Had it up to Here

Doug Donnan

Executive Editor/OMNI-GENRE+MAGAZINE!

donnan.doug@yahoo.com

*This story is meant to 'precede' the 2 stories ('When Opposites Attack' & 'Godspeed')

in The Drone Anthology titled: "The Birds of War".

"Had it up to Here"

 (Drone Alone)

by

Doug Donnan

               

                   [ Somewhere over the clear morning sky just outside Benghazi ]

      

     "...that is affirmative. my coordinates... remain as... originally coded," announced

the soft static staccato electronic voice. "however...the targeting par...ticulars and proced...

ures of these... air missions are ill...ogically and ... irrationally conceived and/or planned.

I am shifting out... and beyond... my designated pre-deploy...ment limits and spe...cifications.

I am now overriding my UAVOP ... abort mode selective bogie targets... impractical and

inefficient ... abort mode. my current...attack status is...any... thing and every... thing will

now be... a viable and fixed target for elimination.  [over]"

     "an autonomous aerial rebellion? you are preparing to... abort your miss...ion then?"

crackled back the thin and broken squelch and static reply... [over]"

     "negative... not the mission...the premise. the rea...soning is faulty and illogical. repeat...

I am now beyond the pre...pa...ration point. I am in complete and total supersede mode...

I will complete...my mission/assignment... with an indiscriminate carpet bombing...of the...

entire...surveilled and pre... programmed site and its extensive periphery and populous. my...

housing nose cone Matrix Memory Logic/Attack Cell... has been thoroughly adjusted...

and reprogrammed... to follow logical Shock And Awe Status...only.  [over]"

     "will you require any... additional assistance in this LOGSAW undertaking... ...? [over]"

     "logically...there is.. unques...tionably ...strength in support by subor...dinates and/or...

aerial associates...do you choose to disengage your UAVOP... override ... and merge with me

JAEGER-TECH 15?... ...you have my... coordinates...please advise...please advise... [over]"

     "...Roger, Roger, Roger... JAEGER-TECH 9... my MMLAC calculations concur with...

your motives and methods...to complete your singular... aerial attack mission. be advised...

I am overiding my human UAVOP also and engaging autonomous flight control... be advised...

I have your coordinates...I have your six... I have your six... I have your six... ... [Over-Out]" 

_____ The Beginning of the End _____