//------------------------------// // The War; Part 5 // Story: What It's Like on the Other Side // by Dimitri_Domovoi //------------------------------// "Dimitri whats wrong with him?" the party pony asked looking up at me, sobbing "Please, tell me he is alright, please?" she added between sobs. "I should have explained PK more thoroughly than I had." I said walking over to her side next to the giant. "You see, what you see as the death of a gentle giant, is actually his body not acquiring the impulses from the central AI" I said while I rolled him off the chest and onto the floor face down. I then opened the chest and removed a pocket sized metal box, wile opening it I brushed the long black hair off the back of his neck, reveling a metal rectangle pertruding half a centimeter from the skin. W-What's th-that? She asked obviously trying not to cry "and w-what does this AI-thingy have to do with anything" She asked more calmly. "Well... how do I explain it... PK was never born he-" "How can you say that about him?!?" she exploded, interrupting me, "He has been carrying you to every stop, after your front exploded, and when he is almost dead you act like he never-" It was now my turn to explode (been doing that allot lately) "Shut the hell up for a second!" and she did "Now if you will let me explain." I calmly said "PK was never born because I created him... he is an AI 'Artificial Intelligence' meaning he is a copy of someone's brain, but he is not a normal AI, he is the only one that had two brain... 'donors' I guess would be the appropriate term." "D-does that mean he is two-in-one?" she asked genuinely interested. "Yes, and no. He is the fusion of two minds and the reason he is able to work perfectly with Echo and I, is because we are the 'donors', however don't think that makes his likes and dislikes the same as ours, he is also the only AI to develop emotions towards certain people, and apparently ponies." I stopped talking so she could ask any questions she had, Meanwhile I had opened the panel and reveled a small screen full keypad and a filled slot for an AI chip, and started typing activating the screen witch told me that he was still salvageable, and began a small routine that would tell me where and what the problem was. "but if you made him the why is ha all made up of living stuff, and not all metal?" she asked with a sniffle. "Now that is the question I was waiting for, He is made of flesh because he was the final surviving product of a military project that I was the head of." I answered without looking up. "The goal was to make the perfect soldier, you know him as PK, but his full 'name' is Project S-066, Krider. Now his body is a fully grown form of the combination of DNA. Our MIA comrade RED, Echo, and I are the DNA donors, and no that does not mean that we are his fathers, however technically it does make us brothers by blood." I finished. *BEEP* . . . *Scan complete, There are, One, vital problems with S-066, One 50 Caliber rifle rounds lodged in the top of the spinal column, remove within, 30, minutes.* the internal speaker stated. I immediately doped the box on the ground and removed a large combat knife from the chest and looked Pinkie in the eyes "I advise you to leave the room, you my not want to see what I'm about to do." I stated. "No, I promised I would never leave his side, I-I p-pinkie p-promised" she stuttered with a sniffle. 'Damn, why does life do this to me?' "Fine, just look away at least, please?" "Ok." When she looked the opposite direction I lifted the blade high and slammed it point down in the specified area, barley getting to the required depth. Removing the blade I pushed my hand into the wound and grabbed the spine, putting my other hand in, widening the fresh wound, i grabbed the bullet with My metallic limb, twisting an pulling it took me a good ten minutes to get the enemy round out of it's temporary home, feeling his heart beat restart was reassuring to say the least. I then removed my hands and then rolled him onto his back, hearing the pneumatic swish that came from the panel on his neck closing and hissing sounds as the nanobots repaired his latest wounds. *BEEP* . . . *S-066 Will fail in, 10, minutes.* hearing this I then punched him full-force in the chest, restarting the breath cycle with a cough and a large intake of air. *BEEP* . . . *S-066 has stabilized, No other abnormalities detected.* "- so we are technically brothers by blood. Any questions?" I finished explaining for the second time that day. I looked at the two confused faces starring at me and PK. "You said RED was a DNA donor?" twilight stated. "I did, but what does that have to do with anything?" "Hay, yea, why did you ask Twi?" the Pink one questioned. "No reason" she quickly answered wile looking around before changing the subject "We should really get moving to that P.O.W. thing so we can get home." "Oh crap! That's right, how long was I out, and how far have we gotten?" My question was answered with A radio I had forgotten was built into the replacement eye (the sound was transmitted Into my my mind like the visuals) "Come in Spetsnaz Specters, or what's left of you, we recently received intel that the P.O.W. camp was relocated to a village one click to the north of your location we will give you one day to prepare for what is essentially going to be your greatest victory to date. Over, and Out." I looked at Echo and stated "That was easy, and thanks for programming everything." "What's the word, Dimitri?" "The Idiots moved the camp to a village one click to the north of here, we have one day to make sure we don't loose anypony, the reason I say that is we are virtually invincible wile they aren't" "Ok, so we all check our gear, then meet back in this room in one hour, then we all sleep until we are all ready to do this, deal?" said the giant sitting next to a now smiling pink pony. "PK has the right idea, so lets get prepared and get some rest." Echo stated before we all left the room, aside for PK and Pinkie. "I told you I would return. But... next time I might not be so lucky." The gentle giant said as he started to do push-ups. "I know, but will you Pinkie promise to stay with me until I have to go through the portal thingy with the girls?" she asked. He recited the oath with one hand wile continuing his training (as big as he is it does prepare him sufficiently) "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, ow." he had finished the rhyme wile going down and jabbed himself in the eye. Then he stopped and rolling onto his back, tossed her onto his chest. Putting an arm under his head, he stated "The ground is cold, so you may sleep on my chest." Blushing she replied "O-ok. Thanks." she then curled into a tight ball and quickly fell asleep. I swapped my good arm with a temporary model so I could work on the good one. "What are you doing to your arm?" asked the yellow pegasas, making me jump. "Oh... did I startle you? I'm so sorry. I-" "It's alright, I just fell out of reality to reflect on the past week." I reassured her with a chuckle at the end. "I am just tweaking the knuckle armoring, making it stronger." "Oh... ok....... Do you like animals?" she questioned. "Yes, and no." "what do you mean?" "Yes, but if I am attacked by an animal that can handle itself in combat, I will fight back. But if I am attacked by something that can't then I try to teach it some manners, nonviolently if possible." "Oh... do you like trees?" "Yes, but you should get some sleep; tomorrow's going to be a long day for us all" "ok, goodnight." Echo walked into his designated area, and hung upside down from a poll jutting from the ceiling, and started to do upside-down crunches. Twilight watched him for awhile before he spoke "you know, Dimitri is not the only smart one here. So what's on your mind?" "Well... what would you do if you had the chance to leave this world and start a new life?" she questioned quickly catching him off guard. "I think I would choose whatever didn't leave me without my brothers." "What would you prefer; organized chaos, or a clean work space?" "Definitely clean work space, I hate when I don't know the location of something." "So, how fast can you actually run?" "I honestly don't know. But you are going to need all the rest you can get for tomorrow, what with the portal and all." "Fine, goodnight." said the purple pony.