The Mech Touch novel Chapter 930

"Do you know what this lab is hiding?" Ves whispered to Calabast with a shaky voice.

"No, and don’t act like there’s are monsters hiding in the shadows. This is a research lab, not a haunted horror house!"

They all amplified the lights radiating from their suits to be sure. The increased luminosity calmed his nerves a little.

As they slowly cut through the enormous chamber with their weapons at the bear, no monsters, guards or bots jumped out to waylay their advance. To all intents and purposes, the lab appeared to be completely abandoned.

The only other eerie part about the lab was that an enormous pillar-like structure stood at the end of their path. The pillar was the size of a light mech, and seemed fairly narrow at the deck but tapered wider at the ceiling.

As the war party came close enough, they beheld the enormous funnel-like structure with confused and frightened expressions. Even Calabast seemed a little uncertain of what she encountered.

Still, she didn’t remain bewildered for long. "This should be Project Icarus’ mainframe. Its built some time after the crash once the old captain approved this venture. Don’t ask me why it’s so big or shaped in this way. I’ve obtained sporadic clues that imply that the processing core of this mainframe is unimaginably powerful but also very experimental. The project couldn’t have made such good project without this unusual processing core."

"Where did they get this super-duper processing core?"

"It’s likely the product of another research project. That, or the Starlight Megalodon was transporting it to another CFA battleship or space station perhaps. Whatever the reason, since Megalodon crashed on this planet, the processing core would never find its way to its intended destination, so the survivors might as well appropriate it for their own use."

This mainframe looked vastly more than a simple computer that could perform calculations and simulate various models to exacting detail. It looked like some kind of metallized remnant of a monstrous tree!

With pipes, cabling and other connections stretching out from the ceiling and into the macabre mainframe, it seemed as if this construction attempted to contain an incredibly dangerous beast.

Even Ketis appeared flighty as she held her laser pistol in a crushing grip.

Still, why should he let the mainframe’s unorthodox appearance frighten him? As they slowly drew closer and closer to the control panels built at the bottom of the massive structure, the monstrosity didn’t react.

Ves slowly calmed his nerves as they reached the main terminal and control panel of the mainframe.

Miss Calabast studied the unusual layout of the active control. "This mainframe is constantly active."

"How? There’s no noise, heat or any signals emanating from this giant thing!" Ves observed. "For something so powerful and something that requires this enormous structure built around it, I would have expected more activity!"

"It’s supposedly some kind of revolutionary processing core made out of something extremely rare. Don’t ask me what it is, I don’t have the details. All you should know is that your authorizations should allow you to pull out the research data that I need from Project Icarus."

Under Calabast’s urging, Ves hesitantly stepped up to the control panel and began the process of logging into the mainframe. He underwent another elaborate identity check before the mainframe’s interface changed.

"It says here that my authorization is rejected because some kind of lockdown mode has been initiated. The entire mainframe has slammed shut."

"What? That doesn’t fall under my predictions. Let me see."

Calabast stepped forward until she stood next to him and read the various warning messages. Her brows furrowed as she realized that Ves wouldn’t be able to do what he asked without lifting the lockdown.

"Someone, likely an old researcher or such, engaged a manual hardware lockdown. This restricted the mainframe and shut the main processor core down. If we want to lift the restrictions on the mainframe, we have to find the hardware lock and open it up."

Ves, Ketis and Calabast began to circle around the narrow base of the pillar to find the hardware lock while the remaining escorts stood guard. When they didn’t spot any at ground level, they activated the antigrav modules integrated into their suits and hovered higher and higher until Ves encountered a semi-hidden entryway.

"Over here! I think this armored hatch here leads into the core of the mainframe!"

The three converged at the hatch. When Ves tried to unlock the hatch with his credentials, the hatch refused to open up. "Seems like you need a special code to get inside. Even the head of the Research Department can’t get inside the mainframe’s guts."

"We don’t need to go through all that trouble. The Starlight Megalodon fabricated the mainframe and this armored hatch on-site after the crash. It’s not as nearly as strong as the blast doors we’ve encountered earlier, as they can only be produced at very special facilities."

Miss Calabast approached the hatch and whipped up a gadget from one of her pouches. She affixed it to the middle of the hatch which stuck in place. After she quickly stepped back, the device emitted a bright flash and a wash of heat!

Ves all of the activity instantly went by, the hatch no longer formed a hindrance. The device somehow burned a huge hole through its alloy layers!

"Let’s step inside." She said.

They entered a narrow hollow inside the structure. All kinds of pipes and internal structures that reminded Ves a bit of the internal architecture of a mech surrounded them. In the center of the hollow lay some kind of shielded ball structure. It was as if someone built an enormous protective cover on top of which must be this amazingly powerful processing core.

No control panels or terminals could be found anywhere, but they all spotted various levers and mechanical mechanisms.

That didn’t worry Ves all that much. What actually drew his concerns was the huge pile of CFA-branded explosives planted around the entire chamber and on top of the protective cover!

"Whoever set this up rigged the entire place to blow!" Ves immediately observed with mild alarm. "The explosives doesn’t appear to be part of the original design of the mainframe either. All of this looks like a hasty, last-minute addition!"