Transcript of Mission Tape: Porktober 11th, yr 3313
Strider 4 to main base, security patrol update. All quiet so far, swinging East at the way-point.
Rodger that Strider 4, I have you at the way-point, transmitting coordinates for your next marker.
Copy main base... CONTACT! I have multiple bogies in all directions... its like...
Strider 4, this is base. I heard a contact alert, please confirm... Strider 4, do you copy?
Sorry base, I confirm contact, am attempting to ascertain target. I thought it was Ambershards for a moment, but... Base, can you check to see if there's been an escape from a zoo or a circus transport in the region? I'm seeing lots of wildlife, multiple species and I've seen none of it before.
Stand by Strider 4, checking for you now.
Mac, I got an alert relay saying our sentry patrol had hit trouble.
Uh, no Colonel, its looking like a false alarm. Local wildlife possibly, I'm just checking news feeds to see if there's been any reports of escaped animals. Not seeing anything though. Strider 4, any chance of a description? It might help the feed search.
Copy base, uh... OK... closest one to me maybe looks like a snavuurm, buts it's shorter and more sort of.. pudgy, I guess. Red hide, yellow underbelly, sort of a crest on its head and the HOLY <redacted>! IT'S GOT A <redacted> FLAME WEAPON! EVASIVE MANEUVERS!Strider 4, this is the Colonel! Disengage and head back to your previous way-point. I'll get some backup there ASAP. What's your status?
Rodger that Colonel, shields blocked most of it, some minor damage. Heading back to the way-point... uh... damn, got another one blocking me. Trying to get around it.
Yeah, give it plenty of room Strider 4, no point getting in range of that flamer if you don't need to.
Negative Colonel, this is a different one. Looks like a bright yellow bunny with a weird ass tail... kinda cute. Heh, sounds like its singing...
Singing?
Yeah... could be a mating call I suppose... sounds like "Peeka Peeka Peeka Peeka..."
<sound of violent static and crackling>
Strider 4! Strider 4! Do you copy? Strider 4! Report!
... AYDAY MAYDAY! LIGHTNI....IKE! OUT OF CONTR....N'T HOLD......NCHING OUT!
Mac to Ready 1, we have a pilot down! Scramble now, am feeding course to your machines!
Base, this is Strider 4, chute deployed.... I'm OK.
Strider 4, this is Mac... Rescue crews en-route. Are you coming down close to any of those things?
Uh, hang on... Mac, this is way weird... I can't see anything. The place was crawling just before but there's not an animal in sight!
You sure about that Strider? They haven't just gone to ground?
No... I mean, there must be some sign, right? And I'm looking at my ride and I can't see where it was hit! No soot, no scorching... not a damn thing!
Uh, I read you Strider... look, just get your sidearm ready in case and hunker down until help arrives, OK? Yell if you see anything.
Mac, what the hell's going on?
Sorry, Colonel you know as much as me. One minute he was on patrol, I sent him a route change and suddenly the place is teeming with... hold on... computer, show me that course data packet please. Yeah, thought so... it's been tampered with.
What?
It's had a file appended to it... coding looks real old as well... some kind of... it's a game!
What?
You're getting repetitive Colonel... It's an old virtual reality game... go out and capture monsters. The thing is if you run it through a mech, you have a hundred ton armed gaming rig that thinks it's under attack, and you can't tell the difference until you get outside. No doubt somebody's idea of an absolutely wizard jape.
Can you tell who it was? I'll shoot them myself.
Not yet, but I'll be able to track the source I'm relatively sure. You want me to copy the report to Fuller as well?
No point, he's on... uh... extended reconnaissance.
Oh, you mean the kind of extended reconnaissance where he had to pack his fishing rods?
Enough of your lip Mac.Yessir, sorry sir.... say, Colonel?
Hmm?
This code certainly looks benign... I'll double check it thoroughly of course but... from the looks of it, some of the monsters in this game spawn next to natural water features.
So?
Just thinking that Fuller's fishing trips... Sorry, I mean extended recons always seem more extended than we expect them to... its almost as if he's got to catch them all....
Submitted by David McCallum #701548
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