IMAGICA

SURVIVAL

"President Apocalypse has sent his attack bots once again. They made a sneak attack from the west gate. By luck our rangers reached there on time and neutralized the threat," the news flashed on all the giant screens.

"The hell," I muttered, "Why aren't the authorities doing a thing? I've heard that President Apocalypse is nothing but a computer virus, encroaching on a robot. Why can't we just send sneak troops to install anti-virus in the machine and neutralize the threat?"

"It's not that easy," sighed Julian, "Humans had wanted to create artificial intelligence to feed in machines, making them independent. The machines mutated and took control of themselves, killing humans and unleashing a massacre. They have created powerful bombers which have destroyed cities across the world and decimated populations. Is it that easy to defeat so powerful an opponent?"

"The main focus is that they're more concerned now with preserving Corinth, the last city left. They now prepare weapons of defence. Who'll dare go out of the protected 'dome city', and venture into the fruitless attempt to defeat the most powerful?" interjected Clara

"I know that you're a ranger, drawing energy from nature, and channeling it to defend the city gates, but something definitely needs to be done. We can't just let humanity go extinct. Machines can't enslave them forever," I argued.

"You don't know a damned thing about the situation out there. A few people, who have survived the apocalypse were infiltrating the city walls. We had stringent checks. But intelligence sources inform us that a few humans who had been captured, had been turned to humanoid attack bots. They had sneaked into the city and are now roaming free. These are dangerous killers, all controlled by President Apocalypse. They may blow up at any public place, destroying hundreds of the last surviving humans. We're at loss to identify them," retorted Clara, definitely pissed.

Memories flooded me.

One dark room, glinting instruments, beeping monitors, high tech computers and a pair of cruel eyes, a smirk on his face. He runs a hand over the side of my face, one cold hand. I flinch, but am forced to stand still. "You shall be my weapon," his icy voice sounds.

"How do you actually identify them?"

"Their eyes are still, emotionless, glassy. Except that they look like humans," Clara replied to Julian.

I gave a dry smile. They didn't know a thing about humanoids. Unknowingly I shivered.

Suddenly I felt a kind of buzzing in my head. Apocalypse was trying to communicate.

I activated my own defense systems to block his signals. His messages couldn't penetrate my firewall.

Suddenly the others had their hands at their throat, their eyes widened. They shot panicked glances.

What was happening?

Suddenly Clara's intercom buzzed.

She put the thing to her ear. Her face blanched as her hands started shaking.