A/N Photo and Video - CV Dazzle which is make up you can use to become 'invisible' to robots/surveillance drones etc. Video same because we can get pretty nerdy.

Wintermute is a full A.I. which means physically it's spread over multiple data centres around the world redundantly networked together any 60% of which can be removed and still be a fully functional intelligence. If you want a picture think of one of those room-filling 60's computers with spinning tapes but being feld by a network of blood in transparent tubes and listening to Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Wintermute's POV.

I watched the video of Araneae's body still pinned to the wall. A fully armoured war trained Hunter Killer who had already guessed the secret of her mission and so you expect was on her guard. Yet still easily stabbed by a supposedly petite human slave. If Araneae needed proof that the cyborg Rockwood was training a stealth assassin her body was her own evidence. Pity I didn't believe the whole 'we fought bitterly while the assassin managed to force a top of the line slave to flee against her will in the RV' . Now the quarter of a million bit coins Araneae was asking for the cyborg's pet seems so small change. The assassin somehow get's a top of the line luxury personal slave to drive for at least five days before abandoning the R.V near Austin. Pity they cannot find Zola's personal slave she would be most informative. Then while the RV leads Rockwood and Zola away on a false trail, the assassin then allows Araneae to recapture her, such a master stroke. Such a shame there are no records. I could imagine the assassin sitting there, silently working on the optimal moment to escape. The fear growing in Araneae's mind as she realises what a dangerous weapon she is transporting. Once Araneae has served her purpose the girl has little trouble in disposing of the hunter killer.

She does it in such a showy way. Obviously, she's sending a message 'I have a taste for machine's blood, you're next'. Then we are expected to believe that a slave girl, without any prior training, was able to disappear leaving no foot prints behind, then avoid all kinds of surveillance systems. This is a major malfunction, no wonder Rockwood is so desperate to find her. Araneae was dead the minute she hid her self on the Osprey.

So what's going on - clearly the cyborg's wanted their own A.I killer. Their equivalent of a night-death cyborg killer. Rockwood trains one in secret, Zola, discovers and wants it for herself. Perhaps in struggling over their bomb, they managed to set it off. A rogue cyborg's assassin, free, able to strike at will at the New Mechanical Order. I must double my security, ... no perhaps the statement killing of Araneae was designed to make us do just that, perhaps she knows that she cannot attack me but knows a slight chink when my system is doubled. Yes, you are a most formidable opponent miss assassin. Why the huge sign, leaving no foot prints? You want me to track you but this is just baiting, for your larger trap, a trap within a trap. A trap, I will not fall into. Clearly, my optimal strategy is to be far away from you where you cannot hurt me. Still, a valuable prize one which would be very difficult to catch. She must be stopped and stopped well away from any of my data centres. If Rockwood can make one, I'm sure they will be other hyper-trained machine killers following. I need her. Like the most powerful acid I need something which can contain her.

JENNY's POV

I'm now rescued by the US Marines, bad news the have given up on their kick-ass tanks and are on bikes, you know with peddles not like they are kind of a khaki hells angels or anything. Think of it as a highly weaponised spin class.

"CONTACT DRONE REAR DRONE REAR" came a voice from the rear of the troop.

"Not again, break left," said Loop.

Suddenly everyone veered the trees by the road. Loop jumped off picked me and the bike up and run behind the trees. He lay down the ground and spread what seemed like a cloak over us both. Everyone else seems to do the same.

"Don't you move an inch or say a word or think a word," said Loop, is huge muscular body pressed up against mine. Plus, he wasn't talking in metric units how wonderful, the comfort of customary units. Hello, inches it's so good to see you. We carried on laying there quietly, then I heard the sound of a drone approaching. It flew a few metres, sorry feet, above the ground. I could see where the original Amazon logo had been badly covered by the new mechanical order sticker. It searched and carried on. After it went, he still covered me and stayed still? A few seconds later another tiny drone about the size of a golf ball flew by. The machines had managed repurpose a snitch for evil, those machines beyond bad. Loop watched it drift to distance.

"You sure are one popular girl," whispered Loop.

"Why couldn't you have been around to say that when I was 13 and it could have done some good?" I said

"You build the time machine, I'll do the travelling for you princess," said Loop.

"I think if you turned up to my 13 year old self she would have exploded," I said.

"Always willing to detonate you princess," said Loop.

"That better be your gun pressed up across my ass," I said in warning.

"I didn't know you caboose had suicidal tendencies," said Loop lifting off.

"Yer, it's got a permanent death wish," I said getting up and dusting my self off.

"Well it's any help, it's killing me," said Loop.Oh, we like him.

Loop got off me and we got back on the bikes and continued. It was strange cycling with the pack. They were called the 7th sevateen (se-va-teen) no I don't know what it meant either. Loop changed places drifted up and down the ranks introducing me to people. The thing that immediately caught my attention was that everyone got on well together. It was like no one hated each other and had to resolve any issues. If movies were to go by every group of troops behind enemy lines were odd balls with issues. I guess they'd been sorted out already on previous missions.

"We need to get to town ahead and get orders about you," said Loop looking at a map.

Loop told the scouts to change direction we headed towards the outskirts of what was left of a nearby town.

We hid in a forest of white metal columns which held up NMO solar panels above our heads. The marines expertly hacked into the power supplies and use these to get a small electric stove working. I got my first taste of coffee in a long time, gorgeous. Loop had decided that we should camp here for the night. I was given a packet which I was promised was beef stew. It was kind of odd eating as much as I liked. These field rations were meant to keep bulky soldiers alive in battle, not for a svelte teenager like me, but I just couldn't stop myself from eating so in the end I started to feel sick. Pity Kayla wasn't around to hear me use words like 'svelte'. I suddenly felt sad.

"Private Whistle," said Loop.

"Sir Yes Sir," said one long faced young man.

"This girl a has been through a number of traumatic events and is in need of counselling," said Loop indicating me. Wow, that was very thoughtful. These were Marines had everything down, right?

Private Whistle took me to the edge of camp for some privacy and we sat down together he started looking into his bag.

"You have been through a traumatic experience and I as a trained para-professional I'm here to help you cope with your experience," Whistle said mechaically.

I was very impressed with the thoroughness of these marines not only could they rescue the old slave in distress they could also help me with my super tanker load of problems bought out by the robot apocalypse my enslavement and everything.

Whistle pulled out a piece of paper which had been laminated it looked very crumpled and he looked down

"Where was I?" he began reading out the words on the card "oh I am. here .to .help .you. cope. without sorry. with. your . experience. It. is. not. unusual. for. newly. freed. slaves .to .have. a .set. of. emotional .problems .which. are. let. loose .from .your .time. in .captivity."

"Wouldn't it be easier if I just read this to you?" I said.

"but I'm not the one that has been rescued," said Whistle " To. further. help. me. with. your. complex emotional needs I would like you to tell me if you have been suffering. from .any. of .the .following symptoms."

"OK" I said.

"headaches," he said.

"No" I said. He ticked it off his checklist.

"nausea"

"nope" I said.

"feelings of guilt?"

"Not yet" I said but I was starting to feel weird about evertything.

"Indecision and lack of concentration"

"I can't decided," I said .

"Yes or no" said Private Whistle.

"No"

Private Whistle continued "Nausea and vomiting"

"Only at the food" I said.

"Yeh I get, that it doesn't count," said Whistle "Insomnia?"

"haven't even had a chance to sleep yet." I said

"No, then...."

We carried on, and on, and least they didn't need sleeping pills if I had problems we could go through this list again. We ended with "Frequency of urination or urinary incontinence."

"No," I said for the hundredth time.

Private Whistle looked up from his checklist while wiping marks off the check listwith his cuff.

He leant back and shouted "Sir It's OK she's cured Sir" to Loop.

"Good work soldier" shouted Loop.

"Rescued slaves front and centre" shouted Rodi.

I walked up.

"Okay here's the plan," said Loop "we believe you may be a SOSV."

"SOSV?" I said.

"Slave of significant value," said Rodi.

"I'm glad, because my first guess was sausage on a stick volunteer," I said.

"I need to get orders from alpha control. And I need you to be recognised. We need to get to a landline to phone them up"

"Seriously you dialling out for orders like pizza?" I asked.

"We run out of pigeons" admitted Loop.

"Oh okay continue," I said.

"The nearest secret landline is hidden in a small town about a click down the road. We believe it to be unoccupied. Most recent intelligence has had no sentience activity in this area for a month now. There may be automatics but we have plenty of ways of getting passed them. A small team will approach by autonomous support transport, contact with alpha command, then engage in any targets of resource acquisition that may become available. If the team becomes fragmented for any reason they are to rendezvous back here with Sgt Rodi." said Loop.

"Meaning..." I said.

"If we see some proper clothes for you we will get them," said Loop.

"Okay and how big is this team," I asked.

"Smallest team possible. You and me."

"So to summarise you and I are going to cycle town to make a phone call and do some shopping. If I get lost come back her" I said.

"Good summary," said Loop.

"Now about your makeup," said Sgt Rodi.

"Why does everyone wants to tell me how to look?I just want to get it off" I said.

"No we are going to put more on," said Sgt Rodi.

"You guys seriously don't believe in under-dressing for a cycle ride do you?" I said.

A little later I pulled my face out of the makeup printer looked in the mirror and had the weirdest view ever. It was like Picaso had been let loose on my face. Loop had pulled a long lock of hair over his left eye and drawn marks on his cheeks.

"What's with the war paint?" I said

"Confuses the face recognition systems. If we walk carefully they won't see you as a human. They will not 'see' you as a something to be captured or shot'." said Loop. I was given a flack jacket and a kind of camouflage poncho which broke up my human shape.

"That sounds crazy." I said.

"It's crazy enough to work. Don't worry I've done it plenty of times" said Loop.

"How many is plenty?" I said.

"up to 100 times" said Loop.

"My dad said up to 100, includes zero and -1"

"Well looks like your dad was right," said Loop

***

What do you think of Loop - is he Jenny Material ? We are standing by in Cyborg's pet central to hear from you. RK+Reb