Part 2: Severity
There are few things on Earth as terrifying as the inside of a Repour's chassis. Once the impossibly large machine has completed it's daily cycle of collection and retention of all available organic life, these samples are separated within it's massive bulk into a series of different collecting chambers. The first chamber is that of immediately processable materials. In the form of a Human this consists of blood, muscle tissue and most of their organs. The second chamber is for usable but not immediately material; some organs and bone structure. The third is that of obtained mineral formations that can be converted into building resources; jewellery, equipment and clothing. Within this chassis there is a small amount of movement space, enough to be suitable for a service bit to perform routine maintenance but not too much to result in an inefficient use of space and resources. It is with luck that this movement space is also just large enough for a Hydan male of Quan's size and build.
What had been code named Operation Welcome by the Ghosts had at first appears ludicrous to the Human and Hydan Resistance on Earth. They had no transport to get them to the Luna-One base in order to apply the virus-infected computer component, and even if they somehow managed to obtain a non AI-controlled shuttle, they would be shot down instantly by the auto-defence system that surrounded the facility, something that before the AI war had seemed to be an unwanted, but apparently necessary protection against the potential threat of incoming meteors, commits and space-debris. What the Resistance had not expected however was for the Operation to make use of the AI's technology itself.
The Ghosts were a resourceful lot, having been deemed an immeasurable number of individuals operating through illegal means, they knew how to avoid all forms of digital tracking and in some cases, how to use it to their own advantage. Through the use of a carefully placed EMP mine, they were able to disable a Repour while it was performing a routine organic-sweep and in it's disabled state the expert hackers had little trouble in disguising the Hydan mole; Quan within the machine's containment chamber.
AI machines were nothing if not predictable. They were required to be by the nature of their programming. Once the Repour had recovered from the electromagnetic pulse it would perform a system scan diagnosis, once complete it would determine that it had sustained damage from an organic threat that was no longer present. It would also determine that during it's time offline the damage it had sustained had caused it's internal storage chambers to be broken releasing their materials within it's chassis. Scans of this material would result in signs of both Human and Hydan material all mixed together in the same location. What it would not detect however was that some of these materials had yet to be processed and were in fact the Hydan-mole; Quan. The Repour would evaluate that the best procedure from then on would be to proceed directly back to it's own base of operations of the Luna-One complex while keeping it's cargo secure and safe from both vacuum and cold as to stop cellular breakdown and damage. It was all down to this predictable nature that Quan found himself within the very belly of one of the most feared tools in the AI's arsenal travelling directly to the very heart of AI's legion.
A part of Quan felt fear, but try as he might, he was unable to establish what the fear was based on. The Hydan was aware of the risks, he knew that there was a big chance that he would die on Luna-One, and that if he did it would likely happen before he was able to upload the virus. Quan also knew that even if he succeeded in his mission, there was a chance that the virus would not take hold, or if it did, that it would have no effect. All of these things troubled Quan greatly, but they were not the cause of his fear.
In his years Quan had seen many wonderful things such as a star's first light glinting from the southern point of the Bastion's crystal frame, he had also seen many terrible things including single handedly fighting an Imperial Regime shock trooper who's ferocity was matched only by it's indescribable loyalty to it's cause. But nothing had filled him with the fear that he felt at that point. With a courage, the Hydan sifted through his deepest of feelings until he came across the reality which once realised sung to him like a quire. He was not afraid that he would fail, he was afraid he would succeed, that he would reach Luna-One, upload the virus and stop the AI's occupation of Earth in a single moment. He was afraid that if such a thing was to occur then the only option to see his beloved Angela would be to take his own life.
With the relief of realisation, Quan closed his eyes and smiled. Already he could feel the Repour's speed decreasing as it would have been nearing the Luna-One base. In a matter of minutes the machine would be docked and his mission to end the AI War would truly begin.
- Your friendly neighbourhood Doctor Loxley
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