ENTER

C8 - Drones

James walks up to the first giant machine creature he shot down to inspect it. “James, whatever you do, do not touch it. If you, do you will link your DNA and put every single gamer with your DNA at risk. You will also no longer be allowed to fight on our planet along with all the humans that have the same DNA as you,” the AI warns.

‘I wish I knew how this whole DNA thing works,’ James wonders. James walks around the creature that is about the size of two school busses. Dark blueish liquid ran out where he got shot. To James, it looks like the consistency of blood but only blue.

On his half-screen VR’s he noticed a couple of small drone creatures on their way to where he is. James gives a couple of steps away from the giant creature and stood still, wondering what they are going to do. James wonders why they are not going towards his Avatar.

The drones hover above the giant creature and then decent and land on top of it.  Feelers like that of a Miskito appear from their abdomen, a doze or so, and insert into the creature.  James can see that the blue blood is being transferred from the dead create to the drones but as they extract, James sees that the drone creatures are growing, changing shape, evolving.

The two drones, looking different in size and shape before they started extracting the blue blood-looking liquid from the fallen machine creature lift off and fly towards where James’s Avatar is standing.  James shoots them down and walks over to them, watching as his Avatar is moving away, keeping a safe distance.

‘I wonder where all the other shot-down invaders are?’ James wonders as he takes a closer look at the medium size drone creatures.  James looks into the sky for flying drones, suspecting that smaller ones will come and distract the blue blood-looking liquid from these two.  James noticed a couple of Avatars running past him and the next moment a full-blown battle breaks out with drones attacking from the sky and machines like the one he shot down appearing out of nowhere, charging the Avatars.  James runs towards the broken-down car for cover while at the same time running his Avatar to the fight.  James gets into the car and focuses on the battle in front of his Avatar.

‘I have never run out of ammo; I wonder why that is?’ James wonders.

Through the eyes of his Avatar, he sees another Avatar being smashed to the ground and a drone creature attaching itself to it, inserting its Miskito-looking antenna.

‘What is it doing?  What is it extracting from the Avatar?’ James wonders as he thought that the Avatars are machines only.

James feels his heart pounding hard in his chest as he steps closer, ‘should I shoot it down?’ James wonders as he hesitates, the adrenaline using up all his energy.

James walks backward estimating twenty meters before using his Avatar to shoot at it but his back hits something solid.

James fearfully turns around his eyes following up all the way to the giant machine creature's head.

‘It is definitely alive,’ James thinks as his heart pounds louder and faster.

“James, slowly move out of the way, don’t make any fast movements,” the AI says through the VR glasses.

“I touched it,” James whispers, remember that they should not touch it or it will pick up earth's DNA.

“You body that is covered with the black suit or your hands?” the AI asks.

“My body,” James whispers as the giant machine creature lifts its arms and shoots at James Avatar.

“James, keep it distracted by using your Avatar to lure it away from you,” the AI advises.

James follows the AI’s advice and shoots high in the air before running his Avatar away.  The giant machine creature runs after the Avatar.

A couple of other Avatars intersects the giant machine creature and shoot it down.  Smaller drone creatures fly over and land on the giant machine creature to extract its fluids.

James VR cuts off from the Avatar.

“Please leave the battlefield.  Proceed to the nearest white cube,” the AI instructs.

James has full view of his own surrounding through his VR glasses and takes his time to walk towards a white cube.

‘Guess I won't be allowed back in,’ James thinks as he takes the time to look around.

The area looks like a futuristic city that has been through a war.  For the first time, James notices large round objects in the sky that look like planets, ‘or is it moons?’

‘I wish I knew more about astronomy,’ James thinks, wondering if a moon can actually be so close to a planet and if it is not moons, then can planets be so close to each other?

From Uzar the nearest spere is so close that he can see the craters on it, ‘must be a moon, right?’

James does not realize that several small drone creatures have caught up with him and he only realizes it when he stands in front of the white cube that does not open.

James hears the buzz behind him and freeze. One of the drone's creatures flies over his head and stops in front of his face its camera-looking eyes extract and de tracks as it zooms in and out.

Two more drones position themselves facing James.

‘Why is the AI not saying anything?’ James wonders.

James can hear that more things from the ground are approaching him, but he is too scared to turn around.

In the reflection of one of the drone creatures, one eye he sees that three Avatars are approaching.

‘Please don’t let them shoot me,’ James thinks as he tries to control his breathing.

The Avatars shoot in the air, to grab the attention of the drone creatures surrounding James, the sudden shooting giving James a fright.

The drone creatures fly after the Avatars.

The white cube opens, and James does not hesitate to run into the darkness, to safety.