"What was that?" one of the other mechanics asked.
"Nothing," she replied and shook her head. "I’m…talking to myself."
He nodded and moved on. It was likely something they all had to deal with at this point, and while talking to oneself couldn't be the most popular way to cope with what they now faced, it was at least understandable.
She hoped so, anyway.
They all hurried to the hangar bay where the pilots had already begun to mount up on their Guardians. Armstrong7 marched between them while he bellowed orders and made sure they remembered all the drills they had gone through.
"Is this for real?" one of the mechanics asked as the CO passed.
"There's no sign of any attack coming Topside yet," he replied, his expression grim. "But the alarms were triggered on the ground and some of the mines were tripped, so we won't take any chances."
Jessica13 nodded. It didn't sound like an emergency to her but it wasn't her job to decide what was or wasn't a crisis.
Besides, this would also be the opportunity to take the new and improved Mini out for a spin. Most of her dreams from the night before had been riding around with Mini, getting to know the AI, and spilling all her hopes and dreams to a friendly ear for what felt like the first time.
It had been a dream of hers for a while, of course, but this was the first time she actually had a voice to go with it. As she made her way to the mech, her weariness seemed to fade as she grew giddy with excitement.
Although probably not the best emotion to feel when their bunker was possibly under attack, it wasn't like she could help it.
She reached the Minato, pulled the chest open, and half-expected Armstrong7 to tell her to choose something else. No instruction to that effect was heard, however. It appeared the CO was too occupied getting the pilots in order first.
Jessica13 climbed inside, pulled it closed quickly, and put her headset on. She wiggled a little more for comfort as the lights came on much faster than they had in the past. The spinning flower was only visible for a few seconds before the HUD activated and she engaged with the controls of the mech.
"Good morning, Jessica13," Mini said. His voice still had a metallic edge to it.
"Morning, Mini," she said and knew a silly grin now stole across her face. "How are you this morning?"
"My systems are running at optimal capacity, thank you," Mini replied. "How are you?"
"A little sleepy," she grumbled, disengaged the suit from its harness, and came free to move toward the walkway. "We were called up because of a possible attack Topside and Armstrong7 doesn't want to take any chances."
"My records indicate that he would rather be called A7," the AI said as Jessica piloted them down the walkway to where she could pick up a crate of ammo to take up to where the Guardians were already starting to assemble.
"I don't feel comfortable calling my commanding officer by a nickname," Jessica13 explained. "It doesn't seem right. Besides, it's not like he really cares what a bulletfoot calls him as long as the job is done."
"My records indicate that A7 cares deeply about the people under his command," Mini contradicted. "To the point of allowing you to operate in a mech that ran with less than optimal software."
"Well, even with less than optimal software, the Mini had many good qualities and Armstrong7 realized that. Although you're not wrong. He does care about us more than I would have thought a CO would, but I shouldn't take that care for granted."
"This seems reasonable. Although his preference for the nickname appears to stem from wanting more efficiency in the comm signals."
"I wouldn't say we interact that much in comms," she responded. "Although if you think we should call him A7 when we're Topside, maybe we should."
"You may consider it a suggestion," Mini said. "Correcting the files in my data core takes only minimal processing power and leaves the rest to reset my systems, for the most part."
"I didn't think AIs did much stewing," Jessica13 said as the bulletfoots began to move toward the elevator.
"Well, I suppose it would be different from what humans consider stewing," the AI said. "There's no word in my databanks that is more of an equivalent, however. The most accurate description available is the resetting of my software to keep processors engaged."
"Yeah, it sounds like stewing to me." She laughed as they boarded the elevator.
There was no word on what was happening Topside with the Guardians, which could mean good or bad news. No warning was always a plus as it meant no rushing for more ammo and all that. It could also mean they were so busy being attacked that they didn't have time to say anything over the comms.
They finally all boarded and the elevator doors began to pull shut, which gave them a moment to relax in their mechs. There was less of the adrenaline rush through their veins than there had been for the previous battle, which told Jessica13 that Armstrong7's drills had done their job to steel their nerves.
The silence was still deafening, though, broken only by the sound of the elevator whirring slowly.
"I'm not sure how this happens, but do AIs interact?" Jessica13 asked.
"Please elaborate," Mini responded.
"Okay, is there a server you can use to interact with the other AIs in Sanctuary?" she asked.
"There are no servers like that available for access," Mini replied. "Even if there were, the Artificial Intelligence cores used in mechs would be restricted. Most of the mechs are contained to keep them from being hacked from the outside, but it would also keep us from being able to extend contact beyond the parameters established in communication lines."
"Huh." She grunted in surprise. "I would never have thought AIs would think of venturing anywhere."
"I didn't
