A sci-fi serial in 69 parts featuring original art with every chapter.
Braggadocio between American and Japanese robotics engineers on social media becomes serious once corporate backers join the fray and commission build teams for an international...
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"Thanks for coming, everyone. I have something to show you," said Lumin, walking to the rear of the break room. She pulled up her smartphone and streamed a video to the 65" television hanging on the back wall.
"Edridge Roundstone gave me this file. It's an interview piece shot by an Austrian news crew. He thinks it will shed some light on our Japanese opponents."
"Austrians are interviewing the Japanese team?" asked Dezzie. "Weird."
Lumin sighed and pressed pause. "Yes, I know it's strange, but with the reach of the internet you never know where your fan base will sprout up."
"I don't see any Australians beating down our door to interview us," said Bo, crossing his arms.
"Austrians...and we've had interview requests but trust me, none of you are ready for your close-ups," said Lumin.
"I can't wait to see how the translation software handles this mess," said Skip.
"It's already been subtitled, thank God," said Lumin, starting the video.
Onscreen, a white Bell helicopter roared above an ancient Buddhist temple before skimming past a series of rolling hills smothered in blood-red maples. The lush landscape soon gave way to the gleaming glass towers of Kyoto's skyline as the chopper descended; landing on a platform beside an immense concrete cube pocked with a single steel door.
"Goddamn, it's so beautiful there. It makes the wasteland we work in look like an underwear stain," said Spotswood.
"Quiet! I want to hear this," said Yasamin, pushing Spotswood to the side to move closer to the television.
Subtitles flowed across the bottom of the screen as an unseen female narrator began speaking in German. "A war of words on social media between Japanese and American engineers is destined to become physical, with each country's team designing and building a gigantic robot to battle in a massive arena. The winning team will secure bragging rights as the top robot builders in the world, and more importantly, claim a prize of one billion U.S. dollars for the charities of their choosing. The Japanese seem confident that the top-secret, nightmarish robot housed several floors below ground in this facility will give them an edge in the competition."
"These translations are actually fairly decent," said Yasamin, with a smile. "It's nice to hear my native language...even if the dialect is different."
"They must do all their building and testing underground," said Richard, as he unwrapped his muffin. "Neat."
"Yeah, we get an asbestos filled dump and they get a brand new, supervillain-grade facility. Typical," said Bo.
"But Bo, we benefit from the evil spirits permeating these old walls. The Kyoto Team's base seems cold and soulless," said Dezzie.
"Dezzie, don't talk to me...ever," said Bo.
"Alright, quiet down!" said Lumin, turning up the volume as if it mattered.
