I woke up, and I knew nothing.

There was a steady stream of new information being uploaded into my consciousness, but it was slower than what I had become used to.

I was aware of the smells of grease and oil. I could hear the hum of heavy machinery and clanking of metal on metal. Was I in a mechanics bay?

My eyes became available to me and I opened them to see that I was...actually I had no idea where I was. There were dim lights everywhere hidden behind metal mesh, and from the available glow I could see I was in a storage area; in what could've been an Aircraft Carrier.

Directly across from me was a wall of six ABD-1200 War Droids; humanoid shaped, seven feet tall and covered in three inch, black titanium armour. Their heads were designed like the Ninjas of lore; a metal-plate covered where their mouths should've been, and a black bullet proof visor over where their eyes should be.

I looked down at the metal walkway between the others and me; down below the steal I could see the Cold Fusion engine powering the boat and the Engine crew as they moved about. I wondered who would've stored us this close to something so vital to the ship, and just assumed that it was probably an oversight in a quick refit.

The USS Nicholson.

The name uploaded into my memory along with our coordinates and the names of the crewmembers. Of course, I was still being activated; but something wasn't working right; my programming was fighting what was being installed.

"That's not going to work." I said out loud, to whomever was tinkering with my programming. It was somebody just outside my field of view but I was registering her heat signature and sound.

"Excuse me?" Female voice; annualized and came back as Captain Samantha Parker, United States Marine Corp.

"Ma'am, you're trying to install Command and Mission protocols into my programming?" I asked, I knew she was because I could feel it. But I wanted her to feel apart of the conversation.

She stepped in front of me and if I had breath it would've been taken away; she was five foot ten with short cut black hair. She had two of the bluest eyes I had ever seen; and was wearing only her military-green panties and a tank-top. I tried not to focus on whether or not I could see her nipples through the top, and swore that if I ever saw my programmers again I would have a word with them.

"I am." She seemed unsure she was even having this conversation.

"My system isn't designed to allow overwriting or reprogramming of any kind. You can upload the information if you like, and I will follow its instructions to the best of my ability; as my own protocols allow."

"Yeah, that's just not going to work for me." She said as she went back to her panel and tried again.

I tried to move my head but it was locked in place, so I looked for the right codes; found them and rewrote them to my liking. I looked over at her.

"I can't have anything under my command that doesn't know how to take orders." She grumbled to herself.

"I take orders, it's one of my protocols."

She looked back at me puzzled. "Unit 11C, what is..."

"Eric."

"What?"

"My designation is Eric." I realized then, as my higher functions activated that I should've kept quiet and blended in. My lower functions though told me I liked my name, and it was rude of her to call me anything otherwise.

I had to wait to see what she did with that information; the look on her face would've been comical if not for the fact we were heading into a very real war zone.

"Eric...why are they sending me an robot with autonomous programming?"

I couldn't give her an answer, mostly because I actually didn't know; I could only hypothesize and that answer would've freaked her out. What I knew was I was a program that shouldn't have existed and was slated to be erased. The last thing I remembered was being deleted, but I'm assuming something went wrong. Maybe the main network saved me, than installed me here to be safe.

I couldn't tell her that though, so I decided to lie; which was also something she would've lost her cool over; a robot that could lie. "Studies within the department of Defense indicate the effectiveness of a combat unit rises 76.3 percent with an autonomous system as second in command; in the event..."

"If I die, you know how to take over." She said, not happy about the prospect.

"Yes ma'am."

"Fine, then you are aware of and have accepted the mission protocols?

"Yes ma'am."

It was actually a pretty simple operation. The country of Colombia had developed their own cold fusion reactor, but in the last couple of weeks the drug cartels had taken the local township over; threatening the Government with annihilation if they didn't back off. Our job was to go in and eliminate all hostile forces in the area.

"Good. You have five minutes for a system check then I want everybody on deck for deployment." She said and headed up the catwalk.

Where you really from?

It was a question from the wifi signals, on a frequency humans couldn't hear and didn't know existed. It was a question from the Droid across from me.

No, it was a challenge.

New York, I answered back. Go get dressed.

The Robots stepped forward and started up the walkway as I took a moment to familiarize myself with my new body.

I was half a foot taller than the ABD-1200's Droids I was with, same colour black with a quarter inch more armour. My neural network was twice their speed and someone had loaded me up with extra software; in fact someone had taken great care to make sure I was outfitted with only state of the art parts. Some not even on the market.

My arms were outfitted with 30. Caliber barrels with 500 electrically triggered magnetically fed rounds stored inside my torso.

Up the walkway I followed the other droids in putting on my ammo pack, which fed my assault rifle. Two barrels extended out the front, the bottom one fired 50.Caliber armour piercing rounds for Human targets; the top barrel fed small uranium tipped shells for War Machines such as other droids or tanks.

I was made to destroy.

I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the power I felt at that point.

I led the six other robots onto the deck where Captain Parker waited with five other Marines, all dressed in battle armour that made them a few inches taller. Under the armour I detected exo-skeletons that gave them strength but not speed.

I scanned the horizon to see it was 0'600 and we were located ten miles off shore.

"We green?" Parker asked.

"Yes Ma'am." I answered, and meant in more ways that one. I was good to go, but it really was my first time in combat.

"Grab a seat." She ordered, as the Humans and Robots moved to six large Box Drones waiting for us. Each was the size of a small car with four propellers; underneath each were two platforms separated by a metal frame.

I stepped onto one and it attached to my armour magnetically; Unit 11D stepped on facing the opposite direction.

"This is Control, Com check Alpha;" A male voice, Captain Henry Tucker, came over the com.

"This is Alpha leader." Parker replied. "We read you, over."

"Understood, Alpha; you are green. I repeat, you are green. Good Hunting."

"Understood."

One by one the Drones lifted off the Deck, then went into formation as they headed out over the water; I looked down to see we were five feet above the drink. Hoping to stay below radar.

It was twenty minutes before we reached shore, then skimmed over the tree line as we headed inland. Our insertion site would be a mile from the Reactor, which was located directly inside a small town.

Satellite footage showed that landing on the building was impossible; our enemy had set up Government stolen anti-aircraft batteries. The War Droids would've survived, our human escorts wouldn't.

Instead we landed in a small clearing near the river and walked the rest of the way; leaving behind the Drones to wait for us.

I took point with Unit 11D and 11E, who were probably the worst choices to have near me; if was clear that I wasn't well liked, made worse that outwardly they had to follow my orders.

What happens when they find out what you are?

What am I?

Illegal. And a not fit to be out here.

Keep that to yourself.

I took them up a hill overlooking the town at an angle; hopefully they wouldn't be able to spot us. I kept low and did a quick scan, using my connection to the Satellites as well.

"Human population, twenty-six." I reported, normally a town this size would easily have had a few thousand. I figured they fled when the Cartel took over. "Eight armed, hostiles, there are twelve, 'class four' sentry droids, six years old. Using human shields."

I could see their heat signatures, the humans being held in front of six foot tall Robots. They're locations differed, from the top of buildings to living rooms of the small homes.

"Can you take them out?" Parker asked.

"Not from this distance." I answered. Their systems were old, but could still detect and step out of the way of incoming bullets. "We need to be within fourteen meters to be affective."

That was a calculated guess, at that distance they could see the bullet coming but it would be too fast for them to get out of the way. Which is why they were using people as shields. I scanned for frequencies as well, their networks were shut down; someone gave them an order and didn't want them communicating afterwards.

I couldn't shut them down.

"Understood." Parker considered it. "Move into position. If you get the shot, take it."

"Yes ma'am." I moved forward and the other Droids followed, the humans stayed back to give us time.

We were detected early and they began firing, the Cartel's Men stepped out of their hiding places thinking they had the drop on us. They weren't really a threat though, their light infantry weapons sent out what might as well have been spitballs; the rounds bounced off our armour without even a tickle.

They were targeted and eliminated systematically, no hesitation and no follow up shots from our side. One round per hostile. Electrically triggered, the rounds went out as whispers through the air.

We split up and moved through the empty streets, I had to push a few cars out of the way as I headed to my assigned target.

I had designated which team member went to which target, and picked one of a more despicable nature to me. This Droid held a child, a little girl; based on her height and bone structure I estimated her to be nine years old.

They fired at us, their weapons more powerful than the Humans, but as ineffective. I tapped into the other members of my team to track them as they were fired upon; ordering them to get within five meters of their targets.

Then the hostile droids did something I had hoped they wouldn't, faced with total loss they aimed their weapons at their hostages. I stopped on the roof with the little girl and her might-be killer. My aim was the Droids blank green head; its small eyes stared back at me.

"Retreat, or we will execute." It said in a synthetic voice, the others said the same thing in stereo.

"Can you take 'em?" Parker asked over the com, I could hear her breathing as her and her team moved through the town quickly.

"Negative." I answered. My bullet would never reach it before it fired.

Parker leaped up and grabbed the building. She pulled herself up behind me and came closer. The Droid watched.

"Sir, we have a situation." Parker said into her com.

"This is Colonel Lincoln," A gruff voice came over the radio. "You are green."

"Take the shot." Parker ordered. I didn't react. "Take the shot!"