Tank

Tank is cybernetic rhino humanoid that had been made only for war

“Sensors initiated… Safeties enabled… Commands active…” A female scientist could be heard saying these words. She looked to be a black and white badger, wearing a simple white lab coat, dress shirt, pants, and glasses. What she was talking to was a new weapon she devised that was waking up in what looked to be a small laboratory. Its whereabouts were unknown, but it housed some of the most highly advanced weapons and machines that were seen on the face of the planet. And now, one such machine was finally finished and about to awaken. “Here we have the Robotic Hyperkinetic Intelligence Network Object, or RHINO., fully functional. Production has finished for this prototype just a few days ago, and he is now ready for testing to see if he is ready for the field.” This machine had the image of a rhino, coincidentally enough. He had a grey body with a dark grey belly and chest, sporing a red horn and some parts of his synthetic fur being red. Speaking of which, there was even what resembled white hair on the top of his head. The most peculiar thing about him, though, was the copper arm on the side that looked nothing like the rest of his body. [5:54 PM] Currently, he was laying on a large worktable where he remained motionless for the time being. That wouldn’t be the case for long, however. “RHINO. is equipped with all sorts of weapons that are fit for any situation,” the scientist continued, “and we have also downloaded different forms of hand-to-hand combat and proficiency skills to make him a force not to be reckoned with. Other additions include a personality program in his data banks to give him free will and understanding; a voice modulator that allows him to change his tone of speech however he sees fit; a cloaking device; and a synthetic right arm that we will go further in detail in future tests. But as of now, we will awaken him and see what he can do.” As it turned out, the scientist was recording herself on a tape recorder for a few logs. Makes sense that her peers would need to know about what transpired in case they were unaware of the events that transpired here. But that wasn’t important. For now, she walked on over to a computer and started clicking away at a keyboard, initiating a boot-up procedure to get him up off of his feet. Soon enough, that was exactly what happened. His eyes opened slowly to see lights shining down upon him before he just as slowly rose from the table, looking around to see that he was in a place he was unfamiliar with. [5:55 PM] The scientist would notice this and approach him. “Good morning, RHINO,” she said with an eerily calming tone in her voice. “It’s good that you’re finally awake. We have to go and test out your abilities immediately.” He responded to her words. “Affirmative.” His natural voice was gruff but clear, with weight and authority. He rose off the table and stood in front of the scientist, who was about a few feet shorter than he was. RHINO was quite the giant of a machine. “Right, then. This way.” The scientist took the lead as her machine followed right behind her. As they walked out of the room, he would look around to see what kind of place he was in. From the looks of things, it almost appeared that he was in some sort of military base. But where? And what alignment do the residents of it fall under? He did a few scans, but so far, nothing seemed to be of interest enough for him to decipher where he was. Either they had some sort of means of keeping information about this group top-secret, or he was still booting up and not able to make decipherable scans because of it. After a bit of walking, the scientist led RHINO to what looked to be a shooting range. There were targets, test dummies, booths for shooting, and everything else in between. This looked like the kind of range people would go to for target practice at a gun store, which didn’t seem the place for a machine such as him, but the scientist had enough faith in this test to allow it. [5:55 PM] “Now, RHINO, we will begin target practice momentarily,” she said as he took his place. At that moment, many targets–both stationary and moving–popped up, ready for him to take aim and start the test. “You may proceed now.” At that moment, the weaponized rhinoceros stuck out his copper arm and turned it into a miniature Gatling gun with a lock-on scope attached to the top. He aimed at all of the targets in one fell swoop before firing a barrage of high-powered, armor-piercing bullets at every single one of them. With every target he aimed at, they turned into nothing more than dust and rubble. What’s more, he destroyed all of the targets in 6 seconds. Upon seeing this, the scientist was understandably shocked in awe. “Very impressive work, RHINO!” She exclaimed happily before she proceeded to write down the results of the test on a clipboard she was carrying. “It seems that your weapons system is fully functional.” RHINO put away his Gatling gun and turned to face the scientist, giving an emotionless stare down at her while waiting for her next commands. What she said instead, though, was nothing short of disturbing. “With your power in our hands, we have the potential of being the most powerful military force the world has ever seen!” The way she was speaking like that, it was almost as if she switched from being an everyday scientist to something more akin to a dictator. “Now I, Dr. Amanda Blitz, will prove to the world that she is capable of brilliance as vast as the sky itself!” [5:57 PM] It was then that RHINO spoke once more, this time with a more concerned tone in his voice. The personality program in his data banks was starting to kick in, and by the sounds of his voice, he wasn’t sure if he approved of his creator’s intentions. “Dr. Blitz?” He started. “Why do you need to show the world how powerful I am?” “Ahhh, I see you’re starting to form an understanding of what’s going on,” she replied before clearing her throat after her outburst. “You see, RHINO, I created you in the hopes that you can be the turning point we need in becoming the first in a series of war machines similar to you. You were made as a sort of prototype, and your abilities were tested just now to see if we should continue this trek or not. Naturally, your fighting prowess has already blown my expectations away, and I’m your creator! Soon, we’ll be able to create more RHINOs such as yourself to give us an army worthy of the Secret Command Operative Power Elite.” More RHINOs? Secret Command Operative Power Elite? Neither was in RHINO’s database, as far as he knew. And he checked his database just now, going as fast as the blink of an eye. “Dr. Blitz, what is this ‘Secret Command Operative Power Elite’ you mentioned?” He asked. “It’s not anywhere in my data banks. And come to think of it, neither is our location.” “Ah, yes, I forgot to install all the info you needed before waking you up,” she replied, bonking herself with her clipboard upon realizing her mistake. “Well, it doesn’t hurt to give a reminder. The Secret Command Operative Power Elite, or SCOPE for short, is an elite lineup of soldiers and machines that work in harmony together to end any wars that show their ugly heads. We work in secrecy, and our units are trained for any situation. They are the best of the best, and not many can call themselves equal in terms of strength. You won’t be able to find stronger units anywhere else.” [5:57 PM] That explains why he was equipped with as many weapons as he did. He only used just one of them now, and look at how that ended. “As for where we are now?” Dr. Blitz continued. “It’s a disclosed location somewhere in southern Africa. It’s how we were able to come up with the basis for your skeletal structure. We had to get your weapons shipped from America to be able to finish you. It was a long and expensive process, but it was worth it in the end.” “So…” RHINO looked down at his partly finished arm, looking deep in thought. “What you’re saying is I’m just a war machine with no purpose in life?” When he asked that, the doctor raised a brow at his question. “What are you talking about, RHINO? Of course, you have a purpose: to lead the RHINO Units and serve in SCOPE! But first, we have to get you back to the lab and install all the remaining data into your database. That way, you won’t lose sight of your directive.” She walked over to the door to the rest of the building, but RHINO didn’t take a single step. He was still contemplating what his purpose was. Upon seeing this, Dr. Blitz rolled her eyes and gave a light chuckle. “Relax, I promise you won’t get decommissioned or anything like that,” she said, although her words didn’t seem to be given that much weight to them. “Now follow me to the lab, RHINO. That’s a direct command.” Despite still being in thought about the whole situation, RHINO would do what he was told and follow Dr. Blitz back to the laboratory. As he followed her, so many things came to mind. What would happen when she builds more of the RHINO Units? What kind of destructive power will they have compared to him? Are they doing the right thing by doing this? Those, along with other questions, circled in his head. While he was activated not even an hour ago, he was starting to think less like a war machine and more like a pacifist. And yet, his creator was not aware of what was going through his databanks. She was more concerned about getting him to the lab and installing the date he needed to go through with his directives. [5:57 PM] It wouldn’t be much longer before the two of them entered the lab once more. “RHINO, I want you to lay on the table and wait for the installation to begin,” she commanded as the machine would do what he was told, laying back on the table and waiting for what comes next. Before she started, though, he spoke out a bit. “Dr. Blitz?” He called out to her as she gave him his attention. “Do I need to kill people?” Upon asking that, she raised a brow once more. “You are a war machine fitted for combat in the heaviest degree. What other purpose do you have besides that? Growing flowers on the ground?” “Flowers…” That was all RHINO would say as he searched through his databanks to see what flowers were. Oddly enough, extensive knowledge of the world around him was installed into his brain, so he had information on hundreds of thousands of flowers in the world. Upon thinking about them, he felt something deep inside. He felt warmth. Tranquility. Peace of mind. Things that normal machines such as him were not given. Dr. Blitz was quick to snap him out of it, though. “Focus, RHINO!” She yelled. “Do not let any of those unimportant matters cloud your mind. I need you to stay on the task at hand and wait for the installation process to begin.” Hearing her yell at him made him a bit shocked at first. It was then where he would take what she said in mind for a second before giving her possibly the most important choice of his life. “…I refuse.” Upon hearing his answer, he was immediately met with a powerful electrical shock that spread throughout his body, making him cry in agony from the pain. “Now, now, RHINO,” she said as she turned to face him while revealing that she was holding a remote. “You can’t refuse me. I was the one who created you, after all, and whatever I say, goes. You will be made into a war machine fit for combat and lead the rest of the RHINO Units. If not, then that’s no worries. I have your data uploaded to my computer just in case I need to construct a new RHINO Unit. I could always just scrap you and use you for other means. So unless you want that to happen, then I suggest you–” [5:58 PM] Before the badger had any chance to finish her spiel, the robotic rhinoceros blasted her computer to pieces with a built-in shotgun feature in his right arm. There would only be scrap and wires left after that powerful shot, almost like he fired a sawed-off shotgun at close range. Even though she had her life’s work destroyed right in front of her eyes, Dr. Blitz didn’t look to be livid. At all. She looked more annoyed than angry. With a sigh, she looked back at RHINO and shook her head. “You disappoint me, RHINO,” she said coldly. “I was to give you a good life alongside me, but it seems that not every machine I create is a success. And since you destroyed the data I so tirelessly worked to get, it seems I’ll have to disassemble you and get that data back once again.” She raised the remote and pointed it towards RHINO, sending another electric shock his way and making him howl out in pain one more. He rolled over and hit the ground, covering himself from the remote’s range. Once there, he activated the cloaking device installed in his right arm, shielding him from sight. If he stayed here any longer, then he was going to be deactivated and disassembled, possibly to be used as a template for a new RHINO Unit that will be much more violent and emotionless than he was. He had to get out of here–now. Therefore, while he was invisible, he quietly got up from the ground and snuck away to the door while his creator walked to the other side of the table, only to find that he was gone without so much as a trace. “This is bad,” she said before she would run over to an intercom and speak into it. “Attention, all personal, this is a code red. The RHINO Unit has escaped and has gone rogue. I’m requesting all units to detain him at all costs. I want him intact. He is a priceless piece of weaponry, so do not harm him if it is possible. He is heavily armed and incredibly dangerous, so use extreme caution when confronting him. Send units in all directions of the Institute, and whatever you do, DO NOT LET HIM GET AWAY. And as for you, RHINO, you will not get far. We will find you soon enough. So surrender now, or you will suffer the consequences.” Soon after she gave that announcement, alarms started blaring across the establishment, alerting everyone inside. RHINO had to move quickly, especially now that soldiers and other machines such as him were going to be on the lookout for him. What’s more, he can’t have his cloaking device activated for too long, or it was going to overheat and become unusable for some time. Therefore, he stuck to the shadows and hugged the walls as much as he could while he snuck across the halls. As he kept on going down the halls, he saw people wearing black suits and sunglasses–a surefire sign that they were not to be messed with. They must have been the soldiers Dr. Blitz was talking about–although they looked more like secret agents than soldiers. Their appearances aside, he concluded that if he tried to attack them all at once, then he was as good as done for. Hence, he kept going forward, staying out of sight and using his cloaking device when necessary. [5:58 PM] He ran down and sneaked through the hallways, passing any elite soldiers that were blocking his path without harming any of them. It wasn’t that he couldn’t take them, but if he tried to, then the entire Institute would be alerted to his location, thus making it harder for him to escape. It wasn’t going to be easy, but he had to push through. It was then that his creator made another announcement, one that spoke trouble for RHINO. “Attention, all units,” she blared, “activate the heat-sensor function on your night vision goggles. RHINO could be using his cloaking device and sneaking away from you when you least expect it. He’s learning to adapt to his surroundings, so we must catch him before he gets away.” Well, that made things ten times harder. It’s bad enough that highly-trained soldiers and heavily-equipped war machines were surveying every corner in the establishment, but now, his cloaking device was made useless due to the use of night-vision goggles. With that change in mind, he had to throw all caution to the wind and be fast on his feet. One small mistake could lead to his deactivation and dismantlement. Luckily for him, though, the area he was at was not heavily populated, and it allowed him to sneak away into an undisclosed location that had no one taking refuge in it. With all that running and sneaking around, he didn’t check to see where he was exactly. “Where… Where am I?” RHINO said, looking around to check his surroundings. By the looks of things, he appeared to be in an old, abandoned bunker the Institute used to use. As for what it was for, a little more investigating was in order. But this wasn’t any old bunker. There were schematics and blueprints all over the walls, almost like a crazy scientist put them up. They looked old and derelict, so it must have been years since the Institute had used these, possibly even a decade. Looking around more, the robotic rhinoceros stumbled across an especially odd discovery. He found a tape recorder–in pristine condition, no less. Not to mention, it came with a recording that seemed to be recent. A piece of tape was attached to the mixtape inside of the tape recorder almost like there was supposed to be something said there. And yet, it seemed too smudged to make it out. Regardless, he didn’t have many options in the matter, so he played the recording on the tape and listened to it. The tape played as followed: “April 22, 2020, 4:52 PM…” For a second there, RHINO felt something deep inside when he heard that time. It was almost as if the date sounded familiar… In any which case, he allowed the tape to continue. “I’ve done it! The plans for the RHINO Project have finally been completed! I just went to the General about this, and he agreed to go through with it! Eeeeee! I’m so excited! [5:59 PM] …Ahem! I was tasked with creating a prototype for the Project to see if it was a susceptible move to create more units afterward. No use in getting the funding for the Project if one goes rogue and reins havoc onto everybody in the Institute. If this becomes successful, then I’ll be the head scientist for the entire army! Oh, I can’t wait! People will finally be able to see my brilliance and prowess in inventing, and I’ll be an invaluable asset to the General and his battalion! Just wait, world! Dr. Amanda Blitz is going to take the world by storm someday!” And that’s where the tape recording ended. So that was a recording of Dr. Blitz a few years ago, sounding excited to be able to make something that was known as the RHINO Project. That must have been what she was talking about when she said she would make more RHINO Units for battle. But sadly, with the data for RHINO Units destroyed and her prototype going rogue and escaping, she wasn’t going to have her dream come true anytime ever. “So you know the truth now.” Before long, RHINO was met with a familiar voice standing behind him. It was Dr. Blitz, and she had elite soldiers at her beckoned call, ready to open fire on him if he so much as pulled out a weapon. “You were going to be my ticket to the big leagues, but you had to go rogue and ruin everything that I worked so desperately for. Now, who knows what will happen when they find out that my creation was responsible for causing such a panic? Although I’m surprised you didn’t kill anybody on your way here. I must congratulate you there, RHINO. Sadly, I did not build a pacifist. I built a war machine, and if you can’t do your job, then I’ll have to start from scratch, especially with how you so carelessly destroyed my life’s work.” RHINO was trying to look for a place to run, but it was for naught. He was cornered, and he was running low on options. “Now don’t fight it, RHINO,” she said. “If you come back to us, then I promise no one will harm you. I apologize for hurting you there, and I wish to start over.” It was clear that he didn’t trust her words, and he backed away, continuing to look for a way out of here. And he’d best think of it quick. “So you still refuse to come with me and live your best life,” she sighed while shaking her head. “Very well. I very much didn’t want to destroy you, but if it’s come down to that, then I have no choice. Destroy him.” All of the soldiers were aiming their weapons right at RHINO, ready to fire. He had no other choice. He had to fight back, or he was as good as dead. Therefore, he pulled out his miniature Gatling gun and aimed it back at the soldiers and his creator, using his lock-on feature to make sure they didn’t escape his sight. Upon realizing this, they knew it was time to take cover. [6:00 PM] “EVERYONE, GET DOWN!!!” Dr. Blitz yelled out in panic as she and the troop she was with took cover behind whatever debris was nearby. It was just in the nick of time, too, as he started firing those same high-powered, armor-piercing bullets from before. With how strong they were, they were bound to destroy whatever cover the scientist and the soldiers were hiding behind rather effortlessly. And yet, none of it was destroyed. No matter how many bullets hit the tables and crates that littered throughout the bunker, none of it was destroyed or almost like RHINO was holding back his power. That’s because he was. “You may have created me, Dr. Blitz, but I won’t be joining you or any army,” he called out. “I want to live my own life, and I want to live it without having to have a heavy burden fall upon me. This is not what I want to be, and I won’t be disassembled because of it.” He then turned around to face the wall behind him and morph his Gatling gun into a miniature rocket launcher. Despite the size, the thing packed a lot of power in it, as shown when RHINO fired a small rocket at the wall that caused a massive explosion. It caused debris to go flying everywhere, and a giant dust cloud followed afterward, shielding Dr. Blitz and the soldiers from his sight. This was his opportunity to leave, but before he did so, he made a few last words towards his creator. “Don’t bother searching for me, Dr. Blitz,” he said. “By the time you come to, I’ll already be as far away from here as possible. Find someone else to be your war machine, but I won’t be a part of this.” And so, the robotic rhinoceros made his leave, running away as fast as he could to get away from the Institute, which resided somewhere in the Kalahari Desert. With not a lot of places to hide due to it mostly being dunes and bushes, he had to move quickly. And move quickly, he did. Once the explosion cleared out, the smoke had started to disappear, allowing everyone caught in it to be able to see. No one was hurt, either, especially when RHINO aimed the rocket away from them. The most that the soldiers got were a few bruises and cuts. Nothing fatal. As for Dr. Blitz, she would see that her greatest creation was gone, going rogue and fending for himself out in the desert. One of the soldiers was quick to point out the obvious. “Dr. Blitz! The RHINO Unit is gone!” He yelled out in a panic. Another one soon followed. “What are your orders? Shall we give chase?” It was then that the scientist answered. “No,” she simply said as she walked towards the large hole in the wall RHINO made. She looked out towards it rather coldly, though the tone of her voice sounded a bit melancholic. “Just… Leave me alone for a bit.” “But, Dr. Blitz? We could find the RHINO Unit in about an hour or less if we act now–” “I said NO!” She yelled back at the soldiers, who all came at ease when she did so. “I want you to start repairs to the wall as soon as you’re able. Leave worrying about the RHINO Unit to me. And while you’re at it, shut off the alarm.” “Are… Are you sure?” Another soldier asked, clearly unsure of what to make of the badger’s decision. She didn’t reply, simply looking out the hole in the wall and not making even a single sound as she looked out into the vast, sandy ground. Seeing as how there was no arguing to her here, the soldiers made their leave, on their way to go and do what she had told. In the meantime, she was left alone, looking out onto the sandy terrain and seeing the sunset. [6:00 PM] ‘RHINO… If this is your choice, then…’ She sighed as she thought to herself before shaking her head. ‘You were my greatest invention–no, you ARE my greatest invention, and seeing you make your own choices like that?’ She clenched her right hand tightly into a fist. ‘I was being incredibly selfish. How could I look at you after seeing how much you want to make a living all on your own? If that’s your decision, then I won’t stop you. I wouldn’t be able to stop you, to begin with, but all I’ll say is… Be safe out there, RHINO. For me.” 4 hours later… RHINO had been running as fast as he could nonstop through the dunes, hoping to get as much distance away from the Institute as he possibly could. At this point, the sky had turned a blackish purple, signifying the dead of night. It was a full moon tonight, so he’d have some source of light to guide him where he needed to go. “I think I’ve put enough distance away from the Institute,” he said to himself as he laid down on a dune to cover himself and give himself a little bit of rest. As he was lying there, he scanned his database to see what little left he had in terms of being a RHINO Unit for whatever army Dr. Blitz was a part of. The thought of killing people made him uncomfortable, even more so when he thought of what it would be like if he didn’t have any of his free will or emotions. It gave him a thought. ‘As long as I have the memory of Dr. Blitz inside of me, I’d forever remember what my purpose was. By extension, I would have to live out the rest of my existence knowing that I am a weapon that was destined to hurt and even kill all oppositions.’ He looked down at his cybernetic arm. “There’s only one way that I know of that can wipe any trace of my war apparatus info. I’ll have to remove the memory chip that resides in my head.” It was a huge decision to make. On one hand, all data of him being a war machine would be lost entirely, making him more of a docile machine afterward; on the other hand, that would also mean all the rest of the data stored in the memory chip would be lost forever. In other words, he would give himself a forced case of amnesia. But he was determined to do this. As he said, it was the only way to stop him from causing anybody to get hurt. The only other option he could think of was destroying himself, but that was more of a last-ditch effort. So the memory chip had to go. [6:00 PM] “If it’s the only way, then so be it,” he said as he used his cybernetic arm one last time to pull out a sharp needle-looking device revealed to be a data spike. While Dr. Blitz didn’t elaborate on it, RHINO would have to guess that it would be used for downloading information from enemy bases or as another means of killing people, particularly in a more stealthy manner. Either way, it would be useful for helping him to rip the memory chip out of his head. He closed his eyes shut and braced for impact as he aimed the spike towards his brain, which was more than likely where the chip was located. Before he went through with it, he let out a few final words. “Goodbye… Dr. Blitz.” And with that, he shanked himself right in the head, causing him to yell out in agonizing pain, digging deep into his synthetic skull to find where the chip was located. It was a good thing he was just a machine, or this would have been way more graphic. In any which case, he gripped the sand beneath him and groaned in agony, circling the spike throughout his head to find the chip. “R-Rrrgh… I-Is this… what pain f-feels like…?” He was panting heavily as he kept on moving the needle. It was like a worm was squirming its way through his head, the only difference being that it would be covered in razor blades. It took a bit of digging around to find it, but soon enough, he was able to find the chip. He penetrated right through it, immediately yanking it right out his head and destroying it. “Mission… accomplished…” That was the last thing he said before he fell onto the sandy ground beneath him, blacking out and laying unconscious for the rest of the night. … Eventually, morning hit the sky, which turned into a brighter blue with the sun beaming down his fiery rays down onto the landscape. One of those rays fired down upon RHINO, which was enough to wake him up from his brief coma. He gasped and jolted himself up, sitting up and looking around to check his surroundings. “Where… Where am I?” He sounded confused as he rubbed his head and got up from the ground, which he looked down at. “This is sand… Am I in a desert?” At least he was able to understand what kind of place he was at, so his basic understanding wasn’t entirely lost. It seemed, however, that he forgot everything that had happened yesterday thanks to his removal of the memory chip, a thought that would never cross his mind again. It was then that one other thought did. “Wait, why am I in a desert? And… who am I?” He looked down at his own hands and noticed that one of them was far different than the other. This one was copper, almost like he was wearing a glove. “W-What happened to my arm?” He looked across his arm to see if he could take this weird copper glove off, but it turns out that it was anything but. It wasn’t a part of his arm, it was his arm. [6:01 PM] RHINO–or at least, the rhinoceros with no recollection of his actual name–dug deep into thought as he assessed this discovery. ‘This is so weird. I wake up in a desert, and now, I have what looks like a robo arm… Am I a robot? A cyborg? Either way, I must be pretty old because this arm looks like it barely works…” His cybernetic arm was covered in sand, giving the impression that he was here for quite some time. For all he knew, he could have been here for weeks, which begs the question of how he’s alive out here. Oh, how little he knows what he’s capable of. “I need to find someplace to go,” he said, looking around. “There’s gotta be somebody out there that can help me. I’d better start looking.” And so, he trekked the long desert dunes in hopes of finding someone that can nurse him back to health. Or fix him back to prime condition. Whichever one works in this situation. Either way, RHINO was no more. Now walked a nameless rhinoceros with no clear goal and no knowledge of his past.