The Eagle Reborn - Chapter 1 (Rifts RPG- A.R.C.H.I.E. Self Insert)

N.E.M.A. North Star Subterranean Complex
Eagle Peak, Anchorage, Chugach Mountain Range, Alaska
17th, July, 2099

Colonel Eugene Roberts held tightly to what was left of a handrail as he gazed upon the room that was the command center. Computers that were once manned by men and women of NEMA were now working on their own as the automated systems ran in full control.

He shook his head in disbelief. Last year, he had been sitting with his wife and children, and his grandchildren, and close relations. A stressful time as Christmas was but days away, but a time when those nearest to him enjoyed the closeness of family. Most of the personnel, aside from those needed for maintenance, and those absolutely essential to the running of the complex, such as himself, had been given two weeks paid vacation until the beginning of the new year.

Now, with exception to his wife and two children who lived on base with him, it was with absolute certainty that all of the personnel and their families, and his own extended family relations, had left this world for the next.

December 22nd 2098 was a day when the world as everyone knew it came to an end.

It started as a normal day, with people coming in, griping here and there about having to work while everyone else got time off. Reports of air traffic around China and the New Soviet Union came across his desk as their little hot/cold war spiked here and there across their borders. NEMA's Japanese counterparts had in turn raised alertness, but otherwise merely took note and passed it to him, which he sent up the chain.

A normal day.

Then, within minutes, it all went straight to hell.

First came the earthquake, then came eruptions of blue light from the ground, followed by walls of blue energy rising hundreds of feet into the air. Everything the walls touched was either absorbed or disintegrated as they asserted their dominance upon the landscape. Then reports from the Coast Guard came in, panicked shouts about gigantic waves of water rushing towards the coastline, which hit within an hour. A one-thousand-foot-tall mountain of water washing inland, wiping out everything in its path from sheer brute force, and continued inland for over one hundred miles using rivers as channels.

The cities of Palmer, Wasilla, and the suburban areas of Anchorage, along with their populations, were erased in minutes. Smaller towns, villages, and the widespread hamlet communities near the rivers were about as fortunate. The Chugach Mountain Range prevented the waves from reaching too far inland and killing whoever lived there, and were the unlucky ones for it. Within a period of two hours, Alaska's population went from over two million to perhaps a tenth of that, or perhaps even less given the actual earthquakes, and sparse radio signals a few days after saying that the Yellowstone Caldera had erupted.

Fairbanks may have survived, but given the thermal vents that superheated the water in the nearby Cheema Hot springs, and reports of unusual light phenomena near the city, it’s entirely possible a new borne volcano had wiped the place out, if the tremors detected constantly from the north are any indication.

So even if by some miracle, people had survived the first few hours of the world coming apart, they wouldn't last long without the right equipment or the right help from the oncoming volcanic winter. That they hadn’t survived was also an absolute certainty, given that it was July and winter was hitting as hard as it did in that hellish December.

The same applied to him and the survivors who now inhabit the complex. However, unlike all the poor souls outside, they had an edge. They were in one of the most advanced facilities ever made. It was built to survive the end of the world at the hands of men, and possessed all the necessary means to rebuild when the time came. It only required one thing to happen.

"Computer. Grant me access to Archie Five." Roberts requested as he walked past the handrail towards the primary command console.

"Authorization required. Please insert Personnel, Handprint, Voice, Retinal, and Neuro-Imprint Identifications please."

The machine necessary to accomplish all of these requirements extended from the wall. He placed his hand on the hand scanner, his eye near the retinal scanner, raised his head into what was basically a CAT scan device, while he reciting his code and command phrase.

“Please Insert Keycard, and Password please.”

He placed his keycard into the reader and punched in a fifteen-digit code before sighing. It was probably the last time he would ever do this, and it was still irritating given the amount of security.

"Authorization Accepted. Welcome Colonel Roberts."

A keyboard extended from the machine and a screen revealed itself. His hands worked in the various command functions as he activated the most advanced piece of equipment in the entire complex.

Artificial Robot Cerebellum Housing Intellect Experiment-05.

Better known as A.R.C.H.I.E. Five.

The next step in artificial intelligence, the Neural Intelligence was supposed to be able to develop the same way as a human brain, but a far greater rate of growth, and with computational capabilities that far outstripped even advanced super computers. Combined with the ability to adapt in a way that was near human, it was the most capable command processing unit in existence.

The process of activating Archie Five, and then unlocking his Aftermath Protocols came to a close as he entered the final command. While he had at one point objected to the idea of an AI that was more or less unshackled, and able to do whatever it chose to do without human oversight, save that it was for the singular purpose of making sure the human species survived. It wasn’t ever really meant to be activated except on the occasional test, or in case the Russians and Chinese actually went ahead and fucked up everything and caused thermo-nuclear war.

So even though he was made for this exact situation, he never thought it would be needed, let alone he would actually have to be the one to unleash the thing. The Irony wasn’t lost on him.

The human like voice of the A.I. filled the room.

"Greetings Colonel Roberts."

"Archie. Are you clear about your instructions and the current situation?"

"I am sir. I will do the best that I can to safeguard this facility and its personnel. I will also activate the Human Growth Experience Generator Program for my development cycle until it is complete, then wait until the all clear is given, or the outside environment is stable. Once the all clear is given, or the environment is no longer a danger, I will revive the personnel."

A sigh of relief escaped him. "Very good. Ready a stasis unit for me, near my family if possible. Once I am in stasis, begin the program."

"Yes sir. The unit is ready. Please make your way to it now."

He nodded and slowly walked out, reaching out and tenderly touching consoles for the last time in a long while. This place had kept them alive and safe for the last seven months, but it couldn’t keep them safe forever with what they had on hand. With a sigh he walked out and thought back to the last seven months.

The never-ending winter up above buried the complex under dozens, if not hundreds of feet of snow. It was quickly decided in the first few months that it was unlikely anyone survived at all after everything was said and done. A few laser-weapon equipped drones that dug their way out of the snow quickly proved this line of thinking correct as they saw not only snow for miles, lines of energy crisscrossing the landscape, across the sky, and what appeared to be horrifying monsters roaming the snow and killing each other, along with anything else that wandered the land.

The only bright spot was establishing a connection the HQ-ECC down in the lower-48, but that dimmed quickly with reports of the same there, only with aliens, zombies, magic, psychic powers, and actual goddamned demons thrown into the mix. Absolute insanity and anarchy. There was little they could do about anything given they were trapped where they were. So, orders from on high were simple. Shut down the facility, and go into stasis until awakened or the situation has calmed down.

There were outbursts of shock and anger at what seemed like betrayal and abandonment, but with the reality of the situation worldwide, and the HQ-ECC doing the same with Archie-3, they quickly followed suit. Everything that needed to be done in preparation had been finished by June. All the repairs to damaged corridors, wiring, power, structural integrity, and reinforcement of the complex had been finished. Then came the final order, that everyone go into the stasis chambers and go for a long nap.

Eugene exited the elevator and walked into the sleeper section where over five thousand souls now slept, including his own wife and two children. He stopped by their stasis pods and touched the glass. Three bodies sleeping in a fetal position in the special stasis fluid, faces covered by masks attached to special pumps that would allow their bodies to breathe liquid without suffering Acidosis. The pods inner walls were lined by power emitters that exposed energy particles to the liquid on the molecular level, which chemically allowed the act of stasis to even work, and exposed human skin to light so as to not become weaker over time.

“How are they?”

“Their physiological patterns are operating within optimal parameters; however, the neural patterns are in disarray currently. I am adjusting the Sleeper Attunement Program to correct this, as the audio program is sending sounds that are non-conducive to relaxation and-”
“I got it Archie. Thank you. Please finish adjusting it, and do the same for all other personnel as well. We don’t need to wake up insane because of the most annoying sound in the world during sleep.”

“Understood Colonel.”

Without another word, Eugene changed out of his clothes and into a stasis suit. The suit was connected to the stasis computer and read his physical and mental signs, allowing Archie to know if anything goes wrong at any point of time. He then stepped into the pod and laid on his side. The chamber door closed as a robotic arm reached down to his face and extended a full facial mask. Moments after, the pod began to fill with the super oxygenated fluid, and the robot arm activated its specialized pump for the purpose of allowing him to properly breathe. He glanced at the console outside his pod, at Archie, and grinned with a nod.

“Goodnight Archie. See you hopefully sooner than later, and good luck.”

“Goodnight Colonel. Sleep Well.” Archie replied as the pod filled completely and the man began breathing in the fluid. The pod closed, and the man soon fell asleep.

With the base now on full automation, Archie finished his preparations for the simulation. With a flick of the mental switch, he powered down for his own variation of sleep as the base worked on its own, and he began his own journey in the land of dreams.

=== 4 years later ===

I rubbed my eyes as I looked at the cottonwood tree that my father and I had to bring down.

“Do we really have to do this? The house is too close for a pull like this, and it might hit the roof. A cherry picker would be safer, or cutting it by segments.”

My father turned to me and with practiced patience replied. “Trust me, I’ve been doing this since before you were born. Just get in the truck and pull it, I will cut it and as you pull it will fall in that direction. Now let’s go. I wanna get it done before dinner.”

I nodded, slightly irritated at the fact this could go very wrong, but trusting enough to follow his directions. I stepped into the Chevy Suburban and moved until the tow strap and rope were tight, and then moved a bit more until the truck couldn’t really move.

The sound of a chainsaw filled the air and I watched as the tree started to lean in my direction. The strap began to slack and I moved till it was tight and stayed that way. The tree eventually fell and hit the ground, barely missing the house by a foot.

I let out a breath. “Alright then. Now the rest should be easy.”

It was. We had the rest of the large tree down until only the stump remained. That would eventually be removed by a backhoe when we rented one. But for the moment, the job was finished and the day was done.

A few hours later, I was sitting at the table with my mother and father. A large dinner of steak, baked potatoes, three platters of corn, green beans, and spinach, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream sat. The room was lit in a warm yellow that casted the dinner in a homey sense.

“It’s your birthday, so here’s a big dinner. My birthday boy.” My mother said as she kissed my forehead and took her seat. I grinned lightly at the affection, as dad also sat.

“Eeh Behhhh! Steak!...wait. Are we feeding him? He won’t leave if we feed him!” Dad said jokingly. I snorted in reply. Mother snarked back to him about how he can give his steak to me. The actual time of my birth approached, and I sat eating with my parents, content with life, but wishing there was more to it.

Then everything froze.

I paused, glanced at my parents, frozen mid-sentence and bite, and fear slowly began to pour into my stomach.

“...Mom...Dad?” I reached out to touch them, and they slowly fell apart to dust.

I shouted in terror as I leaped out of my chair and into a wall, which shattered and fell to dust, along with the chair. I stood in horror as everything, the house, the outside, the dogs and cat, the cars and the tree, and then the whole of the world turned to dust. Like Thanos just finger snapped existence itself.

In gibbered in horror in panic as everything, the mountains, the clouds, the sky and sun, faded away, leaving nothing but an endless white void.

I was hyperventilating, and crying, unable to process what in the actual hell was happening beyond God deciding to hit the Armageddon button.

“What is happening!?” I screamed out, asking the universe itself for an answer, and in a moment of insanity, expecting an answer back.

It did.

“Program complete. Beginning system reactivation.”

I felt like a deer seeing headlights, simply staring into the void due to this actualreply from the universe.

A moment later, it didn’t matter as my brain felt as if it exploded. One second, I looked at empty white void, a second later, I was looking through hundreds of eyes, and reading thousands of different streams of information at once, and knowledge of things far beyond what I knew moments before suddenly filled my awareness.

The sound of my screaming filled the air, shattering glass and speakers from the intensity, as I struggled to comprehend everything in an instant. Instinctively, I blocked out everything, and it was likely the thing that saved me from going mad.

Well...madder than I already felt.

The sensation of not breathing was another thing that filled me with panic, until I realized I wasn’t suffocating. I slowly relaxed, and…’opened’ my eyes. One eye at a time. By the time I finished, I was seeing hundreds of rooms. Most of a military make if I were to guess. I quickly found I was able to look through them all at the same time, and comprehend what I was seeing, and do it quickly. Faster than I had ever done before.

Confusion settled in as I looked everything over, looking for answers to what just happened and where I was.

“...Was I just Rob’d?...” I asked incredulously, hoping this wasn’t me writing another dumb self-insert or something.

Then remembered that, with my...I guess I would call it, “awakening”, I... knew...things. I thought about this knew knowledge, slowly thinking about what just happened, and why, and the answer came quickly.

So…apparently, I was a machine. I had just awakened from a “Human Growth Experience Generator Program” …that apparently randomly created my entirely life. Really? Religious family, Alaska Upbringing, and everything?

You’d think ROB would be more creative…but then again, it’s better than what I usually write.

I began to look in more detail of my situation. Unlike so many movies however, the answers came easily. I am a Neural Intelligence. Basically, an Artificial Intelligence, but with the idea that I would basically develop over time like a normal human mind does. It was an experiment basically to see how effective such a thing was compared to the standard A.I. unit.

In the short time I spent reading about...myself...and what I am... I came to easily accept this new state of existence. You’d think I would freak out, but thinking magnitudes faster than a normal person tends to wear it off very quickly. Were it not for the increased rate of mental thought, it would have taken weeks to months to accept and adapt to the fact I was a machine. Instead it was just a few minutes of actual time. Convenient for me.

The simulation...well...that basically was made for me and me alone, as all the other N.I.s were for various stages and purposes...and I was getting Enclave vibes from that already. Only this isn’t Fallout.

The simulation was made to...give me the experience of an actual life as a human being. To grow with experience and morals based on a prepared data projection that...were randomized for maximum effect. To see if an A.I. that was...human...would be better than one that wasn’t given such an experience.

Well...that’s that. Question resolved. Anticlimactic really. I still wasn’t sure whether or not this wasn’t just a bunch of ROB bullshit, and until further notice I will treat this as if it were such a situation. Mostly for my own sanity. Still, now that I know and understand, I can adapt and overcome whatever the situation I was tossed into was. Thus, I began reading into “why” I was “activated”.

It was in no way anti-climactic. I will admit, without shame, I was horrified. I read everything in almost an instant of time, but relative months for myself. The end of the world in a way that even I hadn’t imagined possible. It was a Magical Apocalypse for all intents and purposes given the literal fucking DEMONS, DRAGONS, ALIENS, UNDEAD, and MONSTERS running around according to visual records.

Then came the end of my searching and I learned of the survivors. Quickly diving into the facility, I found them. Thousands of people...sleeping. Fallout 4 suddenly filled my memories. I began looking at each and every person there. All five thousand of them. As I read their vitals, I read their personnel dossiers, and my...new/old...memories of them came to the fore.

Private Jason Kent. Twenty-five years old. Single. Local boy. Maintenance crew. He was sweet talking a female sergeant from a different crew in maintenance, and she was playing hard to get, but was actually interested.

Private Ronald McDonald. Twenty-two. Unmarried with girlfriend. Supply. Made fun of for his name, but he gave back as well as he took. A regular card shark. Like to ride dirt bikes, and met his girl through that hobby.

Doctor Josephine Turner. Married with two children. Lived on base with husband who is MP. Her two sons are in stasis with her. Her husband was not. He died during the start of everything.

So, they were frozen, and the “Archie-5” I am supposed to be was to wake up, protect them, and wait until everything blew over.

So, I guess...mission accomplished…partly. I’ll admit, this isn’t a setting I know, but if ROB wants to put me in blind, what the hell can I do about it? Except succeed at whatever game it was playing.

The end of the world. A Military Complex filled with survivors. Me, their caretaker and protector.

I guess the next step was…rebuild? Survive? Whatever. I’ll win whatever the hell this is cause fuck ROB and this FUBAR world.

For the next few hours, I poured over my “new” knowledge, and learned about everything I possessed.

I learned about this world’s “history” past 2020, and realized that most of history was the same up until the time I was pulled out of the simulation. I was shocked by the Soviet Union’s return in the 2060s as the Sovietski, or “New Soviet”, and felt...torn. On one hand...it was the fucking Soviet Union. On the other...the reason for its return...wasn’t unjustified given the Russian Federations fall from grace. They couldn’t keep up with the rest of the world and it resulted in some pretty bad economic crashes. I don’t approve of, nor support Communism...but if it works for them, then power to them. Just don’t forceeveryone else to follow you and I won’t have a problem.

The technological developments are a wet dream for tech geeks. Human Augmentation. Cyberization. Mind over Matter upgrades. Juicers...are a bit iffy for me. The things you get are near Spartan levels, but the five-year lifespan is...yeesh. Actual power armor and god damned robots! The Chromium Guardsman would have me drooling at how cool it is, if I could drool. Tougher than any vehicle from my life experiences, and with enough firepower to fuck up anything from that era completely. To say nothing of the Silver Eagle, and robots like the Mastiff, the Bulldog, and more!

The best part was the fact that space habitats were a thing, as was a moon colony and base for Cyberworks...my...creators. Ugh...moving on from that, we had SPACESHIPS and FREAKIN LASER BEAMS!

The true game changer however was the Molecular Density Compression Construction technology. Essentially a 3D Printer on steroids as it made things at the molecular level. As a result of using advanced ceramics and other various compounds, combined with lighter molecules such as oxygen, or even hydrogen, they managed to make materials as strong as steel despite being a fraction of the size and weight needed to reach such levels of durability.

They applied this to everything, and I mean everything. Building construction, vehicles, medicine, combat armor, rubber tires, weapon components, and more. As a result of weapons being made of materials that were stronger and more able to withstand high heat and energy transfer, direct energy weapons in the megawatt range on an infantry scale became possible.

I felt like a kid in a toy store.

I was impressed by the...somewhat dumbly named N.E.M.A. (Northern Eagle Military Alliance), and more so by the N.A.A. (North American Alliance). They more or less achieve what the now defunct European Union tried to do. Open Borders between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Open trade and universal regulations, laws and measures. Trilateral incorporation of a “NAA” universal credit/debit system, like the Euro was for Europe. The open sharing of ideas, technologies, and information. Efforts to create economic parity, which succeeded. And the creation of NEMA, that acted as a force for all three nations on top of each’s own individual police and military forces.

It came about in 2035 to replace the then, more or less defunct NAFTA of the 2020s. Many people called what came after a “Golden Age of Technology”. I don’t know about that, but it sure as hell was a good time to be alive. Until near the end anyways.

Which brought me to the facility I was housed in. The “North Star” Subterranean Complex that was essentially my ‘body’. It was a wonder of doomsday engineering to say the least.

In addition to basically being able to survive what was close to Armageddon, it had the stasis chambers to keep people asleep near indefinitely if need be.

It also had a genetic repository in case I had to clone animals and people to rebuild from scratch in case of global annihilation via nuclear conflict.

It also had what is now my favorite part, the factories that allowed me to churn out weapons, armor, ammunition, combat vehicles, aircraft, power armor, and freakin robots!

I also possessed what...I would consider a Data Core that would probably put all but a Warhammer 40,000 STC to shame. All the collective knowledge of mankind. Art, philosophy, history, science, etc. It was all there. The military portions, especially the designs for the toys, were what interested me the most.

Once I “read” everything I had, which was a lot and took two hours of real time to do, I then looked over the complex, and I was rather impressed with it. In my old life I would have questioned the sanity of building it so close to Anchorage, a prime target for a nuclear strike. Then again, the “simulation” had me living the late 20th and early 21st century rather than the late 21st. Anchorage was far larger, with Eagle River now a part of the larger city, and actually extended across the Knik Arm to include Point Mackenzie until it reaches Goose bay.

The population rose to around one million as a result of the state opening mining rights in the Chugach Mountain Range to pretty much anyone who wanted one so long as they did give a piece of the earnings to the state for the State Dividend. In reality, the creation of advanced materials, and the needs for Copper, Zinc, and discovery of veins of minerals such Molybdenum, and a surprise vein in the form of Chromium, turned Alaska into a rush state again. With so many powerful corporations, including KLS and Cyberworks, calling Anchorage Home, the military decided it necessitated a complex to take advantage of these corporations’ proximity. The Cold War in Asia was just the excuse to make it apparently. The complex actually being used for a post-apocalyptic world was mostly an excuse to test new technologies as well, including Archie-5.

Testing the factory, and the large scale MDC-Fabricators, I felt giddy as I could do whatever I wanted. I became even more giddy as I realized I already had an army of Combat Drone Soldiers (CDS), Combat Hounds, Pup Scouts, and various recon drones at my disposal already. I quickly activated them, and took control, able to personally control each of them as an extension of myself without any real issue, aside from the fact I wasn’t quite used to it.

Living a life where I had no such control before, it was a bit difficult for a few moments, but I quickly adjusted and was driving like a pro. Awesome.

I quickly realized the main problem when I started moving around. I had no real means of leaving this place due to the snow I sensed still on top of the complex. That...was a bit of an issue.

Nothing I can’t deal with though. Within a few minutes, one of my Combat Drone Soldiers was given one of the heaviest weapons NEMA had ever developed. The PR-476 “Incinerator” Plasma Cannon was awesome. It was basically a plasma weapon with burst capability, with enough power to kill an Abrams Tank in one such burst.

The Soldier Drone shoulders the weapon, and the doors to the outside open up. With a bit of work, the snow is moved away from the door and the soldier fires. White hot bolts of death scream out and punch through the snow. Steam of water going through flash frying filled the air as water practically ignited due to the molecules going near fusion.

Then the drone fired again, and then again, and again, over and over, creating a bigger and bigger tunnel of ice and steam until a hole made to the outside was achieved. I was amazed at how much snow there was, as the tunnel stretched out nearly one thousand feet. I’d need to reinforce this tunnel with more ice or something, as I could hear the ice cracking from the weight of the snow around it.

The hole was only big enough for a small robot to be sent through, such as a pup scout, or a spider drone, but I needed speed. With a thought I controlled one of the few hundred floating recon probes in my possession. A small ball with one little arm for cutting things, it was utilized by NEMA’s branches of intelligence. It was meant to replace the spider drone, the non-flying version the probe was based on.

Under my direct control, I flew through the tunnel to the outside world. I got my first look outside...and it was snowing. Snow everywhere...and lines of energy in the sky, and what looked like...rips in reality itself. Rips that...looked to be actual portals to other worlds. Worlds...that appeared to have actual dragons in it...and flying monsters ...fighting.

On top of that, there were ruins of what was once Anchorage down below from the mountain I was on. There were people there from all the lights and fires...and the fight between the dragon and demons was about to hit it.

“.... Well...shit.”