered the back wall, with a metal platform before it. A podium sat in the middle, facing out towards rows of chairs cushioned with soft fabric. Those were rare anywhere they put us, much less in a brand-new installment.

I looked around to the other faces in the room, wondering why we were all gathered together. Judging by their glancing eyes, they were just as confused as me.

I turned to Liam, "Find out anything?"

He sighed, "Nope."

I pursed my lips, crossed my arms, and leaned back. It was like we were in a movie theater waiting for the show to start. When the lights were dimmed, the screens glowed with a dull blue. I was having a hard time staying awake before Lieutenant Colonel Henderson marched out from stage left.

The chatter in the room went quiet. The confused glances stopped, and the tension went forward full force. We were holding our breath, waiting for him to start as he shuffled a folder around on the podium, clearing his throat before starting.

He clicked a remote, and the screens behind him shifted to an overhead satellite image showing a cluster of what looked like mini craters packed closely together.

"After receiving credible intelligence, we have reason to believe that these illegally-established diamond mines are the source of income for the terrorist organization known as the New Dawn Coalition. They're heavily anti-android and believe that humanity's only hope is to destroy what we've created and rebuild society from the ground up."

Henderson clicked his remote again, and the monitors shifted to an unexpectedly familiar face. The face of the man who we detained and tortured in Afghanistan all those months ago. It felt like another lifetime, like everything was about to come full circle...

"Ironically, they've achieved notoriety by seizing CyberLife goods and reverse engineering them and have even secured Russian-android variants known as Ice Cutters for their own use. These units are not too different from our own Trojan and Myrmidon models, both of which have become targets for the organization as they are easily identifiable. That is why we've ordered repurposed, run-of-the-mill units to embed in our ranks as to not draw suspicion."

He looked straight at me when he said it. Would've been nice to know sooner, asshole.

Henderson clicked again, showing more aerial images of the mines.

"Similar to the compound we discovered in Afghanistan, where the original military androids were held captive, this 'blood diamond' mine cluster sits on top of a fortified network of tunnels and living quarters, making this a critical base of operations for the insurgents. These mines are also heavily guarded by a rotating shift of mercs on the Coalition's payroll. These men and women are armed to the teeth in the latest technology...or so they think."

The monitors shifted to pictures of "futuristic" guns, armor, and gadgets that looked way too expensive for a Marine Corps budget.

"CyberLife made substantial donations to our Defense Contract Management Agency and engineered highly advanced neural mesh gear and smart-fire weapons, allowing a small reconnaissance team to navigate the compound unnoticed, so long as they stick to the planned route as outlined by our typography scans." He paused and looked at the room, taking a deep breath before continuing, "There are two goals to this mission. First, collect as much intel as we can regarding documents, future plans, other areas of operation, and enemy tactics. The second goal is to proceed deep into the underground base with a new and improved version of the M29, otherwise known as the 'backpack nuke.'"