grip, index finger resting on the trigger guard. She pointed it to the floor and pulled the slide back halfway, enough to see that I’d left a round chambered. “In my younger days, my work often came with an element of danger.”
I was somewhat impressed and felt a little foolish for assuming otherwise. Of course a black market prosthetics surgeon knew how to use a weapon.
“Stay low and move slow,” I said, and turned my attention back to the group of proxies. They were spread out for the most part, making it difficult to target them all from the same vantage point. If I moved further from the wall and shot from the center of the corridor, I’d have a better line of fire. The opposite would be true as well, though, and they’d have an easy time gunning me down. Assuming they didn’t notice me move into position in the first place.
No, I’d have to make it work from where I was. I’d shoot the two on the left of the door, wait for the third and fourth to move to return fire and take them down, then reposition and fire on the fifth.
I aligned my sights on the left-most android, exhaled, and fired. The burst of slugs ripped through the proxy’s chest and threw it against the vault door. It spun and collapsed on the floor as the android next to it raised its weapon and walked into the hall, searching for the source of the gunfire. I swiveled my aim and fired again. My rounds cut through the android’s head, and its body stumbled three paces before also collapsing to the floor.
I wasn’t sure how effective the proxies would be in offline combat. They couldn’t share experience data, but with two rounds of gunfire it wouldn’t be too difficult for the remaining proxies to guess where I was. Still, I kept to my plan and waited for the other androids to show themselves.
A third proxy came into view, weapon raised. I fired even as I started moving, running toward the other side of the hall. I dove prone near the wall and took aim again. I squeezed the trigger, but the railgun only buzzed. That’s when I noticed the android had been hit but wasn’t returning fire despite being able to do so.
A synthesized voice called out, “Aimicide warning.”
Aimicide warning, the alert issued under friendly fire. The proxy wasn’t hostile. I stood and identified myself. “Personnel Barrett, SFI-4143.”
The android lowered its weapon. The other two walked into view, likewise relaxed. I doubled back down the corridor until I could see Samara and waved her over. Checking over my railgun without duress, I could now plainly see the rails were spent. A slug was contact-welded midway down the length. As Samara approached, I held out my hand. “I’ll need that pistol back.”
She handed it over. “I’m almost disappointed I didn’t have to use it.”
I laughed at the joke. “Holding is one level down. We can take the stairwell just past that door and we’ll be right there.” I threw the railgun down and walked up to the proxies with Samara.
The proxy I’d hit but failed to kill didn’t seem too damaged. The slugs had gone through its waist, but it still seemed functional. If it had been hostile a few minutes ago, if it hadn’t recognized me as an authorized individual, it might have got me.
“Current action report,” I ordered.
“This unit is defending level 4 junction. This unit is 2 of a 3-unit fire team. This unit is status bravo.”
“Engagement history.”
“Contact three minutes prior. Resolution: aimicide warning. End of engagement history.”
So the only combat these proxies had seen was against me. That meant the junction was probably clear and the enemy had only succeeded in reaching the lab. It made sense; if the goal was to recapture the Warwick node, there was no reason to spread their forces thin. That must have been why we’d run into such small fire teams. The goal was to split us up through misdirection.
I gave the proxy new orders. “Go to the lab on level 2. Force protection condition delta.”
The androids moved as one, forming up and heading for the stairwell. Samara and I had to jog to keep up. The proxies cleared the doorway into the stairs just as Andrea and I had done, only much faster. Their coordination even without network support was impressive. If they ever developed sentience, they’d be monsters on the battlefield. Was that what had bothered