Текст книги "Memories of the future. An eyewitness notes"

“Ha, ha,” Alex’s burst out laughing. “You are witty. You’ve just made up a joke. You’ve got a gift of finding funny things in a simple question. You should be the life and soul of any company.”

Abel suddenly jerked up his ears and seriously said:

“In essence, my hair consists of nano-fibers with modifiable properties. There is no need to take care of it since I control each hair. But, Alex! You’ve just given me a nudge. I’ve got to ask Frol to make me a special brush for cleaning my hair just in case I find myself far away from the base. He created a special cleaning complex that I use each time after going outside. This machine helps me to get rid of various poisons, viruses, bacteria, any dirt that I may pick up. This desert only seems to be pure. And I will have to go towards the Ocean and the Aquatic People; I guess there is plenty of that stuff there.”

“You are so concerned about hygiene?”

“Do you remember the virus attack? It was me who brought it over to the base,” Abel said sadly. The Wolf’s ears scattered at opposite directions and eyebrows jerked up, which stood for a feeling of guilt.

Alex understood his feelings.

“Abel, the war is on. The enemy found a way to attack the base, using you. And arranged everything for that. But you were not to blame!”

“All our guys told me the same.”

“We are all soldiers, Abel, which means that death is always near. What is really important is not that you can die, but rather how you die, what idea you give your life for. But let’s change the subject, my friend.”

Having that relaxed and lazy talk, the friends could hardly imagine that very soon life will require them to take all-out effort and even more.

“Abel, to tell the truth, I am quite happy about the new advantage. I’ve wanted to see the distant lands for a while. And what have I seen while serving in the army? Exercises, briefings and flights schedules.”

All what I can remember from the past – the pilot’s cabin, the voice of my navigator Eol and battles, battles…I remember being given awards, and, you know, I’ve received a couple for the Pole Battle! At the time, I changed two machines. There was such a mess. The sky turned cramped. Can you imagine that?”

“Yes, I’ve heard about the battle, but I want to see the first-hand impression of a person who took part in it. Through his eyes and perception, do you understand what I mean?”

Chapter 28

The Pole Battle

“We would fly up like geese

From fields soggy with rain -

Twenty takeoffs a day, please -

Too fun to explain!

We would laugh, taking fog banks for sauna steam.

And we’d stuff ourselves tight

In the vastness of space,

And the cumulus white

Shredded to ragged lace,

And the bullets would stitch the clouds back into parachute seams.”

(V. Vysotsky “We Would Fly Up Like Geese”)

The new combat machine had unusual and beautiful shape of simplicity driven to perfection.

Silvery machine bodies were standing in the manufacturer plant dock. Cyborgs were messing around them, applying side numbers, signs of squadrons and personal emblems of pilots.

Armorers were carrying detachable equipment and checking systems on trucks. The most curious pilots had already gotten inside the dock, hanging over the upper deck. They had not been granted access to the machines so far.

Excitement and anxious anticipation of something important were hanging in the air.

Alex was slowly walking along the parapet of the first floor, passing by pilots hanging over on hand-rails and noisily discussing the weapons and systems of the recovering pilots and cyborg-navigators.

The control programs and all the instructions had been already downloaded into their bran implants. Everyone looked forward to seeing the unusual new technology. The machines were had been fully upgraded, but for the pilot recovery system, which remained the same: wide belts and bracelets generating electron field for levitation. They activated during pilot catapulting, creating a field that in interference with the Earth’s magnetic field slowed down their fall. A pilot would suspend in the air after catapulting and then slowly descend to the ground surface.

Among all available weaponry, Alex chose time-tested automated guns with self-guided missiles and new intelligent rockets. Pilots had the right to choose weapons for air fights.

Against the background of a noisy chorus of pilots’ voices, discussing the new apparatus, one could hear a clear and high-pitched voice of a girl pilot, a friend of Alex: “And where is nano-armor protection of the pilot’s and navigator’s seats? The Coalition, by the way, does not have it either!”

On seeing Alex, she grabbed her by her suit sleeve quite offhandedly, pointing downwards with her hand and involving her in the general discussion.

“Bjorg! My friend! Look! Can you see armor in the cabin? Those in cyber bodies, of course, have no need for it, but what about us?”

Some of the disputers tried to argue that the cabin will be protected by its force field. But the girl was not satisfied with that opinion.

“Force filed? How is this field supposed to protect you against an ordinary automatic gun? An old-model gun can tear to pieces the whole aircraft!” And she was perfectly right on that; in response, some began arguing that it was a difficult task to hit a target from that gun.

And the dispute began to heat up again. Striking the right moment, Alex silently sneaked out of the mob and went on, looking around and thinking aloud: "The Coalition have no armor as well. And the good thing is that they have copied all the systems. Manual control will not fail while interferences and pulses will put out electronic stuff. The machine is really good. Well, it lacks armor, but the Coalition’s pilots have not used guns for a while.”

After a few hours pilots began flight exercises on the “Predators”, as they were called.

Alex’s memory enhanced with nano-chips was able to either preserve any event in all details or delete it from the record file upon her direction. And now Alex was projecting on the screen everything that her eyes had seen on that day.

It was possible to simply drop the records onto Abel’s chip, but they chose to watch everything on a large-scale screen as it was much more interesting, especially when Alex accompanied the record with music that she believed to be fitting for the events. At the moment they could hear records of radio communication of pilots during the battle.

Abel turned all attention, staring at the screen, trying not to miss any small detail.

The screen featured the “Predators” and spheroids cruising all around at high speed, as though swirling on a huge merry-go-round. It was hard to make out who was firing and where the target was; the traces of rockets and missiles were crossing over the contours of the volatile flying combat machines, and in that mess it was unclear which side prevailed.

Occasionally, burning torches fell from the sky, splitting apart in the air. The command and cries of pilots – everything intermixed in that horrible sky dance.

“Argos! I am Bjorg. Attacking the “needles”, tie up the spheres in fight!”

“I’m Argos, copy that.”

“Bjorg, Bjorg! I’m Khelga. Spheres are swinging into the tail!

“I’m Bjorg, copy that. We’ll kick their ass right now!”

“Gutfrit! I’m Varg. Cover me up. I’m attacking!

“Varg! I’m Gutrfit. Strike, I’m covering up! Gods! I’m burning!..”

“Bjorg! I’m Varg. Need help?”

“Varg! I’m Bjorg. I’ll handle it myself! Don’t let the spheres descend!”

The guided “Predator” opened screen fire from guns, and a spheroid had to get out of attack through a rigorous turn-back with descending. Instantly, the “Predator” rushed after it, having received several fragment hits. One injured “Predator” managed to divert from a rocket and, its overdriven engines smoking. Then it gave a howl and went aside. Two other fighters got involved into a close combat in steep turning, where the more mobile “Predators” had an advantage. After a 360-degree turn, a jet fighter opened fire from a mile’s distance at one of the spheroid machines. Soon it reduced the distance with the enemy to some 500 feet and again fired a burst from guns. The spheroid, striving to get out of fire, was rigorously changing height and course. The “Predator” kept on “sitting on the tail” of its enemy and, having reached the distance of 300 feet, fired a second burst. The spheroid started smoking but continued its flight. By a long third burst fired from a 200-feet distance it was eventually finished up.

Having made a sharp turn, the “Predator” rushed downwards into a pile of spheres. At that time, Alex caught sight of the guided one: almost all of its “Predator’s” forebody was enveloped in flames. The aircraft started turning its nose up, gradually losing speed. The cockpit canopy opened up and the pilot’s body flew out of it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his smooth descend and guessed that he was still alive. In a second, the spheroid, obviously the same one that had knocked down her guided one, opened fire at her as well. The spheroid’s body featured the contours of the Free People’s aircrafts with the words: ”Merry Oor”. The pilot felt quite comfortable in the sky.

“He must be an ace”, Alex remarked,– “Okay then let’s have a dance!”

Her navigator Eol managed to switch on interferences and protective field. Rockets, deviated by the field, blasted past the cabin. She darted her aircraft down and to the left to get out of fire. All of a sudden the same spheroid emerged from somewhere below, and Alex started chasing it down.

Bjorg made several attacks on the enemy at hypersonic speed, carrying out rocket launch from the rear-hemisphere, and managed to quickly shake off possible pursuit. “Merry Orr” appeared to follow them as well, though in a somewhat unconfidently.

The sensor gave a repugnant peep, alerting on the approach of the winged death, for a moment turning off the main engines. Alex switched into sharp nose-dive, crying a thought form to her navigator: “Eol, field! Deviation!”

Making a sharp turn to the left, she looked back over her shoulder and saw the glittering metal of the spheroid. She made an abrupt turn to the right, suspended for a while and got ready for an attack.

While continuing the right banking turn, the “Predator” started approaching the enemy in such a way so that Eol would be able to lock-on the target. And soon he managed to do so.

Alex forcefully pushed the button switch, unintentionally sending to the on-board AI a thought form: “Fire!” and launched rockets. Instantly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the target mark had disappeared from the screen. The distance was small! Any interferences?

In a few seconds, she switched over the weapon type by mental command and again pushed the button switch, firing a rocket towards the enemy; she knew in advance that neither the distance nor the angle were not suitable for the attack.

A rocket again passed below the sphere cupola without bursting, letting the enemy know that he was disclosed.

Pilot Oor kicked into high gear and went sharply aside, still unaware of the “Predator’s” location. The spheroid pulled up quickly, increasing the distance between the machines.

The “Predator” stop short at the height of five thousand feet and suspended in the air, switching on the invisibility mode.

The hunter was watching its victim and waiting for the right moment.

“Eol, can you see any system in the maneuvers of the “Merry Orr’s” sphere? Any repeating elements? Let’s work in pair: you take on control and bring us to the estimated convergence point. As soon as we reach it, we’ll suspend and wait with the invisibility mode put on.

And I’ll handle the gun.”

“Now he does not see us, but in future this will change. When they readjust heir systems, we’ll be plainly visible. He is twitching, looks like he has guessed that we are tracking him down. I also cannot see him all the time – only when he halts or takes aim. He is smart. I’ll stop under the cloud. Wait. Alex, I’ve spotted a field. Active impact. It might have been sent from the orbit by a ray. It creates strong interferences for our guidance systems, hindering operation of laser and electro-impulse guns.”

“The blood-suckers have done their homework! By the time our people on the orbit turn off their radiator, we’ll be torn to pieces. Report to the FOCC on the interferences field from the orbit. Luckily, I have old guns with manual firing. Might goes before right!”

Eol changed positions several times, sending the machine into different points in space.

Alex was waiting, focused. They did a few attempts to lock-on the target, but Oor appeared to somehow feel the danger and escaped through complex maneuvering. It looked as though he was hunting them as well. Alex was waiting for the moment when the sphere would at least for a couple of seconds suspend in front of her within shooting distance. That will be enough for her. There was no way to avoid a host of missiles or cover from them with the filed.

“Alex!” Eol’s voice sounded tense, “His navigator cannot completely see us when we suspend in invisibility mode. Once we move, he will detect our movement immediately, but not as a point, but a rather a blurred spot, and therefore he will not be able to capture us with a rocket.”

That’s our advantage over them, but only for the time being. They will get better prepared for the next attack.

“Report all these to navigators and to the FOCC. Also brief suggest them to raise all the “Predators”, and change weapons for automatic guns to finish everything up today. The blood-suckers seem to be in a tough mood as well, so we won’t be given a second chance. How is our bird doing?”

“The bird is super awesome! It’s completely safe and sound! Shall we give it a name?”

“Of course! It’s so smart. And how are you?”

“I’m full of energy and enthusiasm!”

Alex smiled. Eol liked to talk like a human being. She couldn’t wish for a better navigator!

The “Predator” changed its position twice so as to get closer to the sphere, but each time its guns turned out to be directed sideward; whenever Alex did a slow body adjustment rotation, Oor sharply changed position – an experienced old hand.

“Alex, the FOCC has approved our initiative. But the Coalition has brought in standby forces.”

“How nice of them! The party seems to linger on. Can you see him?

At that moment she saw the sphere herself: having completed a maneuver, it suspended right above her cockpit canopy, without noticing them.

“EMI field*, Eol, now!”

Thought forms exchange is usually faster than speech, so Eol responded immediately. Only a moment later, the sphere started a thrust, but the EMI field had already hit his accelerators. He had enough energy for only one jerk, after which he got hung up at some distance, trying to recover energy. The sphere’s glow generated strong magnetic field produced by two powerful accelerators; now it was considerably slackened. The sphere was wiggling and descending slowly.

Without waiting for Alex’s order, Eol quickly repositioned the fighter, putting it right opposite the “Merry Oor”.

“The rivet distance,” she thought. Her reaction was fast: she pressed forcefully the two button switches, and within a second, the guns ejected a burst of missiles. The “Predator” started shaking in the air. Two fire bands merged in the center of the sphere. Nervous trembling ran through Alex’s fighter, and the sphere turned into a bright fire torch.

“It’s finished!” Alex exclaimed joyfully.

She caught a glimpse of the pilot’s tumbling figure thrown far aside from the torn sphere body. Both his legs and a hand were separated from his body. It was all over with him.

“Oor is out,” Alex said briefly. “But we’ll keep on dancing. Eol, you’ve done a good job. We understand each other perfectly well. Report right away to the FOCC so that guys change rockets for guns.”

“Done,” Eol replied distinctly.

“All right. Again let’s work in tandem. Put me up to the next one.”

Their “Predator” slightly shook up in the air, ready to chase down a new victim. The hunt continued.

Abel watched the Pole Battle projection in complete silence. When the record finished, the Wolf slowly turned his head to her and uttered with respect:

“Alex, you are a true warrior. May I display this record to our guys and store it in our base’s archive for the future generations? They must know the chronicles of the war and remember its heroes.”

Alex appeared to have again lived through the events of the combat. She nodded to him with a detached air.

“Tomorrow, you’ll be given a new assignment,” Abel said unexpectedly, looking at her from the side.

“Are you going with me?” Alex quickly turned to the Wolf.

“Of course! We’ve got a new assignment. Now we are referred to as the “specialist group”, and I’m its leader owing to my vast experience of desert fights.”

Alex hugged his large head with a smile:

“You are my most experienced and senior intel specialist! I am really glad to go with you and even plunge into the thick of the battle, but let’s not go through the formality! Why wait till tomorrow? Tell and show me everything about our assignment right now. That will be much better. I will remember to take along your brush, by the way. So what’s waiting for us there?”

“Alex, do all people tend to violate the established procedure and military protocol? Okay, I’ll tell and show you everything right now.” The screen started featuring fragments of a map: sandy terrain covered with remains of destroyed buildings. The record was done mostly from a bird’s eye view.

Abel started commenting. Evidently, he had already been there, and not once.

“As soon as we reach the Ocean, we’ll be met by the Aquatic People. They are our friends and allies and live in the Ocean; they are highly developed and hospitable. You are sure to like them. Together with them we’ll sail to the islands and areas inhabited by Hindu-Arians. Their lands stretch up to the very Solid Rocks. I’ll tell you about them later on. Hindu-Arians are a very ancient race, it’s impossible to cover their story and culture in a rush. Cooperative work with Hindu-Arians is the goal of our new assignment.

“Who will replace you at the base?”

“Eol. He’s got the experience of war, awards and is highly developed. He volunteered to stay with us. He has already recovered. Frol is now working on his new body that’s going to look like a griffon. He even developed a new weapon for him. Arvid will be his mate.”

“I see,” Alex said drawlingly, thinking, “Tomorrow I’ll prepare an exoskeleton and gear.

And now please show me the materials on the Ocean research, and artifacts as well – everything of interest on this topic. Do you have them?”

“We’ve compiled a great deal of such stuff. I was going to have a look myself, but have been too busy so far. I have no day offs at all. Why don’t we look them up together?”

The Wolf put up on display a selection of materials on the Ocean, and the friends plunged into contemplation, occasionally exchanging remarks.

“Abel, will you please put your head a bit lower. Your ears are too big and cover almost half the projection.”

________________________________________________________________

EMI field is a strong electromagnetic impulse that invalidates the accelerators of spheres, causing them to descend or loose gravity altogether.

Chapter 29

“They were able to move mountains, but they didn’t notice that had been creating a desert.”

(A fragment of a statement on the people of the 20th century)

An enormous sand-colored exoskeleton with four long legs, looking similar to a mantis, shook up, stretched and made a few short steps, obviously testing its functions.

The empty cockpit canopy of dull-sandy color became transparent and rose upward. Then the machine smoothly got down to one of its front knees, while its other pairs of limbs turned into something resembling a stairs for the pilot to get into the cabin.

It turned short in that position, without making any sound. The machine muscles were made on the basis of biological ones and were controlled by the ray via a thin light pipe.

“Alex, double up water and protein reserves. Aside from the bullet guns, fit it out with meds. They won’t go amiss. Prepare for yourself a couple of spare suits and equip them with various stuff for the water and mountain areas. We are unlikely to come across any gear warehouses on our way. Also an ammunition reserve will be of help, believe me.”

Abel was taking care of her like a father, which gave him real pleasure. He seemed to have assumed responsibility for the girl-warrior, and Alex thought that she would have to get used to that attentive and careful kind of friendship.

“Wolf, have you finished your preparations?”

“Of course. I have changed my CFR*, and Frol have copied my brain processor. So now I’ve got two full-fledged brains.”

Alex remarked that Abel’s hair had assumed sandy color. He was sitting close to the yellow exoskeleton designed for her, overwhelmed with the preparatory process.

What Alex disliked most of all were preparation. She was always forgetting various things being angry with herself. For quite a while she was rushing between the warehouse shelves and the pilot’s cabin with boxes, getting inside, messing about and making much noise and, at last, declared her almost full readiness.

“Abel, where will we put the Mantis when we reach the Ocean shore?”

“It will get back to the storage shed, and what?”

“Will we then have to carry all supplies and gear on ourselves? Though I’ve taken only the essentials, the whole amount turned out to be rather weighty.” Alex looked perplexed, tiding her messy hair.

“Really? Then take a cyber carrier-dog. Frol made them of various sizes. Take a large one, and it will carry your stuff.”

“What would I do without you!” Alex again disappeared in the depths of the warehouse, noticeably cheered up. Abel guessed that the preparations were still underway and sat up in dismal beside the Mantis’s luggage space, waiting for the girl to finish up her arrangements.

Soon Alex got back, holding a large box in her arm, filled with small boxes and pockets.

“What do you need this for?” Alex asked her in bewilderment.

This will be of use as well,” Alex gave a shrug of the shoulders, “There will be neither printers, nor warehouses. And here I’ve got everything required for caring for and curing you in case you are wounded. Our doggy is strong enough and will carry this.”

“Then you’d better take a couple of dogs, just in case one is scared off by all this luggage of yours and runs away.”

Alex turned to him with a smile. Abel noted that Alex had said “to cure” instead of “to repair”.

In a while, the huge Mantis and the Wolf were walking upwards along the wide dark corridor, and soon a heavy door closed noiselessly behind them.

Alex felt comfortable in the Mantis cabin. The pilot’s helmet with all-around view created virtual “transparency” of the cabin, and enabled her to see and hear in any audio and video wave range. All functions of manual control were backed up by voice and thought commands.

“Frol surpassed himself!” Alex thought, “When one gives full freedom to creativity, his creature gains perfection!”

Sitting in the cabin, she could see the surrounding space clearly in green spectrum up to the finest details.

Down to the right of her, the Wolf was trotting confidently in full darkness. Somewhere in front they discerned the door leading outside. The Wolf put on pace and was the first to the reach the door. The door wings parted, and the Mantis slowly stepped into a small round hall. The door closed firmly behind it.

“Is there an elevator?” Alex sent a thought form.

“Be patient, Alex,” Abel came up to the panel, making an almost imperceptible move with his head, and the very same moment, they got wrapped up with dazzling sparks, generating an enormous light cocoon. Standing within that sparkling light sphere they got off the ground and started ascending.

Soon they found themselves on the desert sand in the midst of dunes. There was bright sun light and sand all around. Having spent a few days in the bunker, Alex grew unaccustomed of the Sun. She stood motionlessly for a while, getting used to its bright light and adjusting the settings of her helmet and cockpit canopy.

Wind raise, carrying away dust towards the north.

The Mantis’s cabin was some ten feet above the ground, offering a good view. Looking around, Alex guessed that they were in a cavity between two sand dunes. No traces of doors were to be seen; only sand and stone chips beneath their feet. The four upper manipulators of her exoskeleton were carrying weapons. Alex prudently left them in the operational readiness mode. She looked above: there was not a single cloud in the blue-violet sky.

“Let’s map a route?” she head Abel’s thought form, and the light projection of her helmet displayed a map with a light-blue dotted line ending at the Ocean coast.

“Alex, you’ll be walking after me in my footsteps at a distance of no less than 30 feet and keep the function of terrain reconnaissance on all the time. Give over control to Arvid – he is an experienced warrior. Just sit there and get accustomed.”

Alex was a bit bewildered by that remark, but she decided not to argue and passed over the control function. Then again she heard Abel’s thought form:

“Everything that moves leaves an energy trace in space. Human brain can see it, while eyes cannot. Change the spectrum of visual perception – the Mantis knows how to do that – and start using it.”

Alex’s helmet adjusted its settings, and the world changed again. The sky turned dark-blue, and now she could clearly see Arvid. He looked like a bright-white bird, and each time he beat his wings, a bluish phosphoric generated behind him. Sand grains picked up by wind from tops of dark-yellow dunes, looked like white spots leaving gray dissolving trace. Areas of land surface heavily heated by the Sun were distinctly seen as lighter and more textured ones.

That picture was supplemented by an almost invisible violet light falling to the ground from the sky. This is “space radiation,” she guessed. Abel also looked different. Now she saw him as an ordinary living being, radiating infrared waves.

“Wolf, you’re perfectly disguised as a huge GMA.”

“We’ll meet really huge ones, Alex! And among them I will be quite average. Now you see the world like a machine. Soon you’ll start thinking like a cyborg once you get accustomed to the Mantis. Arvid, how are you doing?”

“Everything is clear so far.”

“Then let’s go,” the Wolf turned to Alex. A large journey starts with the first step.

A patrol drone that had been stricken by lightning during the storm, was trying to test its systems in an effort to bypass the damaged part of its processor, yet with little success. The program was stubbornly dictating him various available solutions. At last, operation was restored.

Half-covered with sand, the drone made a move and began to slowly dig itself out. Owing to the incurred damage, the picture of the terrain was distorted and the connection with the base was missing. Dragging the damaged manipulator along the ground, the machine resumed its military duty. The battery resource almost expired, and the drone made a decision to continue patrolling at a small speed, making short stops on hill crests to explore the terrain.

The Mantis was walking easily on the sand, without any excess moves. The cabin equipment compensated for tossing and jerking. It seemed to Alex that she was sailing rapidly above sand dunes, driven by some unknown force. Gradually, she got used to the new visual spectrum and, it occurred to her that her consciousness was growing deeper and more focused, perceiving the outside world according to concepts and principles unfamiliar to a human being. The Wolf was running by leaps, choosing a route away from anthropogenic remains and animal paths.

“Abel, there is a killed drone to your right. It’s not covered with sand.” said Arvid through a thought form.

“Have you seen it here before?”

“I see this one for the first time; he has left a trace that has not been covered with sand.”

“I can see it, which means that it was not killed. Let’s finish it up and download the memory!”

Alex’s Mantis stopped by Arvid’s order and stretched its legs. Now Alex could clearly see the whole scene.

Arvid sharply descended like white lightening and started circulating above the drone. Abel approached it in large leaps, leaving behind a long gray train. The drone did not react to him as a threat, taking him for an ordinary animal.

The distance between them was quickly decreasing until the drone at last guessed that he was an enemy. Using the remains of his energy, the drone started turning its weapon, but the moment was gone. The Wolf had already made a leap towards it.

With his forefeet it knocked down the drone’s head, blinding it. Instantly, bright bluish glow spread up all around, forming a sphere that covered up them both. The drone ceased moving, and Alex didn’t see it any more, as the Wolf’s body covered it for a while.

In a moment, the glow disappeared. The Wolf deftly jumped aside and ran off, without turning back. The remains of the drone were emitting faint greenish light. Now it was no use to the Wolf.

“Once me and Arvid played a joke on stupid machines. A drone took me for a GMA. It used infrared vision and did not react to me. I came up to him from behind, jumped and stuck its head in sand. Then I reprogrammed its assignment, deleted its memory and let it go. It tried to fire at me when I was running away. When the drone returned to its base it started shooting at other machines and ended up eliminating itself. You can do just everything out of boredom.”

Abel was evidently in a good mood and considered that occurrence as a game.

He quickly resumed the previous route. The Mantis obediently ran after him.

“Abel, how do machines see the Mantis?”

“It depends on the development level. Frol has done a good job in this respect as well. Drones cannot see it as an anthropogenic or living object. They consider the Mantis to be a piece of plastic figure blown by the wind. As for more complex machines, the Mantis will see them first and then use a variety of modes so as to remain unrecognized.