Sigma's New Project

(((This will be a brief side-arc detailing the Mark-III LIFE project)))


=While at Black Base on Xenos' surface, Delta got a comm from Sigma. He tapped the side of his helmet and spoke=

D- Go ahead.

S- Delta, I would like you to come down to my labs at Black Base if you have the time. There is something here I think you will be very interested in.

D- Another one of your projects?

S- Not mine, but Xazhi's.

D- Commander Xazhi was relieved of duty almost a month ago, Sigma. What has he been doing in the Labs?

S- Come down and I'll show you.

=Delta sighed=

D- Alright. I'm already at Black Base, so it shouldn't take me long.

S- Very well.

=Delta ended the comm and got up from his seat. The room he was in was something of a lounge area for the troops, large and relatively open with chairs and benches scattered about, and a small fountain in the middle of the room. It was fairly dim in lighting and in overall color, which was typical of XNNO architecture. He exited the room on the north side and went down a long hallway lit with lights of varying colors on the ground and floor, each of which made up a line leading to a specific place. He followed the Silver line to an elevator. He called it, waited for the doors to open, and rode it down 10 floors below ground. When it opened, he was greeted with another, shorter hallway leading to double doors. Past that was Sigma's lab on Black Base. He stepped through the doors and saw Sigma and Xazhi both out of armor, and a most peculiar set of Blackish-gray armor lain across a table almost 8 feet long. Sigma turned and smiled=

D- So what's this all about then?

S- I don't know if you will recall, but do you remember the LIFE project?

D- Yes. It failed. Horribly.

S- Not exactly. It simply discontinued after its first success.

=Xazhi turned now as well=

X- After my partner was killed, the project ceased, and no new subjects were taken in. It was seen as too risky, both during and after the subject's completion.

D- Let me guess. You found a way to make it work again?

S- Indeed we have.

=Sigma looked at Xazhi=

S- You should give him the rundown.

X- Well, the old idea was to remove the subject's organs and replace them with artificial ones, which were meant to be better in nearly every conceivable way. The subject's natural organs were then implanted into one of these 'bodies'-

=He motioned to the armor behind him=

-and the two would be linked via implants. But, there was too much risk during the surgeries that the subject would die, or that their body would not accept the new organs.

D- So what have you done to correct the issue?

X- Now, we have taken a clone of the subject's brain and many organs, this subject being me, and implanted them into this shell.

D- And how high is the chance of failure?

X- Around-

S- 17.649%.

X- Right...

D- So, if we were ever to try and mass-produce these, only one in five would be a viable candidate for a soldier?

S- Yes, but that is why we are keeping these to a minimum, for the time being. Xazhi, would you care to do the honors?

=Xazhi turned around and looked at the seemingly dead suit of armor before him. It had a few bullet holes, and many more scratches and dents from them, on it's chestplate. He reached behind it's head and disconnected a cable from its neck. Within seconds, a dark red light shimmered from lines in the armor. It sat up, looked at Xazhi, and then got up off the table. It stood around 7'7". Even Delta had to look up at it. The Armor spoke in a deep, fairly monotone, and completely synthetic voice=
((Voice example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEozsxoOJvw& at 6:40))

G- LIFE Shell X-one-two-one-zero, Alive. Greetings, Commander Xazhi.

=Xazhi gave a warm smile=

X- Hello again, Ghost.

G- Is this my name?

X- It was, when you were first created close to a year ago. Do you remember anything?

G- This mind is devoid of memory, except that of the creator. Accessing.... 'Soul'-Ghost was killed in action, sir.

=Xazhi ran his hand over the bullet holes in Ghost's armor=

G- I see. Then I shall be called Ghost.

=It looked at Delta and Sigma. Sigma looked quite proud, yet also amazed. Delta looked a little confused=

D- So, Sigma, this thing is literally organs in a suit of armor?

S- Not exactly. The organs are bound to a skeleton and given basic armor plating, almost like skin. Then the outer armor is made over it.

D- Can it take the armor off?

=Ghost looked at Xazhi, who nodded back=

S- Yes, but I would not assume it to be so eager to do so.

D- Is it... Alive? I mean, is it truly a living being, or a synthetic creature?

S- Nearly every organ in Xazhi's body has been cloned and implanted into this 'shell'. In short... yes and no.

D- What do you mean?

S- It can carry out all the basic functions of life, except two. Although the 'shell's insides have been grown in a cloning lab, the armor, and thus the shell as a whole, will not. Though it does posses the means of reproduction, doing so would obviously not result in another 'Shell', but in a Revaer, or likewise whatever creature was used to make the 'Shell'.

D- Wait, it eats? How? It has no mouth.

S- It does, behind the outer armor.

D- Wait a minute, I don't think I quite understand this. How exactly did you clone the organs for this thing? It seems like there are a few unnecessary bits in there.

S- In basic terms, we cloned Xazhi, and tore away the skin, muscle, nervous and circulatory systems, save for the Heart and immediate surroundings, and replaced the circulatory system with a synthetic one, and replaced the bones with the same material the inner armor is made of. The skin was also replaced, though not entirely. A synthetic skin simply fills the gaps between the plates of the inner armor.

D- Sigma... That's disgusting.

S- You asked.

G- X No Sigma, I wish to know something.

=Sigma turned and looked up at Ghost=

S- Yes?

G- What is my primary instruction at this time?

=Delta smirked a little=

S- Um... I suppose at this time, you should go with Xazhi.

G- Very well, sir.

X- Well, we should be going then. I'll see you later, Sigma.

=Xazhi and Ghost left the room through the same double-doors Delta came in. Sigma turned back to Delta=

S- So? What do you think?

D- I think it's strange, confusing, impractical, and you trying to play gahd.

S- It's 'God', Delta. Brush up on your Human words. And if nobody every tried that, we wouldn't be here today, would we?

D- I suppose not...

S- So, what questions do you have?

D- Well, primarily how quickly can you make these things, and what are the drawbacks?

S- Well, It took nearly three weeks to clone Xazhi's body for this one, so around that long. However, with the Cloning Facility nearly fully operational now, we could make as many as we wanted during that time.

D- I'm not sure I like that idea at all. Start off with only ten. I want to see how they work in the field.

S- Very well. Like I said, it will take around three weeks.

D- That's fine. Now what are the drawbacks?

S- Well, all the advantages from the Mark-II version of the LIFE project are still present, and we think we may have ironed out some of the disadvantages from Mk-II as well, such as the weakness to Electra-Magnetic Pulses, and the "death of one, death of both" effect.

=Delta sighed=

D- Okay. I would rather see real faces, but I suppose having an army of walking armor suits does have it's morality advantages. But like I said, just the ten for now.

S- Got it.

D- Alright. I'll leave you to your... experiments.

S- Very well.

=Sigma went over to his desk and sat down at his computer. He began to log the progress of Mk-III. Delta left the room the same way he came, and went back up the the ground floor. He left Black Base and was back on the Comet within the hour=