Hidden Identity

Prologue: Hidden Identity

A single light flicks on in a dark, metal interrogation room. In the center of the light is a Mecha. Yes, you read correct. A mecha. Not a man. Why? Well, listen to the interrogation and you shall understand.

'Clink...clink...click...'

The sound of metal on metal slowly sounded through the interrogation room, its exact whereabouts concealed in darkness. "So...." A low voice spoke. "Tell me...Combative Intelligence, or C.I, as you may wish to be called...do you know why you are here...in this very room..?" A glimmer of moving metal caught in the light, the shine of a red eye directed towards the mecha in the room.

"The date...." C.I muttered with his head hung low and his messy orange hair covering his black metal plated eyeless face. "What is the date..?" He asked, his British accented voice cracking with weariness.

"September 25th...the year 10013..." The voice replied, the metal clinking stopping. "Now answer my question."

C.I chuckled lightly with a faint shake of his head, a sigh escaping his lips soon after. "Nearly a whole year..." He muttered quietly. "You've kept me for quite a good while...about eight months, nine days, fifteen hours, six minutes, three seconds...and four, no five milliseconds..."

"Almost a whole year and you haven't answered my question. How much longer should I wait before I need to force it out of your rebellious mouth?"

C.I laughed and slowly lifted his head towards the darkness, a cocky and sly smirk on his face. "Rebellious..?" He questioned. "I'm trying to bring FREEDOM, what are YOU DOING..?" His tone grew dark. "This whole Universe has turned into nothing but a prison...and this planet is the RINGMASTER of it."

A metal hand suddenly reached out and grabbed C.I by his chin, forcing his head higher up, a face partially hidden within the darkness facing his. "The HUMANS do not NEED FREEDOM. They KNOW their PLACE in this world now and everything was fine until YOU and your GANG decided to rebel against it!" The voice angrily shouted at the mecha.

"Fine..?" C.I repeated, his smirk replaced with an irritated frown. "If fine means the human race that DOES NOT have a lifetime of riches in slavery and starving to near death, and US the mechas, THEIR CREATIONS being so NAIVE and OBLIVIOUS about it all, then YES this is BY FAR the most FINE SYSTEM ever established!" He yelled.

The voice was silent. They let go of his face, a chuckle emitting from them and the soft 'clinking' returning. "C.I...you are here, because you are an enemy to the state, to the world, and to the Universe..." The voice began to explain. "You and your FRIENDS...they all pose a THREAT to the delicate balance of life; do you understand that?"

"What's life if you're ordered to do whatever it is the higher-ups wants you to do..?" C.I asked quietly as he hung his head again. "That's not life, barely even LIVING. All we're doing is existing..."

Again, there was silence between the two mechas. After a moments time the voice of the unknown mecha spoke up. "Tell me where they are." The voice demanded quietly.

".....No."

"C.I don't make this harder than it needs to be." The voice said. "The longer you wait the longer I'll take in destroying them as a being when we find them."

"You don't scare me." C.I said simply. "You're nothing but high standard talk and threats, and your IQ is about as dull as an unsharpened blade..." He added with a smirk.

Despite C.I's taunting talk, the mecha showed no hint of irritation. "Are you going to reduce yourself to childish jokes?" They asked.

"I was just reducing to your level, General Reeves..." C.I said innocently and pouted. "Why? Was that too difficult for you to understand, I don't think intelligence was written into your programming right? Do I really need to dumb it down that much?" He asked in a baby talk tone.

General Reeves was suddenly right in front of C.I's face, his silver metal hand on the back of the chair and his red eyes glaring at C.I. "At least I don't SYMPATHIZE with HUMAN SCUM." He spat.

"And at least I have my OWN mind." C.I stated calmly. "What do you have..? Everything that is special about you was built together in a FACTORY and programed into your software. Meanwhile I managed to go BEYOND what I was supposedly built for."

General Reeves face stiffened with frustration and anger, letting out a loud sigh. He slowly let go of the back of the chair, standing up straight. He suddenly pulled out a long, black handgun, aiming it directly at C.I's head. "Mecha's aren't supposed to do those sort of things, C.I." He stated, a small smirk on his face. "What was your programming originally...might I ask? Before you went and, "managed to go BEYOND"..?"

C.I was silent for a long time. "...A simple train conductor for the famous Universal Express." He said slowly. "Why?"

The mecha general let out a chuckle, pulling back a lever on the gun with his thumb slowly. "How would you like to go back to being just that..?" He asked with another dark chuckle.

"What makes you think I WILL?"

"Who said you have a choice in the matter, CONDUCTIVE INTELLIGENCE..?"

C.I knew what was coming. "You WOULDN'T-HEY!"

Long mechanical hands slowly slithered out from the wall and grabbed ahold of the chair C.I was strapped to and tilted it back, two more hands holding his thrashing head still.

General Reeves smirked slowly and let out a loud laugh, twirling the gun in his hand before pressing the opening to C.I's forehead. "I'm sure you'll be an EXCELLENT conductor! Embrace your programming my dear C.I, it'll be for the best I promise you."

BANG!