Model One​

Enemy Classification: Scout / Low-Threat / Seeder / Flight-Capable

Elimination Reward: 1 Point

Model Description: Model Ones are small avian entities resembling Corvus corone (common crow) in size and appearance, with an average weight of 400-600 grams and a wingspan of approximately 85-100 cm. Their bodies are covered in black skin, and they possess an anomalous circulatory system filled with green-colored blood. Model Ones exhibit high agility and aerial maneuverability, alongside an apparent lack of self-preservation instinct, engaging in aggressive behavior towards larger organisms and mechanical entities.

Model Ones do not possess a digestive system, leading to their inevitable death approximately seven days post-birth. Prior to expiration, Model Ones focus on scouting, gathering small objects, and initiating attacks on perceived threats to their hive. Notably, Model Ones death in a localized area contributes biological material necessary for the genesis of a new hive, a process that significantly complicates containment efforts.

Artist's Depiction of a Model One​

Threat Analysis Report: Model One

Threat Rating: Low

Overview

Model Ones represent a unique and emergent threat. Characterized by their small, bird-like appearance and rapid, albeit short-lived, life cycle, these entities pose a strategic challenge due to their ability to seed new hives upon death and their aggressive behavior towards both civilians and military personnel.

Threat Capabilities

Rapid Hive Genesis: The death of Model Ones contributes to the formation of new hives. This self-propagating mechanism ensures their persistence in the environment, complicating eradication efforts.

Agility and Swarm Tactics: Model Ones exhibit high maneuverability and a propensity for swarming, enabling them to overwhelm targets through sheer numbers and initiate surprise attacks on unarmored individuals or weak points in infrastructure.

Non-Digestive Survival: The lack of a digestive system implies that Model Ones do not require traditional sustenance, allowing their entire lifecycle to focus on reconnaissance, collection, and aggression, unhindered by the need to feed.

Strategic Threat Assessment

Containment Difficulty: High. Traditional containment and eradication methods are less effective due to rapid hive genesis and the aerial mobility of Model Ones.

Military and Civilian Risk: Low. While individually considered low-threat, in large numbers or swarms, Model Ones can cause significant disruptions, potentially leading to casualties among unarmored personnel and civilians.

Potential for Expansion: Moderate. The ability of Model Ones to seed new hives upon death suggests a significant risk of territorial expansion, especially in regions lacking in preparedness or response capability.

Mitigation Strategies

Early Detection and Rapid Response: Implement surveillance and rapid response teams to detect and eliminate Model Ones before they can seed new hives.

Protective Measures: Equip military and civilian personnel in affected areas with appropriate protective gear to mitigate the risk of injury from Model One attacks.

Research and Development: Invest in research to understand the biological and ecological mechanisms of Model Ones, focusing on disrupting the hive genesis process or developing targeted biological or chemical controls.

Public Awareness and Training: Educate civilians and military personnel on the nature of Model One threats and proper response protocols to minimize panic and ensure effective containment.

Conclusion

Model Ones, while individually not a high-threat Antithesis, collectively pose a significant strategic challenge due to their unique life cycle and aggressive behavior. A multi-faceted approach combining early detection, protective measures, targeted research, and public education is recommended to manage and mitigate the threat they represent.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Addendum M1-1: Samurai who have engaged in areas of Model One activity report these entities as low-priority threats due to their easy extermination and the minor reward. However, instances of Model Ones have been known to cause casualties when encountering unarmored personnel, due to their swift, kamikaze-like assaults.

WARNING: Samurai will often choose to place low priority, or outright ignore these models. The point reward for eliminating one of these is often considered too low compared to the point-cost for the munitions the samurai might have to expend in eliminating the threat.

Addendum M1-2: While the International Standard Nomenclature for the Model One insists that the model be called a Model One in all official writings, civilians and soldiers alike have taken to naming them in an unofficial capacity.

These names include:

Black Swarmers

Crows

Fuck Birds

Greenbloods

Ghost Sparrows

Meaner Magpies

Ohio Pigeons

Ugly Birds

Addendum M1-3: Transcript of Dissection Report by Dr. Evelyn "Dagger" Hargrove

Date: [Redacted]

Subject: Model One Dissection Analysis

Start of Transcript.

Dr. Evelyn Hargrove: Recording now. This is Dr. Evelyn Hargrove, though they've taken to calling me "Doctor Dagger" around the lab, for reasons that are now becoming ominously appropriate. Today, I'm performing the first full dissection of what the field teams are colloquially referring to as a "Ohio Pigeon." For the record, the subject is deceased upon arrival, consistent with reports of their limited lifespan. Official nomenclature for this little bird is... Model Type One.

[Sound of instruments clattering]

Dr. Hargrove: Initial observations confirm that the exterior is remarkably similar to that of Corvus corone, a common crow, in both size and plumage coloration. However, upon incision, the internal structure is... vastly different. There's a complete absence of a digestive tract. No stomach, no intestines. It's as if the creature was designed to consume nothing at all. The primary eyes, the forward ones, seem very small. I'm willing to bet that they have very limited capabilities. The second set of eyes, those on the sides of its head, remind me of a chameleon's. The larger eyeball and more complex structure might imply decent ranged vision from these.

[Pause, sound of notes being taken]

Dr. Hargrove: The circulatory system is present and... fascinating. The blood is indeed green, a feature previously speculated to be due to copper-based hemocyanin, rather than the iron-based hemoglobin found in humans and most terrestrial animals. This warrants further chemical analysis. I suspect that the reason might be entirely different. This smells like... freshly cut grass, not copper, certainly not blood.

[Sound of a microscope adjusting]

Dr. Hargrove: I'm now examining the wing structure... Musculature is exceedingly well-developed, indicating these creatures are built for extensive, if not exhaustive, flight. There's a notable absence of fat reserves, aligning with reports of their inevitable death by starvation within a week of birth.

[Longer pause, a deep sigh]

Dr. Hargrove: It's a profound thing, to hold a creature in your hands that seems designed for a singular, fleeting purpose. To scout, to gather, to attack, and then to die, seeding the future of its hive. There's an elegance to it, but also a tragedy.

[Sound of instruments being set down]

Dr. Hargrove: Final note for today's dissection: There appears to be a structure not analogous to any avian species known to Earth. They look like grapes stored in the chest cavity. This may be the key to their rapid hive-seeding ability upon death. Samples have been collected for genetic analysis, which I hope will shed light on the origins and mechanisms behind these... Ohio Pigeons, as the locals have named them.

[Recording ends]

End of Transcript.

Addendum M1-4:

Note from [][][][][][][], on []/[]/[][][][]

We can't have the average person thinking that a Model One alone can [Redacted].

There's nothing to suggest that they are capable of higher learning or critical thinking.

The death of Senator Maxwell was entirely coincidental. I don't care that the damned bird had to fly [Redacted] from its hive to get to him. We cannot have the public start thinking that one of the weakest of those alien fucks can think this far ahead.

They are stupid birds. They are weak. The American people have nothing to worry about.