37

JC was busy preparing for his mission. His Temporal Stabilizer was functional, but need to synchronize with the fluctuations emanating from the gate and any other gateways that might have opened beyond their own reality. SHODAN realized that the possibility existed and gave him wide discretion to investigate. From the second-story control room, which had a full view of the shattered marble floor where the gateway stood, JC and several medical bots monitored the scientific experiment and adjusted their devices.

The first trials conducted were on bots whose primary purpose was to determine if temporal displacement had occurred. Series of bots were sent in with progressively more advanced chronometers. After 40 runs, SHODAN determined that outside her own dimension three other temporally unique realities existed at different levels of tachyon excitement.

With the temporal stabilizer imbedded in his arm 14% through its synchronization cycle, JC needed to understand the effects of these temporal energies on organic tissue passing through and back. Scores of hostages were herded into subway lobby detention cells that had a gallery view of the gateway. One by one people from all walks of life who happened to have had the unfortunate luck to not be incinerated were escorted screaming wildly with limbs flailing and feet either dragging or trying vainly to dig into the unrelenting stone floor. Humans suffered morbid curiosity, something that made witnessing their fate all the more unreal.

The first organics sent through were the oldest and least useful whose DNA and proteins required additional processing before being useful. Contemptible for a creature of any kind to be so useless. The first elderly candidate barely fought and in his shock walked through ahead of his metallic angels believing himself entering Allah’s presence. After a brief surge and several seconds, his screams blinded all senses as he was forcibly expelled like a newborn calf from the safety of its mothers womb; only this was not the seniors rebirth, but his painful death. His entire body seemed turned inside out and deformed, like some grotesquely overgrown aborted fetus. Its gurgling screams, like a vengeful banshee wail, carried through the stale air to the eager ears of those to follow him. The smell of rotted meat cooking saturated the air as plasma sizzled and evaporated, muscular tissue was cooked from the inside out as nerves and blood vessels burned like unstoppable cartoon fuses, and anything with more than 0.4ml of water –normal saline as early doctors called it- had exploded violently ripping through their respective paths of least resistance.

After the gut wretching sobs ceased, JC eyed a slight and thin framed woman in her seventies and in monotones spoke into his recorded, "Unable to determine if age and gender are culprit in experimental failure…" and without any hint of emotion –about as much emotion displayed when selecting a lightbulb to replace a burned out one- ordered subject F-01 to be prepped and escorted for testing. If any part of him cared, it did not show as eyes that had once looked to him with adoration and respect burned invisible holes of pure and genuine wrath.

The echoing screams and sobs continued around the clock for 19 hours solid; no sooner did one set of screams fade than another new voice joined the choir. JC was quite pleased with the progress made and noted that the synchronization was 98.6% complete, far ahead of the 65 subjects and 97 hours SHODAN had predicted. The last test subject entered the gate screaming and returned screaming with the same breath, but intact. The temporal stabilizer was updated with the parameters simultaneously with subject 47’s own as he was sent back through the gateway and brought back alive –in perfect, well actually good condition given that it was a human.

JC was satisfied with the results and gave a grin toward the remaining humans, who gave a silent sigh of relief at the expression. "Guards, release them," most could not believe their ears as JC handed them their freedom only to tarnish the moment. "Take them for assimilation, we will need experienced units for our assault." JC droned with grim praise knowing that only the most hardened would join him in spreading SHODAN’s glory to the others.

38

UNATCO subway forces were gaining ground against the bots who fell back into a defensive crescent, not taking cover from advancing commandos and troopers. Alex’s team brought up the rear choosing their targets carefully. They cracked open several bots’ power cores and lower torso hip rotators without single shot in their direction. Paul’s team advanced into the second story of the lobby from adjacent maintenance tunnels taking high ground to cover vulnerable ground teams.

With all teams in position and cutting down enemy forces guarding the gateways, Alex pushed his team within 30-meters of the glowing area and triggered perimeter sensors imbedded in the ground. Cyborg drones emerged from the tunnel carved only days before drawing immediate fire from forward and rear ground troops while Paul’s team above them concentrated fire on the heavy security bots firing into his eastern platoon.

Assassin bots were running full-tilt in stealth mode toward their targets, only the faint sound of wind stirred around them as electrified blades slid into position. Commandos and MIB’s were the first to fall, sliced in half by their unseen assailants who continued forward springing over boulders into Alex’s rear guard. Several snipers stood motionless looking at their own entrails glistening on the ground before they realized they were dead. Alex lost an arm in their first pass. Turning to spray the area, their second pass cleanly amputated and cauterized his left leg just above the knee. Before he could hit the ground, three surgical slices took his remaining arm off at the elbow and cut through his rib cage; ripped through his right carotid and jugular; and forever made lumbar six and seven strangers.

Paul gave the retreat orders, but his men were cut down by fliers that dropped from the lobby’s ancient ventilation ducts. Two assassin bots ripped what remained of the second eastern platoon into pieces, in close combat the bots were unstoppable –cuisinarts from hell. Limbs, organs, and weapons flew like feathers from some demonic pillow fight. One stood face to face with Paul, its gleaming red eyes and grimacing faceplate alive with malice, then just as quickly as it had appeared vanished. SHODAN’s only enforcer winged Paul, as a cat might toy with a mouse, in the ankles, then the elbows. It took its time as the organic crawled screaming down the tunnel. A short burst of flame ignited the path ahead preventing its quarry escape.