Chapter 15: Boss Rush Mode

POV: Sarah Johnson

The deployment was unlike anything in military history. Four enhanced soldiers, operating simultaneously in six different countries, training local forces while eliminating enhanced soldier production facilities. It was logistically impossible, tactically insane, and absolutely necessary.

My assignment was Myanmar, where enhanced soldiers were being used to suppress pro-democracy protests. The local resistance had weapons, motivation, and tactical knowledge, but they had no experience fighting enhanced opponents.

"Dr. Johnson, these enhanced soldiers are different from regular soldiers how?" asked Colonel Thant, the ranking officer of the local resistance.

"They're faster, stronger, and they don't respond to psychological warfare. They also have neural interfaces that make them immune to fear, pain, and conventional interrogation techniques."

"So they're super soldiers."

"They're artificial soldiers with downloaded combat programming."

"How do we fight them?"

"By disrupting their neural interfaces, exploiting their programming limitations, and using tactics they weren't programmed to counter."

I demonstrated the neural interface disruptor Sarah had designed. It was about the size of a cell phone and could neutralize enhanced soldier programming from a distance of twenty meters.

"This device will shut down their neural interfaces?"

"Temporarily. They'll revert to basic biological functions, but they won't have combat programming."

"What are basic biological functions?"

"Confusion, disorientation, and eventually death as their artificially enhanced systems fail."

"That's not very humane."

"Colonel Thant, these aren't human beings. They're artificial soldiers designed to kill civilian populations."

"They look human."

"They're designed to look human. But they have no consciousness, no free will, and no ability to choose between right and wrong."

"How can you be certain?"

"Because we've examined their neural interfaces. There's no evidence of consciousness, only programmed responses."

The demonstration was effective. Colonel Thant's forces learned to identify enhanced soldiers by their movement patterns, reaction times, and communication protocols. They also learned to use the neural interface disruptors effectively.

"Dr. Johnson, how many enhanced soldiers are operating in Myanmar?"

"Approximately forty, concentrated in three locations."

"Can your device neutralize all of them?"

"If we can get close enough. But they're programmed to recognize and eliminate threats to their mission."

"What's their mission?"

"Elimination of pro-democracy leadership and suppression of civilian resistance."

"So they're programmed to kill us specifically."

"They're programmed to kill anyone who opposes the current government."

"That's most of the population."

"That's the point."

The first engagement occurred during a pro-democracy rally in Yangon. Twenty enhanced soldiers surrounded the demonstration and began systematically eliminating protesters. Colonel Thant's forces used the neural interface disruptors while I coordinated tactical support via radio communication.

"Target the enhanced soldiers in the center of the formation first," I instructed. "They're coordinating the attack."

"How do you know?"

"Communication patterns. The enhanced soldiers are networked, but they have central control nodes."

"Understood. Engaging central targets."

The neural interface disruptors worked exactly as designed. Enhanced soldiers who were hit by the disruption signal immediately stopped coordinating their attacks and began behaving erratically.

"Dr. Johnson, they're not dying. They're just... confused."

"Give it time. Their enhanced systems are failing, but it takes several minutes for complete shutdown."

"What do we do in the meantime?"

"Avoid them. Enhanced soldiers with failing neural interfaces are unpredictable and dangerous."

The operation was successful, but disturbing. Watching artificially enhanced humans die was different from fighting conscious opponents. These enhanced soldiers didn't understand what was happening to them, they couldn't surrender, and they couldn't be reasoned with.

"Colonel Thant, how many more enhanced soldiers are operating in Myanmar?"

"Based on your intelligence, approximately twenty."

"Can your forces handle them?"

"With the disruptor devices, yes. But Dr. Johnson, what happens after we eliminate all the enhanced soldiers?"

"What do you mean?"

"Will more be deployed?"

"Probably."

"How many more?"

"Unknown. But based on global deployment patterns, enhanced soldier technology is being scaled up rapidly."

"So this is just the beginning."

"This is just the beginning."

While I was coordinating operations in Myanmar, my teammates were conducting similar missions in Somalia, training African Union peacekeeping forces. Pixel was in Belarus, working with civil resistance organizations. Jake was in Syria, coordinating with Kurdish defense forces.

Our communication was limited to brief status updates every six hours.

"Team status report," Marcus announced during our scheduled communication window.

"Myanmar: Twenty enhanced soldiers neutralized, local forces trained and equipped. Resistance forces report improved effectiveness against enhanced soldier tactics."

"Somalia: Fifteen enhanced soldiers eliminated, but intelligence indicates additional deployments expected within days."

"Belarus: Enhanced soldier production facility identified and marked for elimination. Local forces require additional training for facility assault."

"Syria: Enhanced soldiers being used for systematic elimination of civilian leadership. Immediate intervention required."

"Ukraine and Venezuela status?"

"Ukraine: Territorial defense forces report enhanced soldiers operating behind enemy lines. Casualties are significant. Venezuela: Opposition forces are outgunned and require direct support."

"Recommendations?"

"We need to coordinate simultaneous strikes on enhanced soldier production facilities instead of just eliminating deployed units."

"Agreed. Pixel, can you identify production facility locations?"

"Working on it. But the facilities are heavily defended and probably underground."

"How heavily defended?"

"Conventional military forces plus enhanced soldier security."

"So we'd be fighting enhanced soldiers to stop enhanced soldier production."

"That's the tactical situation."

I monitored the global communication while treating wounded resistance fighters in Myanmar. The scale of enhanced soldier deployment was increasing faster than we could respond to it.

"Team, we have a bigger problem," I announced during our next communication window.

"What's that?"

"The enhanced soldiers I've examined show signs of mass production shortcuts. Inferior materials, simplified programming, and unstable biological systems."

"We knew they were mass-produced."

"But I don't think we understood the implications. These enhanced soldiers aren't just expendable. They're defective."

"Defective how?"

"Their neural interfaces are deteriorating rapidly. Within weeks, they'll lose all programming and revert to basic biological functions."

"That sounds like a good thing."

"It would be, except their basic biological functions include extreme aggression and complete inability to distinguish between civilian and military targets."

"So they'll become indiscriminate killers."

"They'll become mindless killers with enhanced soldier capabilities."

"How long do we have?"

"Based on the deterioration rate I'm observing, two to three weeks before enhanced soldiers worldwide become completely uncontrollable."

"That changes our timeline significantly."

"That changes everything."

The communication window closed, leaving me to coordinate with Colonel Thant's forces while processing the implications of my medical analysis. Enhanced soldiers were bad enough when they were following programming. Enhanced soldiers with no programming would be catastrophic.

"Colonel Thant, we need to accelerate our operations."

"Why?"

"Because the enhanced soldiers are going to become much more dangerous very soon."

"More dangerous how?"

"Completely unpredictable, extremely violent, and impossible to control."

"When?"

"Weeks, possibly days."

"So we need to eliminate all enhanced soldiers before they become uncontrollable."

"We need to eliminate all enhanced soldiers and destroy all enhanced soldier production facilities before they become uncontrollable."

"Dr. Johnson, that's a massive military operation."

"Colonel Thant, that's the military operation we're committed to."

"Can four enhanced soldiers coordinate a global military operation?"

"We're about to find out."