Unit 734 was unlike any enemy Kaelen had ever imagined. It didn't radiate malice or anger. It radiated a cold, dispassionate, and utterly terrifying purpose. It was a scientist, and he was its specimen.
"Your 'growth' anomaly has been analyzed and a counter-measure has been developed," Unit 734 stated, its voice a flat, synthesized monotone. "That solution is no longer viable. Your optimal course of action is surrender."
Kaelen felt a chill run down his spine. The trick that had saved his village was now useless. This new machine was smarter. It had learned.
'Okay,' he thought, his mind racing. 'So a direct conceptual attack won't work. I need to think like a tinkerer.'
