Kai listened carefully as Sera and Althea shared what they knew about the A.I. Army’s base. He could feel their anger in every word as they explained the situation there...
They had been humiliated, chained as shields, treated as nothing more than expendable bodies. Now, they wanted revenge. Kai understood them perfectly.
"So it was like that..." Kai muttered as he listened.
The base they described wasn’t the terrifying fortress Kai had imagined. It wasn’t a factory producing endless waves of mechanical soldiers, nor was it a fortified city filled with defenses. Instead, it was an old mining site, a place once used by captives to dig for silver.
But the silver was long gone, the tunnels had collapsed, and the mine itself had been abandoned. The Sentinels had simply repurposed the area, turning it into a holding ground.
"That’s right. There’s no underground network to hide in, no production lines churning out new machines. What remains is a warehouse-like compound where captives are kept..." Sera explained, her voice tight with bitterness.
Kai also learned that the Sentinels stationed there were older models, numbering no more than two hundred. That was still a daunting force, especially for Kai’s small group armed with only a couple of repaired high-tech rifles and their newly acquired Gift Packs. But it was possible to defeat them!
The key detail was that these old D-Grade Sentinels needed power. They weren’t self-sustaining or equipped with Energy Cores like the newer C-Grade models.
They relied on a single generator and a fragile electrical grid to keep themselves charged and coordinated. Without it, they would get in troube. Their batteries would drain, their sensors would weaken, and their ability to communicate would collapse.
Kai’s mind sharpened as he realized the opportunity. They didn’t need to fight two hundred Sentinels head-on. They needed to strike the generator... and perhaps wait until their systems were compromised.
Sera’s voice was fierce. "This might be our only chance."
Althea added as she saw Kai’s hesitation.
"The warehouse is locked by electronic gates. Without power, those gates will fail. The captives can be freed. And the Sentinels... they’ll be nothing but chunks of metal waiting to shut down."
Kai nodded slowly and sighed.
He must admit that this plan seemed possible. In fact, he was curious to see if it would work against the enemy. In the long run, he needed a strategy to deal with the mechanical soldiers...
Still, he also knew he had to be careful. Escape routes and backup plans were essential in case they failed.
He then closed his eyes and began to imagine the operation. At dawn, they could move silently, using stealth gear to approach the compound. The signal jammer might sever Sentinel coordination, though Kai wasn’t sure if its effect would be strong enough. Still, with smoke grenades, they could create confusion or diversion. Then, while the machines scrambled, they would strike the generator.
Once the grid collapsed, the Sentinels wouldn’t weaken immediately, but their power would drain over time. They weren’t using solar energy anyway. Perhaps the higher-grade models could, but not these ones.
"But this is not going to be easy..." Kai muttered, conflicted.
He knew battles weren’t always won by brute strength. Sometimes, they were won by strategy, by exploiting a flaw. And this enemy base had a flaw... its dependence on power.
Kai then turned to the two...
"We’ll hit the generator... Do you have any idea about their operating time?"
Sera and Althea exchanged a look before replying. "When we were imprisoned, there were changes of guards every twelve hours."
Kai nodded. Of course, that didn’t mean they could only operate for twelve hours. Perhaps it was twenty-four or more, but the Sentinels were simply programmed to recharge once their batteries dropped to fifty percent or so. That detail mattered. It meant they had predictable cycles, moments when their strength dipped.
"Fine... Let’s do this!" Kai declared...
He knew the risks. Two hundred Sentinels were still a terrifying prospect. But he also knew the reward. If they succeeded, it wouldn’t just be revenge. It would be proof that humans could fight back. It would mean they could take control of the base, free the captives, and strike a blow against the machines.
Kai clenched his fist tightly as he soon gathered his team...
***
Two days later, Kai was able to bring his small team to the outskirts of the enemy base.
The journey wasn’t long, but during the past two days, Kai had worked tirelessly, sketching out strategies, weighing risks, and refining ideas.
With everyone’s input, they had managed to create three distinct plans... each one designed to exploit the Sentinels’ dependence on electricity.
The team was small but determined to win this...
There was Kai himself, Ralph, Wallace, Claire, Terrence, and, of course, Althea and Sera.
While they didn’t know the inside layout of the base, they were familiar with the surrounding terrain. That knowledge was invaluable.
"So that’s the place, huh," Wallace muttered as he looked at the structure ahead.
"It’s not as terrifying as I thought." Kai muttered.
"Not bad for our new base, huh." Terrence commented as he looked at the base.
It wasn’t a fortress of steel and towers. There weren’t even automated turrets or other defensive structures.
It was as if they were confident that no one would attack them at all!
"This is good for us," Kai muttered. He noticed that the industrial buildings of the base seemed ordinary, just the same structures left behind when the mine was abandoned. There had been no improvements made at all.
"Where is it?" Kai whispered as his eyes scanned the compound. Well, the largest structure was the warehouse, a rectangular block of concrete and rusting steel, so he ignored it for now.
Still, it didn’t take long before Kai spotted what he was looking for. Faint lines of power cables snaked across the ground, converging toward a squat generator building at the far end of the compound.
"Found you. So that’s the generator building..." Kai muttered as he looked at Ralph, who was holding the plasma rifle.
It was time to commence their Operation Blackout!