Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 3

Collateral

The Marshal reeled back in surprise, letting out a small yelp of alarm as the rest of the covers were thrown back, revealing the marble white skin of the starborn draped casually over the bed, large, coal black eyes still boring into him.

With one hand, the starborn patted the bed beside him in a disturbingly seductive way and grinned, "Come on, I warmed it up just for you."

The Marshal turned, ready to flee out the balcony door, but found his way blocked by a dark huking shape.

The SE fealty armor was even taller than it had looked inside its climate controlled glass case, the door of which now hung open, the interior empty. The Marshal had no time to run as the armor's hand shot out, faster than thinking and clasped him around the throat mechanical joints whirring as he was hoisted into the air choking and gagging before being blamed bodily into the floor.

All the air he had left vacated his lungs, and he lay there mouth opening and closing like a beached fish as he fought to regain his ability to breathe.

A flash of White appeared at the edge of his vision, and he watched groggily as NEMO shot out from around the corner, making a B line straight for the fealty armor, and the data port on the back of the helmet, likely intending to shut the armor down.

She was only a few feet away when the visor of the fealty helmet snapped towards her. The Marshal watched as the visor of the helmet lit up with the pixelated image of a cartoon skull gnashing tis teeth. NEMO drew to a halt and then slowly backed away. The marshal felt his blood run cold.

He knew he was in trouble, but this.... was worse.

The Fealty armor, had an AI....

A combat AI

And NEMO had just done the AI equivalent of pissing herself.

The Marshal knew about combat Ais, had even thought about getting one, though he didn't have the money or resources to do so. Likely President Hunt had thought giving their pet assassin a combat AI would be a bad idea, and he had probably been right. However, in his research he had come across mentions of this type of AI.

And paired with an SE armor suit, it barely mattered who was inside.

He was dead.

The little Skull graphic vanished as the suit held out a hand towards NEMO, palm open and inviting. The gesture was clear, either give yourself up, or I do it for you. NEMO was a learning robot, smart and quick, but not particularly brave. She knew when she was outclassed. Knew that the combat AI had already mapped a thousand ways to kill her with its bare hands. At this distance it could probably grab and crush her with a single hand before she could move away.

So she did the only logical thing, slowly floating forward to land in the armor's oversized palm, letting off a sad sort of tone as she did.

The marshal finally managed to pull in a gasp of air, eyes still fixed on the scene above half expected the fealty AI to crush her. His heart sped up in his chest as he thought about it, one of his only companions for these few companions through these lonely years crumbling to dust, but instead of crushing her, the armored figure drew her closer to its chest, and stuck her against what must have been a magnetic panel against its upper right side.

It must have been originally designed for use in holding grenades or ammunition, but now NEMO hung there and blinked her lights sadly at him.

He was breathing heavily now, just barely able to squeak air through his windpipe, not quite crushed by the massive hand that held it.

"Mmmm I wish he'd choke me sometime."

The fealty armor whirred as the visor slowly turned to look up falling on the starborn who, from what the Marshall could see was now lying in an openly seductive pose, draped across the bed, leading on one elbow. The grip on the marshal's throat eased somewhat.