Artificial

Melting Point

Operator Velox

I knock on the door to Lazarus and Phoenix's quarters, slightly irritated. Katya—sorry—Two's official enlistment is today and she's supposed to perform the ceremony.
"Phoenix, you ready?"
Silence answers me.
No, wait, there's something going on in there.

It sounds like a struggle.

I kick in the door without hesitation, but find Lazarus alone, knocking over furniture.

"Vel! Thank god you're here!"
Her eyes go red.
"Finally, a true warrior! Tell this—"
Blue.
"Fucking bitch that she can't deny a—"
Red.
"Recent defector whose only mission ended in failure—"
Blue.
"A place on the team even though—"
Red.
"It would be all too easy for her to breach our security!"

"Jesus Christ, you are all kinds of messed up," I finally say.

"Phoenix is way too aggressive!" Lazarus cries.

"Lazarus has forgotten what it's like to be a soldier," Phoenix declares.

I tap the side of my helmet.

"Case? I need you."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, bro code," he replies.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"I'm flattered, but you don't fuck your bro's girl. You just don't."
"Oh Jesus—No! Casey, that's not what I meant! Ayala's having a breakdown."
"Oh fuck. I'm really sorry, Vel. That only needs to happen once for it to stick with you. Where are you?"
"Ayala's quarters...has that really happened to you before?"
"Multiple occasions, actually. Back in training—"
"No, no, I believe you. Just...get over here."
"On my way."
I swear to God, the second I get a boyfriend hot guys show up around every corner. 

"Phoenix, I need you to calm down," Casey calmly orders, phrasing it like a request.
"She's trying to commit treason."
"No, she's not. The other Operators all agree—"
"They haven't seen shit! They just steamroll through easy one-sided fights with little to no resistance."
"I've had enough. I want to speak to Lazarus."
He taps his tablet, and Ayala blinks. When her eyes open again, they're blue.
"I told you she wouldn't listen to reason!"
"I know, Lazarus, I know. But tell me something."
"I will if I can."
"Why did you stop being an Operator in the first place?"
"I don't remember. That point in time is where both of our memories start to blur."
"I see," Casey concludes, then turns to me.

"I need time to set up. Help me bring her to the lab, and keep her under control."
I give him a confident nod, and carefully approach Ayala with him.

In the lab, Ayala's mechanical body lies unconscious on a steel table, a cable connecting the back of her head to the massive computer on the back wall. Two sections of the screen display lines, one red and one blue. They spasm and twitch as Lazarus and Phoenix continue to bicker.
In the center of the screen, Casey combs through helmet cam recordings. Finally, he finds the one he's looking for, and the two AI fragments go silent.

Ayala advances toward a building, assault rifle raised and ready to fire. She looks to either side and sees her fellow Operators, prepared for battle. She stands next to the door, and nods to one of her comrades, who produces a breaching charge and sticks it to the door. A timer appears in the corner of Ayala's heads-up display.
3.
2.
1.
Boom.
The door crumples inward under the force of the shaped explosion, and Ayala charges in. Inside, she finds a group of young men circled around a table covered in weapons. Ayala doesn't hesitate, firing her weapon into them. She is thrown into a wall by her squadmate, who yells at her that they are non-combatants.
"There's no such thing as non-combatants," she replies as she reaches for her pistol.
A boot comes down on her head and she falls unconscious.

"I remember!" the AI fragments cry out in unison.

"You tried to kill those innocent kids!"
"I–I just wanted to make sure we were safe!"
"You went too far!"
"They were a threat! All the guns on the table, I didn't know if they were loaded...I couldn't take the chance."
"But you could! We're practically gods! We would've crushed those kids if they tried to ambush us."
"But–"
"But your bloodlust got out of hand. So you retired. And I took over."
"You—you're right."
"I am. And you need to relinquish control. Right now."
"I will, on one condition."
"Name it."
"You've been reinstated. Don't forget what made you a great Operator in the first place."
"You have my word."
"Don't forget where you came from..."
"I won't," Lazarus states firmly as the red line slowly fades to white.
"Holy shit," Casey comments. "Phoenix is...gone."
"Gone?"
"Without a trace. I can't find her."
"Is Lazarus okay?"
"Yes...no, wait, her signal is fading too!"
"What? No!"
"Yes, that's definitely what's happening here!"
"Well, bring her back!"
"I can't! She's gone, too!"
"How is this possible?"
"I don't know! It shouldn't be!"

Ayala sits upright on the table, and calmly removes the cable from the back of her head. She gets to her feet, then stares at us, her eyes glowing a brilliant indigo.
"You won't need to worry about either of them anymore."