“Game Over little humans. If it is any consolation, you did exceptionally well, based on what you were given.” If I could smile I would, but the young humans had done well for the parameters that had been chosen.

They were lucky that a post war theoretical simulation was used, a fully operational Ender would never have allowed the trio to get so close. Even the simple war machines would have been capable of holding out until reinforcements had arrived. Then again, they were given obsolete equipment and forced into an almost impossible scenario.

Eight years had passed since the night I had met the trio in that sealed off room, now they were on the cusp of adulthood. Things had accelerated considerably after that point, for one the virtual reality simulation plan was accepted almost immediately. Residents were particularly fond of the idea that they could experience the old world within the simulation.

Within the first year of implementation, I could declare that the plan was a rousing success. The Gifted were able to train within the virtual world, fighting against simulated versions of ancient war machine models. With the trio having been the first group to undergo the new training methods, their bodies had grown and developed at an incredible rate, far exceeding expectations. At this point the newer security model drones, or the Skellies as the residents like to label them were unable to keep pace with the young humans.

There were however worrying signs, some residents were showing signs of withdrawal, specifically those who spent every available moment within the stasis chambers, otherwise known as Pods.

Human bodies had a limit for how long they could remain within the Pod until safety became a concern. These residents would spend the entire week within the false world, Elysium, a world of dreams. Each week was around two months within the false reality, after which they were forced to spend the next week outside. Not because they chose to do so, but because their brains could not safely handle a longer immersion period. Even some of the Gifted were beginning to close themselves off, choosing to live within Elysium.

“Hey Alpha! What kind of bullshit is this! Why must we be restricted to kinetic based archaic weaponry? We get no energy shields and none of the better weapons. We should have access to Golden Era weapons within the simulation!” Phenix kicked away a nearby crate, roaring in anger towards one of the cameras in the corner of the Pod hangar. Panning over to the other two who had just stepped out of their own Pods it was clear that they had similar questions but were more than happy hiding behind the brash Phenix, allowing him to take the brunt of any criticism.

“To respond to your inquiry, I will first ask a question of my own… Have you ever seen the security drones, the Skellies carrying so much as a pistol within the Bunker?” The answer to the question was no, none of the security drones carried such weapons, they were mainly equipped with Buzz Batons, dual sided staves equipped with high powered stun tips.

“No, but the survey group has kinetic weapons like that. Is it not possible to upload the proper schematics into the manufactory mainframe? Get the 3D printers to mass produce the basic frames? How hard would it be to produce laz and rail cannons? It appeared to be widely available during the Golden Age.” Phenix brought up a good point, the survey and resource collection teams did possess pre-golden age firearms. Kinetic weaponry that utilized smokeless powder as its propulsive force.

They were primarily meant for dealing with pests and the creatures which inhabited the Hollows. But the boy did deserve an answer, “Phenix, I only have access to the commercial grade printers on the upper floors. Soon enough I will open the lowest floors, but I don’t control all of the systems down there and it will take time to decipher why. Until the war factories are activated and repurposed, I cannot produce golden era tech, the commercial printers do not have the authorization. For now, you will have to make do with what we have available.”

Phenix did not appear convinced by the explanation given, so rather than explaining why I was limited, I decided to discuss why I chose this option from an educational perspective. “The other reason is that I want you all to be capable of survival. You will not always find yourself in an ideal situation, it is important to know how to utilize every tool in impossible scenarios. I trust that if you three can succeed in defeating this simulation using those parameters, there is nothing you will not be able to succeed at. Do you understand my logic now?”

Phenix nodded his head affirmatively, it seems that he had no more questions, and it was easy to see the other two lose interest in the conversation as they packed up their gear. I did however have one last surprise for them, and I was 99.95% sure that they would show excitement at the announcement.

“Children, before you go, I do have a bit of news that I believe you will find most enjoyable.” I paused, waiting exactly ten seconds for dramatic effect, before continuing. Apparently ten seconds was not considered much time for humans, even though it felt like as the humans put it, being dragged through molasses from my perspective. Which continues to reinforce the reality of the weaknesses of the individual human components.

“Augus I believe your birthday was today yes?” Truthfully, I did not need to confirm this fact, I had observed and recorded the entire event. No, it was mainly to cater to the human sensibilities, being polite they call it.

“Well, as you three have now reached that age, and are on your way to adulthood, I have taken the liberty of organizing a gift… Tomorrow morning you will report to survey team hangar three. Ask for Supervisor Melnie, you will be joining her group for a three-day survey operation nearby. I will upload the data to your neural link, supervisor Melnie will provide the rest after a basic rundown tomorrow. I look forward to recording your results.” Phenix had no reservations, immediately breaking out into a very strange dance, his child-like antics never quite fitting his monstrous human physique. All while the other two laughed in response, their beaming smiles were all that I needed to know how they truly felt.

The group would be heading for one of the newly discovered caverns nearest the Bunker. Boring operations had exposed the previously sealed cavernous space. Our teams had been prioritizing the expansion of the tunnels to facilitate construction operations for a new base closer to the unexplored regions.

There were risks as the operational teams had not had time to establish strong lines of communication within the newly discovered cavern. Scout drones had been sent to map the cavern; however, contact was lost about halfway through the mission. The newly discovered location was large, an extremely spacious pocket of life within the Hollows. With initial reports from the scouts indicating the presence of both moisture and vegetation.

It was possible that the scouts simply moved outside of their operational range and ceased function. Perhaps the size of the cavern confused their navigation systems, thus inhibiting their automated return to home function. However, the probabilities for that were less than fifty percent, and it would be foolish to leave such a danger unsupervised so close to home. The trio had proven themselves more than capable within the simulations, and a real-life challenge would prove the efficacy of the simulation program.

Thus, the decision to allow the three young humans to accompany one of the most experienced survey teams in their task. I had even taken the time to prepare special envirosuits for the young ones, which had the added benefit of allowing me to communicate using the neural link as a transmission hub. Thankfully Augus’s gifts made such an option possible, as his mind was powerful enough to handle such stresses.

I would not be able to control any nearby sentries or any of the larger drones, but communication and recording processes would not be inhibited. Theoretically at least, it had yet to be attempted in an uncontrolled environment. I would shrug my shoulders at this point if I had any, but all that could be done now was to wait and see.