Nanotroopers Episode 15: A Black Hole

  ***ANAD parses…unknown variations in voice acoustic signal…cannot equate with state table…no vector matchup…please explain***

  Winger gave that some thought. His attention was momentarily distracted by Mendez’s announcement over the intercom.

  “Abandon ship briefing in ten minutes…get yourselves buttoned up…sep sequencer synchronized…lay aft to the mess compartment immediately.”

  Maybe it was just disappointment he felt. ANAD had always been like a little brother, like family, to him. When the Corps had approved the standup of 3rd Swarm as an experimental unit, and he knew that ANAD would be allowed out of containment for routine ops, Winger had been happy about it, expectant, maybe even vindicated.

  But maybe he had been wrong. Doc Frost had always warned him that the differences between humans and ANADs might be too great. “It’s a large gulf, Johnny,” he could remember Frost saying. “We’re multicellular organisms, you and me, but we’re not like an ANAD swarm. I’m not sure we’ll ever understand each other.”

  Now Doc Frost himself was gone, Big Banged in an attack at Table Top.

  Winger was both saddened and angry at this whole line of thought. Emotions conflicted. He was confused, not knowing what to feel. But he had to do something. Atomgrabbers always did something.

  “ANAD, you could help out, you know. Troopers help each other, watch out for each other. Whatever the Prime Key is, would it violate anything to pitch in?”