[Hostility level determined to be sufficient. Introducing the unknown error to the testing floor for analysis.] The computer system announced from somewhere outside their cell.
The floor opened up, but as both Mobile Suits were using Gravity Control, they only began to glide gently down the chute below them.
That must have annoyed the AI system or been outside its parameters because a second later, they were hit with another Gravity Beam and moved to an open room with a volcanic rock floor and a large fur-covered, four-legged creature.
If he had to call it anything, it was some form of bear. The thick body, muzzle shape and small rounded ears all suggested it was a member of the Ursus family, but the exact pattern and size weren't a species that Max was familiar with from Kepler Terminus Nature Channel broadcasts.
While Max analyzed their target, Nico was overjoyed, and she had even put her weapons away. The creature was staring at her oddly, but Nico had some sort of scanner out, and she was recording everything that she could about the creature's genetic composition and current status.
"What did you find?" Max asked when she looked like she was finished.
"It had an Alliance version of the behaviour inhibitor that the Winged Wolves got back on Comor. It should be back to normal behaviour now. What that will be, I don't know, but it appears to be well-fed and uninjured."
With that said, Nico walked steadily toward the creature, which gave a low growl, but didn't back down or attack.
Nico placed her hands out in front of her, showing that she was unarmed for the moment, and the low growl continued as she approached, then stopped as she reached up to scratch it behind the ears.
[Back to normal behaviour, my ass. You made yourself a new friend.] Max laughed.
[Same thing, really. Despite their fierce look, they're not naturally aggressive. The lab had just loaded it with drugs and mind control in an attempt to make it into a killing machine. Check these data logs from the room we're in. It worked pretty well, but I think that the system will reconsider placing it against us in the future.]
Max hadn't thought to search the computer in the arena. He had been focused on the creature's mind instead. It wasn't sentient, but it wasn't stupid either, and now that he could see the data, it was clear that it had defeated hundreds of rounds of failed test subjects.
Even the early rounds of the Klem hybrids had been defeated by this creature, whose fur was actually a naturally formed graphene tube. With the thickness of the fur, there was a good chance that neither their lasers nor their blades would actually harm this creature unless they could get it in the eyes of the snout, where the fur didn't protect it.
No wonder Nico loved this thing. It was fluffy, bulletproof, and utterly lethal. From the look of it, the graphene structure of the fur was actually quite flexible, and it had no problem moving under her hand as she petted the bear.
Max could guess, even without checking the computer, that the testing system wasn't going to put up with this situation for long, and Nico barely got a minute of relaxation time in while Max scanned the creature's body, hoping to give his System ideas for his next physical upgrade before the gravity beam was back, and all three of them were returned to separate holding areas.
[Analysis determines that subjects are not natural enemies. Impossible to complete testing with provided subjects. Moving to the next round of testing.] The computer informed anyone who cared to listen.
The floor of their new room opened exactly one minute later, and Max laughed as he saw their new "Opponent."
"Hey guys, I thought you were on door duty?" He laughed as the three Metallos special forces soldiers were carried into the arena.
"There was a breach, and when we went to investigate it and stop the spread, we were picked up by the base's automated security beam and brought here for not having a security pass." The leader of the team sighed.
"Do your bosses know that you're alright?" Max asked.
"Yeah, it's not stopping our communications, and the ships in position around the star system are organizing another team to surround the outside of the barrier since nobody else wanted to go in the way that we did."
[The Facility requests that the test begin now.] The computer demanded, making all five of them laugh.
"We're on the same team. Why would we injure each other?" Max called out, certain that it could hear him.
[Teams are not applicable during experiments. This facility needs combat data.]
"Should we spar or something? Without weapons, we shouldn't do too much damage to each other." The Metallos team leader suggested.
"Sure, why not. It will keep us fresh in case whatever it comes up with next is actually hostile." Max agreed and dropped into a combat stance.
He held back quite a bit, as the Metallos weren't nearly as fast as Nico and him were. Their great advantage was their durability and malleability, not their speed. So, they dragged out the sparring session for about five minutes while the lights on the wall blinked away, indicating that the computer was recording combat data.
[Analysis is complete. Data indicates that subjects do not fight at full capabilities and do not use tools against each other. Returning low data subjects to containment.]
That sounded boring to Max, but it was better to be sitting in a cell until they gathered all the information they could and broke out.
But they weren't returned to the cells. Only the Metallos team was taken away while the two of them were left in the arena.
[Data indicates that the species known as Humans are highly lethal. Target selection does not follow standard programming. Analyzing data now. Please wait.]
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