Artificial War

[cptflint]

He looked between Kim and the soldier. "Fine. I'll leave you alone for a bit. But I swear to god if you get into trouble while I'm gone..." he warned without finishing the sentence. "Just don't get into trouble," he said before leaving.  

[Randomly Gone Insane]

"Oh please." Kim scoffed, looking at Azm with a confident and cocky smirk.

"I handled myself just fine before you showed up. I can continue doing so without you now." She shook her head when he left, finally enjoy the peace.

"Thought he'd never go." She laid down against the ceiling of the apartment, keeping low and watching her horizon.

At the ground, the soldier waited for Azm.
"She'll be fine," he said as Azm came out. "Reports show the androids only attack on a weekly basis, in their attempt to make psychological warfare against these poor people. The weekly attack was yesterday, which explains our ambush. If they'll see anything today, it'll be scouts and a sniper like her can handle a scout just fine."  

[cptflint]

Azm nodded. "As long as you're sure it's just going to be scouts," he replied as the made their way over to a truck. He took one last look up at roof where Kim was. "Lets head out then..."  

[Randomly Gone Insane]

"Positive. It doesn't fit their pattern, and these guys have been doing this for quite some time now." The soldier replied as he went off to another truck.

It was a two-day trip between the small town and the D.C. base and back, with travel time, skirmishes, and terrible roads. As far as war went though, everything was relatively quiet on the trip.

And so was the town, and not in a good way.
Though it was already in poor condition upon the convoy's arrival, it was at least livable. That had changed in the course of two days. The ruined buildings were brought down, and others had been set on fire. Few were sparred and left to stand. Not a soul could be seen in what remained of the town either...  

[cptflint]

When they reached the town Azm went very quiet. He drove the truck up to the last building he'd seen Kim in. He didn't talk to anyone, he didn't radio the LT and ask if he could leave formation, he just drove straight the ruined building and got out of his truck. He walked around in the ruble for a little while looking around for any clues that might tell him if Kim was still alive.  

[Randomly Gone Insane]

Like the rest of the town, there was no sign of life. Almost everything was in place from when he had left. Almost

A single bullet hold in the side of the wall, on the top floor and at the door leading up to the ceiling. Right next to the door as well was Kim's weapons, abandoned.  

[cptflint]

Azm picked up the gun and ran out of the buidling, looking for the LT. "Do we have any information on what happened here or where any of these guys went?" he asked.

Those gathered from the town that were still alive were chained and being dragged by androids. One of the prisoners on the end had passed out. One of the darker colored androids unchained her and shot her through the head without saying a word.

(Thought I'd take control of some bad mans.)  

[Randomly Gone Insane]

"We can't even find survivors." The Lieutenant sighed, looking around the ghost town.

"I don't even know what happened... It doesn't fit their pattern." He gave a frustrated growl, just as there was movement from behind him, causing him and the other soldiers to spin around.

A lone woman, dirty and beaten up, came out alone. She glared at all of them, especially Azm.

"They came back. They saw you come out and leave soldiers. Didn't like your piss poor attempt to stop this. So they attacked. They ******** murdered, raped, kidnapped. AREN'T YOU SUPPOSE TO BE PROTECTING US?!" She screamed, becoming hysterical.

Kim felt humiliated and tired, but she kept going through, even as she got more and more tired. The unfortunate souls who proved to slow were clearly not sparred. Last three people confirmed that for Kim. And she was in the next in line after the last put down, now putting her in the end so she continued to trek on, head down and keeping quiet.

She hoped, in the back of her mind, something would happen, and fast. She heard only a few rumors about what happened in the slave life under the androids. But those few rumors were absolutely horrible.

((No problemo.))  

[cptflint]

"Obviously their pattern has changed," Azm grunted before turning to face the woman approaching them.

Azm grabbed the woman's head with both his hands and forced her to look him in the eyes. "Where... did they take... the survivors," he said slowly and calmly though the anger in his face did not match his tone at all.

Despite the people dropping along the way the line did not stop, the three android on the end pulling the chain say to that. "You'd better keep moving if you know whats good for you," the bot behind Kim growled. "We have special plans for you if you become to weak to move on."  

[Randomly Gone Insane]

"Azm, easy." The Lieutenant warned as he stepped next to him and the woman. It was clear to anyone he was getting pissed. Kim was his job, and she and the rest of the soldiers were missing. Probably dead. But no one was going to say that aloud, not right now.

"Don't you dare touch me!" The woman snapped as she forced herself away from Azm, stumbling back and continuing to glare at him.

"You should know where they are! You're one of them, you ******** b*****d!"

"I am moving, you faulty piece of s**t." Kim growled lowly, throwing a glancing glare at the android that spoke.

"I haven't slowed down yet. I'm keeping at your lead's pace, so shut the ******** up."  

[cptflint]

Azm's hand latched onto the woman's neck with one hand and pointed his smg at her head with his other. "IF YOU WANT TO SEE ANY OF THEM ALIVE AGAIN YOU BETTER PRAY TO YOUR GODS YOU KNOW WHICH DIRECTION THEY WENT! TELL ME!" Azm roared. "Every second I spend here yelling at you lowers their chances of survival."

The android just chuckled, the line seemed to be moving faster all of a sudden.  

[Randomly Gone Insane]

"AZM! Stand down, now!" The Lieutenant barked as the soldiers took aim on him.

"Killing this woman isn't going to help anyone, and threatening her certainly isn't going to help your case! Now let her go and calm down!"

As the line picked up speed, Kim gave a low growl. She had absolutely no doubt in her mind the b*****d in back had something to do with the change of pace. But she wasn't going to let him win. Not by a long shot. She kept pace, slowly working into exhaustion, but she managed.  

[cptflint]

Azm slowly put hist gun away. "I will be gathering equipment. Let me know when she says something useful to me," he growled before walking away from the group. "tickticktickticktick," he said as he walked away, letting everyone know that the time they were waisting was very limited.

The android continued walking really close to Kim now with a big smile on his face. Someone in front of her collapsed. She was quickly unchained and put down like the others. "At this rate there won't be any left by the time we get to the compound," the droid said. "Not that you'll actually be going there..."  

[Randomly Gone Insane]

"Yes, we know." The Lieutenant growled after Azm's ticking noises. He coud understand the android's impatience because his job, career, and creditability were on the line with Kim but he was getting a bit out of hand. Situations like this couldn't be rushed in to. The Lieutenant had learned that long ago...

"Ma'am... Is there somewhere we can talk in private..?" He asked her softly as he escorted her off away from everyone else.

"Well, maybe we should slow down, hm?" Kim grunted, glaring at the android.

"Because, ya know, you've only captured us, beat us until we're barely alive, and then make us march to your shitty little hide away.

"For a bunch of supposively smart and super computers, you're pretty ******** retarded."  

[cptflint]

Azm was gathering a backpack full of C-4 along with a rocket launcher and plenty of rockets.

"I don't expect your kind to understand, let alone a woman," the bot replied.