[Sergeant Alexander Reese, your robot was destroyed!]

[Now you can take a break or start a new mission]

I need to take a break, Alex thought and remembered what had happened recently.

The Alex's squad had managed to break out of the encirclement, but it couldn't escape from their pursuers. As a result, the squad was annihilated.

Damn... I've failed!

A lid opened and a young man left the capsule. Instantly he became stunned. There were many crying and complaining people around. Alex also noticed that many capsules were open.

“No, Mother! No! I don't want to go back there! I'm scarred! I want to go home! I need to see a new episode of “Pony life”! I need this!”

“I wanted to offer a peace, but that blue and scary alien had pierced my robot by his spear... Why did he do that, Mom? Why are they so cruel?”

Next to Alex sat a fat woman on the floor. She sniffed, mumbling. “They are the biggest meanies... They have destroyed my robot... They shouted at me... So scary...”

The Mother's hologram tried to calm this woman down, saying her some meaningless but gentle and reassuring words. Actually, there were a lot of copies of central AI in this room. They all tried to calm her “children” down.

It seems these fatties have experienced their first battle.

“Are you okay, Alex?” a new copy of the central AI materialized by Alex and smiled.

Her smile looks a little strained.

“I am.” He nodded.

“That's good. Do you need my help, Alex?”

“No, thanks, Ma'am. I'll take a break and then return to take a new mission.”

“Okay.”

Alex walked through the crying and depressed people. Their morale is low.

He noticed a man who leaned to the capsule and repeated. “This is a dream, Sandro... This is a dream, Sandro... This is a dream, Sandro... This is a dream, Sandro...”

Even Mother couldn't do anything with this man.

Oh, their morale is even worse that I thought.

Alex and Nixie left the room and soon they reached his apartment. In the kitchen the young man placed a cartridge in the food fabricator and sat at the table. He looked at the android, who stood next to him. “Nixie, do you think... we can win this war?”

“Um... I estimate that our chances are less than 20%, Alex.”

So low.

“I see... Do you think humanity is doomed?”

“We are still fighting,” she smiled and placed her arm on his shoulder. “Besides, we have you, Alex. You are a good soldier with a great potential.”

He chuckled and looked in her eyes. You are just a machine. You speak what you shall, but thanks. It helped me a little.

In less than a minute the human heard a signal from the fabricator. My food is ready.

When Alex was going to have his meal, he had remembered that the android also could digest organic food. She even needs some food to maintain her “human components”.

“Wanna a piece?”

“If it's okay, Alex?”

“It's okay. You are my adjutant and bodyguard. Please, sit down, Nixie.”

The man cut a piece of his food and placed it in her plate.

“Ah, thank you, Alex. It's very kind.”

He admitted that now she behaved herself a little clumsy and looked embarrassed. Even her cheeks reddened a little.

The human smiled. A machine can't love or feel anything. I will not buy this act, Nixie.

“I'm curious. What do you think now, Alex?”

He chuckled. “I think about you, Nixie.”

Do you read me facial expression so easily, Nixie?

“That's... unexpected.” she looked aside – smiling – and quickly curled a lock of her hair around a forefinger. “But it makes me happy.”

“I'm glad to make you happy, Nixie, but our meals are getting cold. Let's eat. We still have a lot of work.”

She nodded.

The man remembered about those weird dreams. I'm sure that those dreams are the root of my quick improvement. Usually I see those dreams after each mission. But how is it connected? Missions and my improvement?

He sliced off a piece of tomato. In computer games a hero is getting stronger when he kills monsters. On a mission I also kill aliens. Does it mean that I'm getting stronger when I kill zorks?

Alex shook his head. This is a real life. Not a computer game. But... But if it is truly connected somehow?

Soon they had finished their meals.

Alex was about to leave his apartment when he remembered about the anti-decay pills. Those pills removed caries from the teeth and killed all bad bacterias in the mouth.

Damn! I've forgotten to take a pill in the morning!

“Wait a sec, Nixie! I'll take my anti-decay pill!”

~~~~~~

They returned to the “Operators' room” and saw no one there. It seems Mother has managed her “soldiers” to leave this place somehow.

The man got in the capsule.

[Welcome, sergeant Alexander Reese!]

[This is a virtual military capsule of the Commonwealth: X-10040!]

[Available missions on Santory continent: 2]

[Description of mission 1: The fortress “DOM” is under attack. Join the defenders of this important stronghold]

[Description of mission 2: 1322-th, 1452-th, and 322-th regiments are attacking the headquarters of the Rag'zork. Join an offense]

Now I have two choices? That's interesting.

Alex chose the mission №2.

[Main objective: The Commonwealth has discovered alien headquarters in the jungle. It's fortified well. There are a lot of blue zorks with their retinues. Commonwealth needs to take up the alien headquarters and destroy a zork transmitter.]

[Start a mission: [Yes] [No]]

Alex chose “Yes” and his vision blurred.

~~~~~~

BAH! BAH! BAM! BAM!

BAH! BAH! BAM! BAM!

Artillery works. Alex though, staring ahead.

Cheap filters in his robot gave the man a possibility to see in the burning jungle, but not clearly. There were a lot of smoke in the air.

Alex stood on his position among other metal “soldiers”, hearing numerous explosions almost half an hour. Finally, the artillery ceased its work and the army moved forward.

Currently Alex ran through the smoke and fire with his new squad. Is it even possible to survive in this hell for anyone?

An answer had come quickly. The human heard sounds of a gunfight ahead.

Suddenly one of his robots fell down. A random plasma ball had disintegrated its upper part. Damn!

A little later many laser and plasma beams began to propel in both directions. A fight is getting tough!

~~~~~~

“One, two, advance! Three, six, ten, take that cover and support the first sub-squad!” Alex commanded to his subordinates via radio, firing off.

The mission description didn't lie! There are indeed too many blue zorks!

The human continued to discharge laser beams in the enemy direction who hid in the burning jungle. When will we kill all of you?!

The blue zorks used each cover and commanded their retinues well. It was hard to pierce through their defense.

Alex had less than a half of his squad. The aliens fought back fiercely. So far many robots were already annihilated in his sub-company.

Currently the human was firing off around the tree. His enhanced reaction and speed helped the human much today.

The man saw as one of his subordinates was destroyed by a plasma beam. Damn! That was two! Now I have only four robots in my squad! Plus Nixie!

The android stood next to him. She protected the Alex's back.

“Three, six, ten! Attack here!” the man commanded, indicating a place on the map and sending this information to his subordinates. “One, join them!”

Alex glanced at the Nixie's robot. “Nixie, follow me!”

“Okay!”

For a moment the human saw – through the smoke – a high silhouette. What's this?!

But he dismissed this thought. I need to fight!

~~~~~~

In the end the alien headquarters were taken up. Alex could only guess about the Commonwealth casualties, eying the battlefield. But they shall be enormous.

Many destroyed robots – as well as dead aliens - lay on the ground.

The most tough battle had happened around the alien transmitter. It was a gigantic tree. Alex figured out that its silhouette he had seen earlier.

He didn't know how it worked, but the Rag'zork were masters of biotechnology. It mustn't be hard for them to create an alive transmitter from a tree or in a form of tree.

Currently the man stood close to the gigantic tree and observed it while other robots placed explosions around its trunk.

“What's wrong, Alex?” Nixie questioned. She – as always – stood beside him.

The human looked at her. “Ah, nothing... I just... I don't know... This tree looks special.”

“Alex, this is a transmitter that even now transmits multiple commands to the Rag'zork forces nearby. Besides, it has a very intricate structure and a unique DNK. But you are right, Alex. It's indeed special.”

“Nixie, you don't understand. This tree... Why do I have a feeling as if it is singing?”

“Singing? It's impossible, Alex. A tree can't sing. Do you feel unwell, Alex? Do we need to take a break?”

The human didn't answer. He just focused his attention on his feelings. He tried to listen this “song”.

There is a rhythm in the impulses that the tree transmits, Alex realized. But he was also confused. The man couldn't understand how he could hear those impulses.

In the next moment Alex realized that those impulses were mental images! Numerous mental images that carry a sender's intension and feelings! That's...

Alex lost his consciousness in the next moment.

~~~~~~

The lid of capsule - where lay Alex – turned its color to red. It meant that an operator's life was in danger.

Nixie opened her eyes and turned to the capsule, which was sending a detailed report to the medical AI.

In a few seconds the floor – below the capsule – opened and the device moved down. There the capsule moved fast along the narrow tunnel and reached its destination. A medical center.

The capsule opened its lead and a robot took the human out carefully. The machine placed the body in the new capsule with a red cross on the lead. The new capsule began to work immediately. Many cables connected to Alex. The medical scanner activated.

In a few seconds the human got his first injection.

~~~~~~

Alex opened his eyes and realized that he lay in the capsule. A little later a lead opened and the human saw Nixie, dressed in a military uniform.

“Alex, how are you feeling?” the android looked concerned.

“Fine... Thanks, Nixie. Where am I? What's happened?”

“You're in the medical center. You'd lost your consciousness on a mission.”

“How long... I was unconscious?”

The human was weak. He closed his eyes for a moment.

“Two days. You were in a coma for two days.”

Alex was stunned and stared at Nixie. “Two days? Wait! You said I was in a comma?!”

She nodded.

“That damn alien transmitter!” he cursed.

It seemed to pique her interest. “Alien transmitter? What do you mean?”

He sighed. “Well, I'm not sure... but I believe that I had heard a song of that tree.”

Nixie looked puzzled. “A song? Alex, you speak about this again. Do you realize that a tree can't sing? Your words are illogical.”

“Nixie, I realize how it sounds, but I think that song was an alien... method of communication? I'm not sure how call it properly. But I believe that I... saw their communication. It is based on mental images where each mental image carries an intention of a sender.”

The human sat in the capsule. “Their method of communication - you can call it “language” - are intricate. I can't even say that I digested those images - that I had seen - properly. The Rag'zork see the world not as us. They are different. Even a majority of their feelings are alien to me. I've never experienced those feelings by myself. I don't know what they mean.”

Alex paused, pondering, and then shook his head in defeat. “The aliens are... just different. It is too difficult – if not impossible - to understand them.”

Nixie put her arm on his shoulder. “Alex, that's okay.”

He looked at her. She looks beautiful... No, she is just a machine that obeys orders! The human reminded himself and glanced at her weapon. The gun was in the holster.

“When I was unconscious, did you... were with me?” he inquired.

“I did, Alex. I guarded you.”

Guarded me? Ha!

“As a knight in the legends?” he joked.

The android tilted her head. “A knight?”

Right now Nixie was searching a special information in the colony database. It lasted less a second. “I understood. Yes, you are right. I was your knight. As in the legends, my prince.”

The android smiled.

Suddenly a hologram of a doctor - a minor AI - materialized beside the capsule. “I assume that you are feeling well, Mr. Reese?”

“Ah... I am.” Alex nodded.