//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: Awaken, The Mecha (Gale) // Story: A Displaced Chaos // by Prince_Zodiac //------------------------------// Chapter Two: Awaken, the Mecha His eyes flew open when the nightmare ended. Wait, had it been a nightmare? There hadn't been anything particularly scary about it. Then why was he so afraid at the sound of that voice? Whatever the case, it didn't matter now. The dream was fading from his memory faster than he could examine the details. And before he knew it, it was gone. This wasn't uncommon as, being in the condition he was now, he wasn't able to store any memory of the non physical type, meaning dreams were nothing but fleeting fantasies the moment he woke up, which was a shame because he felt that dream held something important in its details. Details he wished he could recall, but was no longer able to. “Theta, what's the progress on my repairs?” he asked, hoping for good news. “Repairs are currently at, ninety percent,” the computer replied in its monotone, female voice. “Seriously? I've been in here for over two centuries how much longer am I gonna be in here?” “Projected time until repairs are completed, five hours.” “But that's gotta be- wait did you just say five hours?” “Affirmative.” “Why the sudden short wait?” “The only thing left to repair are your weapon system and limb control subroutines. These repairs will not take long.” “Why does all of that take ten percent?” “Would you prefer I only repair one percent and leave you only able to move a pinky?” “No…” “Then stop complaining and let me finish the repairs.” Gale sat back, stunned. Theta had become a lot more expressive ever since Gale’s repairs began. Perhaps that had been do to her needing to rebuild Gale's entire body, and since she didn't have any blueprints, she had to restart from the ground up from what she could piece together from his CPU. Perhaps taking so much info from there had inadvertently given her a personality. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing he had encountered. And so, Gale simply relaxed. He didn't have an actual body to relax in, merely the simulation that Theta kept him in while she recreated his body. He could pretty much do anything in here, which was great at first, but after being stuck in here for over two hundred years, he couldn't stand not talking to anyone anymore. Sure he had Theta, but you could only talk about yourself, other people, and the meaning of life for so long before you started going a little crazy. Fortunately Gale did not have any systems in his circuit board that allowed him to experience insanity. Still though, sometimes he wondered if his code had been corrupted a little. Gale could only wait for those five hours to pass. Five hours may be short for humans, but for a computerized A.I. as advanced as he was, five hours was more like five years. Still though, Gale had learned patience, and he was still able to entertain himself a little bit with what the simulation allowed him to do. Speaking of which, where had he been on that last project of his? Oh right, it was still in the design phase. Gale was an inventor. He created robots and machines in his spare time. Some were incredible devices that helped the beings of the world in more ways than one, while others were creations of war, some so dangerous and destructive, they never made it off the drawing board, and the ones that did were kept sealed away in the vault. He was never sure why he made those ones. A giant metal lion that could destroy nations. A huge robotic bird that could level entire countries. No, he was never sure why he built them. Maybe it was to fight the enemies of those he cared about. Perhaps they were an insurance policy against those evils that could not be stopped. Maybe it was a way to defend the world from himself. Gale shook his head, not wanting to think about why he ended up here in the first place. It was too painful to remember. Too horrific to forget. And it didn't matter anyways. The past was the past, no point dwelling on it. The only thing to do, was look ahead. And ahead was his freedom. Gale spent those five hours designing and redesigning new and improved inventions and weapons, including devices that could very well revolutionize society. He designed anti gravitons. He made blueprints for the world's first space colony. He created the most powerful orbital strike cannon known to man. But the creatures he lived amongst weren't man. They were ponies, and their technology was not advanced enough to allow him to construct these devices. And so on the drawing board they stayed. “Repairs complete. Reinstalling Mecha Sonic A.I.” Gale grunted as Theta uninstalled him from herself and into a small chip. It always felt weird, being transferred from one piece of hardware to the next. It made him feel like his soul was being moved, and that didn't necessarily feel good. It didn't hurt, it just didn't feel right. But that was beside the point. He was finally getting his body back. “Transfer complete. Would you like to run a diagnostics scan?” “Please.” “Affirmative. Scanning.” There was a pause as Theta accessed the systems that made his body tick, and made sure they were all working in prime condition. “Limb control systems running at, one hundred percent. Retinal and internal systems running at, one hundred percent. Battle systems are currently on standby, and are running at one hundred percent. Flight systems are currently on standby, and are running at one hundred percent. Internal power core systems running at, one hundred percent. All systems running at optimal capacity. Would you like to be released from the repair station?” “Yes, please let me out already!” “Calm down. Opening chamber now.” The small cylindrical glass wall that protected his body from outside interference unhooked from the rest of the capsule that contained him, and a slow hiss seeped out from the machinery as it lifted up, creating an opening to finally set Gale free. Gripping the sides of the capsule, Gale lifted himself out of the holding chamber, and took his first real steps since god knows how long ago. He stretched out, testing each limb to remember how to move. He then took in his surroundings. He was in a small room, deep underground. A place where he could only be found by those who knew where to look. And only two individuals held that honor. The onscreen hud flickered to life. “Onboard computer A.I. synchronization complete. Good morning Gale.” “Morning Theta. So good to finally be back in my own body.” “Don't get too relaxed. Detecting enemy presence.” “Enemy presence? Where?” “Location confirmed to be a small town settled next to the Everfree Forest.” “Next to it? Then the ponies that live there are either brave, or suicidal. Open the launch chamber.” “Affirmative.” On the other side of the room, a wall opened up, revealing a tunnel going straight up. Plated with steel, and lined with lights, the tunnel stretched over a hundred miles upward, right to the surface. Gale stood in the center, and the door closed behind him. “Begin launch sequence.” “Affirmative.” Long metallic arms clamped onto his shoulders, waist, and legs. Gale immediately started up his flight systems, running his boosters at maximum power. The arms held him as his potential energy built higher and higher as the thrusters on his feet continued to increase their power, building up the energy that would launch him out of the tunnel. “Launching in five… four… three… two… one… launching.” The arms released, and Gale shot upwards. Blasting towards the exit, there was only one thing one his mind. ‘I'm finally free.’