***High thermals ahead, Base…getting acoustic returns…signature analysis correlates with nanobotic activity***
“All right, it’s party time.”
The first visuals materialized out of the murk and Winger held his breath. It was ANAD. And yet it wasn’t ANAD.
He could make out the cylindrical casing that was characteristic of ANAD. Nested cylinders, like little hat boxes, festooned with effectors, scores of effectors, some he had no idea what they did. Propulsors at the base cap, flagellar thrusters amidships. Quantum processor head. Cooling fins. Power cells.
If this isn’t ANAD, I’m from Mars.
But there was something odd about the bot. It had a midsection seam that was rotating, like a motor or a pump. What the hell is that gizmo?
Winger had to remind himself that this was a Dana Tallant bot, not ANAD. Which meant approach with caution.
“ANAD, one quarter propulsor, dead ahead. Deploy bond disrupters and grabbers.”