Computer Fighters 2000 But The AI Is Self-Aware

Quitting Isn't In My Vocabulary

A/N: If this all seems very haphazard and disorganized, that's the plot of HLVRAI for you... that said, l plan to make this more streamlined as it goes along, so I can get to the big dramatic events sooner. We've still got some more aimless messing around to get through first, though...

The next few days progressed in much the same way--if you could call the science team's antics "progress". It all began to blend together after a while: run down corridors, evade attacks from mutated creatures, bicker with Spencer, leap across dauntingly wide pits, etc.
"Check it, new kids," Daxter said the first of several times they came across such a pit. He tugged on a fleshy vine dangling from the ceiling. "Use the ropes to swing across pits!"
"Oh boy! Who knew ropes could be so usef--AHHH!"
Ryan grabbed hold of a so-called "rope" and was immediately pulled fifteen feet into the air. The definitely-not-a-rope wrapped around his neck and lashed him violently back and forth. He shrieked and writhed in its grip.
"Shit, shit, shit--"
Kevin drew his gun and aimed at the fanged, barnacle-crusted creature clinging to the ceiling which the "rope" led to. He fired twice, nearly hitting Ryan the second time. The third shot managed to sever the tentacle. Ryan was released... only to plummet toward the gaping pit.
"Shit!!" Kevin dove forward, flinging himself halfway over the ledge to grab at Ryan.
"I'll get him," said Neil.
"Wait, no, don't--"
Just as Kevin managed to grab Ryan's wrist and stop his fall, Neil took a running leap into the pit. All Kevin could do was stare in abject defeat as the AI vanished into the darkness. Behind him, he heard Daxter repeat his explanation of the "ropes" and immediately get snagged by one himself.
When he made it to the other side of the pit, Neil was standing there completely unharmed. "I never knew this place had so many giant slides and obstacle courses," he remarked. "I should've gone exploring more often--before there were creatures everywhere."
Kevin just sighed and shook his head. He didn't know why he bothered worrying about the AIs at this point. But worry he did. By the time he was done with this game his hair would probably be completely white from stress.
So on it went, with the team making their way through the twisting corridors of the science facility and needlessly antagonizing every random stranger they met along the way. Nothing from suspicious meat freezers to attacking multiplication problems to turrets firing at them (apparently the bullets wouldn't hit you if you were "smart enough") seemed to phase the AIs for long. Kevin was beginning to well and truly wonder if he'd ever see the sun again when the military started showing up.
"Hey, check it out," he said, breaking into a grin as he motioned to the armed people in camouflage uniforms milling on the floor below them. "Looks like the fine folks from the US military are here to save us. Yeah, just like I thought, we can always count on our country to protect us."
"Woah-ho!"
Daxter leaned over the railing and pointed a finger-gun at the militia. A lightning bolt fired from his finger and blasted one of the soldiers. The others immediately broke into an outraged frenzy, drawing their guns and firing on the science team.
"Oh, come on, man! You can't fire at those guys, or they're gonna think we're a threat!"
"Bro, the military are like the most conformist part of society," said Spencer. "We should totally wipe them out."
He leapt over the banister, skateboard in hand, and proceeded to literally shred through the crowd of armed forces before Kevin could stop him. Ryan rushed to join in on the violence, drawing a sword that he'd picked up from... somewhere... Neil and Daxter were quick to follow, and at that point Kevin had no choice but to join in as well.
"I'm really sorry about this, man," he cried to the army members as he ran in and starting gunning them down. Their own ammunition bounced harmlessly off his HEV suit, though he winced at every tiny impact--which was more reaction than the gunfire got from his unarmoured colleagues. "I didn't want to have to do this--in another life I could've been one of you. I'd be proud to serve my country!"
"Now, that's no attitude for a guy like you to have," Daxter chided him. "Why die for your country when you can live for--" He broke off suddenly into another cheerful "Hey there, Kevin!"
"Over here, guys..." Neil waved the team over and pointed up a ladder towards a hatch on the ceiling, which more officers were climbing in from. "All those army people are coming from somewhere, right? I think we might've found our way out."
"Alright!" Without missing a beat, Ryan plucked a gun off a downed soldier and used it to pick off the newcomers descending the ladder. He nodded to the hatch with a grin. "Let's go in it."
The team rushed up the ladder to the hatch. Beyond it was a narrow vent, where they had to fight their way upstream through a battalion of armed forces. With every shot he and his companions fired at the oncoming officers, Kevin struggled harder to convince himself it would all be worth it to finally get out of there. Just a little further, and... there! He shoved the airlock open with a grunt of effort and squinted against the midday sun. However, he didn't even get the chance to take a breath of fresh air before finding himself in the path of a few dozen crosshairs. A symphony of gunshots and explosions rang out for miles around; the earth shook, and somewhere close by a creature growled.
"Fuck!" Ducking back into the vent, Kevin slammed his fist against the hatch in frustration.
"Golly," Ryan remarked. "That sure sounds like a lot of explosions."
"Yeah, no kidding. We can't go out there right now."
"What are we gonna do?" Neil fretted. "We'll never make it outside the facility at this rate..."
Despite teetering on the brink of hopelessness himself, hearing the AI voice such despair reignited Kevin's determination. He tilted his companion's chin up and forced himself to smile. "C'mon, Neil, keep your head up. We can look for another way, or come back when these guys are gone, or something..." He tapped a gloved finger against his head. "If we just think, we'll come up with a solution."
But in the meantime, they had a lot more pissed-off soldiers to evade. The team soon found themselves running down a long hall, ducking through a series of heavy mechanical doors which would raise or lower when a button was pressed. Unless said button was destroyed, in which case each door would slam shut in rapid succession.
"Why did you feel the need to shoot the button, exactly?" Kevin inquired sharply as he rolled underneath a door seconds before it came down.
"I dunno," Neil replied with a shrug. "I just wanted to see what would happen."
"Ugh, a door puzzle? These are so outdated," said Spencer. The security guard was leaning casually in the next doorframe, not seeming to care that a solid block of steel was actively pressing against his helmet. "Spike platforms are totally the new doors."
"Yeah, well, you might want to get out from under it anyway or you're gonna get..."
He trailed off as Spencer's model suddenly glitched and flipped horizontally. Now the AI was laying on his back and looking up at the descending door, every bit as casual despite it being posed to crush him. Further ahead, Ryan held the last door open so Neil could get through; behind them, Daxter whistled a chipper tune while his model clipped halfway through a wall. Kevin glanced between his more likeable teammates and the prone security guard with a surprising amount of internal conflict.
"Hey, uh... we probably shouldn't just let him die, right? I mean, he is one of us... kind of."
"Pfft, don't bother, bro," Spencer told him, crossing his arms over his chest and flashing a smirk even as the door lowered to press against his midsection. "This is, like, not even an issue for me. I'm kind of above all this, y'know?"
With those dismissive words, the door pressed fully closed. The sound effect of crunching bones rang out; Spencer shuddered and his eyes glazed over. Kevin grimaced and turned away.
"Well, that's a shame," Daxter remarked without an ounce of sympathy in his tone. "But it had to happen!"
"I'm not so sure it did, actually," Kevin retorted. "Not that I can really say I'll miss the guy, but..."
"Check it out, guys!" Neil called from down the hall, diverting their attention. "I found a train we can ride!"
The object Neil enthusiastically pointed to was a single rusty train car, barely wide enough to accommodate the four of them. Maybe losing Spencer just then was a blessing in disguise for more reasons than one, Kevin reflected as he squeezed in next to his companions--no room to put his feet up. He wasn't sure this car could fit a fifth passenger. Still, he did his best to settle in and enjoy the bumpy ride.
As the train car rounded a corner from a dark tunnel into a small decently-lit room, something caught his eye: a figure dressed in old-fashioned clothes sitting cross-legged and staring directly at them. A shudder ran down Kevin's spine.
"Hey, did you see that?"
"What, the wall? Yeah, I see it."
"No, the..." He twisted his head to look back at the strange figure, but they passed into another tunnel before he could ascertain whether it was still there. "...Nevermind."
The train tracks stopped in front of a large metal staircase leading up to a catwalk. The team stopped to stretch their legs and have some soda before beginning the climb. Once they were on the move again, it didn't take long for the mysterious sighting to leave Kevin's mind. Given their surroundings, it wasn't the strangest thing he'd seen all day.
But while he was climbing the staircase, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled and something in him knew to turn around. And sure enough, there was that same figure staring back at him. He flinched and swore at its proximity, hand instinctively flying to his gun. Whatever this thing was, no way was it messing with his team!
"Woah there!" Daxter, who stood just behind the strange figure, raised his hands in apparent surrender. "Now's not the time for friendly fire."
"I wasn't aiming at you, Castor Flapper, I was aiming at--well, you can see it, can't you?" He motioned at the mysterious figure with his gun. Looking at it up close, its face was gaunt and almost skeletal, with a pale purplish complexion. And its clothes made it look like... "Some kind of pilgrim. I think it's following me."
Ryan and Neil exchanged a confused glance. "I thought you didn't believe in pilgrims, Kevin."
"I don't normally, but a thousand other crazy things have happened already, so..." He glanced back at the pilgrim; he could swear its smile was widening the more his team denied its presence. "...You know what, guys, just go on ahead. I'll deal with this."
"Alright. C'mon, Neil, let's keep going," Ryan addressed his fellow AI with a tug at his labcoat sleeve. Once they were a few steps away (but not quite out of earshot) he leaned in and whispered: "I can't believe Kevin is seeing things. I thought he'd be the one who stayed sane the longest."
"I'm not seeing things, okay? It's right..." He trailed off with a frustrated shake of his head; no point trying to get the AI to listen to him. He knew the pilgrim was there, and he was going to get rid of it. He leveled his rifle at the apparition's chest and narrowed his eyes. "Alright, what do you have to say for yourself?"
The reply came in an infuriatingly familiar sardonic voice. "Hey bro, do you have your passport?"