Games in Development
Small World (working Title)
Lieutenant Mcpherson's CO always said, "Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face."
Amaya's unit had gotten punched in the face. Hard.
They were part of an extraction operation tasked with rescuing the daughters of a scientist who was promising to defect if her daughters would be rescued from her husband. Her husband, who was one of the largest arms dealers in the world.
4 units of Rangers were dropped 5 clicks south of his compound and they moved on foot through the dense jungle surrounding the compound. 2 klicks out her unit split off and moved to the northeast to secure the perimeter and monitor the guards.
That’s when the punch to the face landed. The Overwatch AI, watching from a drone at 70,000 feet, ran the numbers for mission success and determined the best chance of success required Amaya’s unit to attack the compound. They were heavily outgunned and in moments 5 out of 9 of them were down, heavily wounded.
Amaya tore open the Medical AI and started triage on the wounded.
M-AI-432 gave her instructions as she worked, telling her who go to next and which packs of medical Nanites to apply.
She was doing the math at the same time the AI was when the call came in that the mission was successful and then needed to get to the extraction point ASAP. 6 klicks away.
“Lieutenant, there are too many wounded to safely reach the extraction point,” M-AI-432 said in her ear.
“I’m aware. Can we get any of them on their feet enough to get out?” She already know the answer was no.
“No. But I have run the calculations and there is an option with you and the remaining members of the unit working together.”
“There is no way 4 of us are moving 5 wounded to the extraction point 6 klicks away before our ride leaves.”
“There is if you follow my instructions Lieutenant.”
She thought about it for all of a second be for saying yes. No man left behind.
“I’m programming the Nanites in tubes 1 and 2. When the lights turn green, inject one tube of Nanites into each of your thighs.”
“One tube is enough to keep a soldier alive through the most severe trauma. That’s too many “
“There is no time to debate this Lieutenant. Either you do this now or we chose the members of your unit to leave behind.”
She stopped thinking about it and deployed the Nanites. A moment later she learned that military AI’s didn’t have any restrictions preventing experimentation.
The Nanites immediately tore into her muscles and started rebuilding her, literally from the inside out. They didn’t just stop with her legs. The pain burned throughout her entire body.
“Lieutenant, you are now strong enough to carry two of the wounded to the extraction point. Overwatch has deployed drones to cover your retreat. They will arrive in 5...4...3”
Amaya put the Medial AI on her back and pulled two of the wounded onto her shoulders.
“2..1” The cover fire tore into the jungle around them, forcing the men facing them to take cover.
The 4 of them got the wounded to the extraction point, but the human body wasn’t meant to do what the AI had forced Amaya’s to do. The strain of carrying so much weight so far had torn the muscles apart. As fast as the muscles were damaged, the AIs stitched them back together, rebuilding them over and over again.
She collapsed in the helicopter on the way back to base.
The damage was permanent and she was given a medical discharge. Without regular injections of Nanites, she would be wheelchair-bound for the rest of her life.