
		    - = Z E R O   T O L E R A N C E = -
			     	Backstory


			** Prologue - Test Zero **

	The unfocused eyes of Dr. Edward Charon peered through the reinforced glass, still amazed at the sight lying before him. "I just don't believe it. He looks even more authentic than the real thing!" Although he was barely able to take his aching eyes off his masterpiece, Dr. Charon spun around to face his colleague, wiping a tear from his cheek. "It's magnificent, don't you think, Rebecca?"
	Dr. Rebecca Morgan seemed to be much less interested in the project than her enthusiastic teammate. As her expression shifted to her trademark half-smirk, she responded, "For the last time, Charon, it's 'Dr. Morgan' to you. By the way, what's up with the whole crying thing? Are you seriously that pleased with yourself?"
	Edward grinned. "Hey now, I have a disorder. You know that. Besides, I could've sworn I heard you sayin' to your friends that you thought it was cute!" 	Despite her best efforts, Dr. Morgan couldn't stop herself from laughing. She had been slightly pissed at him before, when she realized how quickly the project was progressing. The beta release currently standing before the two scientists was produced two weeks ahead of schedule. As a result, Rebecca lost a bet with Edward and now had to look forward to taking him to lunch. However, after a while she didn't reject the idea so badly. Sure, he was crazy as hell, but he at least had a sense of humor. Even "Stone Cold" Rebecca Morgan had to admit to that.
	But at that very moment, the looming date of doom seemed much less important than the issue at hand. Even after convincing herself many times before, Dr. Morgan had to ask the infamous question again. "Edward, are you sure this thing is all ready for testing?" She realized too late that she had called Charon by his first name, and cursed silently.
	"Oh, yeah. I'm more positive than a roomful of protons." To Dr. Charon's surprise, this generated a tiny chuckle from Rebecca. "I just finished installing the latest ZEROT-OS subversion today, and we've got all the major bugs swatted for now. The bastard should aim just fine this time." He winked at Morgan, silently reminding her of last week's near-disaster. She simply rolled her eyes in return.

	Edward Charon shifted his unsteady gaze back to the Prototype. "It's quite beautiful, really. I had never seen it this closely before, and now, I feel like I've never before appreciated this work of art as much as it deserves."
	Rebecca Morgan couldn't help but to study its figure as well. The Prototype, as it had simply been called, was the first of its kind. Morgan and Charon worked as scientists for the global Zen Dynamics corporation, a subsidiary of Union Aerospace. Zen Dynamics mainly focused on developing cutting-edge technologies for military use, and Dr. Morgan couldn't pass up the opportunity to lead their latest project. For over a year (sixteen months exactly, Morgan counted), she had been putting up with Charon and his band of geeks in what had to be the largest-scale android project in the history of mankind.
	The android standing before them was the first working model in a development to create the perfect artificial soldier. Encased in a life-sized plexiglass cryo-tube, The Prototype stood exactly six feet tall, completely humanoid in appearance all the way down to the flesh. It was this fact that had amazed Edward Charon so much... that something so artificial could appear to be so real. Although the techs in Biophage Division were working on a similar method, Charon couldn't help but feel a tremendous sense of pride in that he and his team (well... Rebecca's team) had gotten there first.
	"Oh, yeah. He's gonna be a hell of a problem-solver," Dr. Charon remarked. The android certainly looked the part. Grafted to its massive body was a suit of high-density combat armor, equipped with Zen's patented shielding system. Its massive legs could propel the behemoth at speeds of over sixty miles-per-hour, and was designed to outrun any and all opposition with little to no trouble. To further exaggerate its military dominance, the android could keep track of its ammo counts through internal gauges, and was capable of carrying more supplies and ammo than you could shake a stick at. To top it all off, the entire thing was controlled remotely by sending directives through a completely secure system. The Zen Electromagnetic Remote Operations Transmission system, or ZEROT for short, was the key to the whole puzzle, providing a safe means of communication from base to 'bot. If any hacker could somehow crack the ZEROT Operating System's code, Charon thought to himself, he deserved to steal it.

	Dr. Morgan swung around rapidly towards Edward. Pushing aside a stray strand of her long black hair, Rebecca asked, "So, wanna get this over with so we can get the hell out of here?" She smirked again.
	Charon knew exactly what she was thinking, and didn't want to put off their "date" any longer. "Hell yeah, Let's get this show on the road!"
	At these words, Rebecca Morgan reached for the cryo-chamber's side terminal and carefully entered the release code that only she knew. Within seconds, the tube began emitting a harsh racket as the compressed air hissed through the chamber's vents. As the gases continued to rush out like there was no tomorrow, Charon began to let out a triumphant smile.
	Morgan turned in his direction one last time and asked, "Hey, you sure this thing's gonna give us a warm welcome?"
	"Trust me, Rebecca. What's the worst that could happen?" Edward continued to peer forward with his bloodshot eyes as the clear tube's door slid upwards without a sound. Wiping a tear from his face, he watched silently as the creature's muscles began to twitch and it opened its eyes for the first time.

	Despite their promise to each other, Rebecca Morgan and Edward Charon never took each other to lunch that night. They never got the chance.




			   ** Ground Rules **

	To:	Dr. Marshal A. Lanning
		  (mlanning@science.zendyn.org)
		Dr. Gabriel M. Tauren
		  (tau@diamond.zendyn.org)
		Dr. Miranda P. Welch 
		  (mirawel@science.zendyn.org)

	From:	Zen Global Director James I. Sullivan Jr.
		  (sullyjr@staff.zendyn.org)

	Date:	Jan. 23, 2144

	Subject: ATTN: New Procedures

	Good morning, gentlemen (and lady). I take it that you have all heard the terrible news this morning. I, too, have felt the sting of sadness at these latest events, and I will be mourning the deaths of Edward Charon and Rebecca Morgan personally. It's such a shame that yet another accident has occurred, this time with more than one life tragically lost. However, given the surprising frequency of accidents lately, I believe it is time for us to overcome our losses and make sure another tragedy like this does not occur again.
	Due to this accident, I am going to pull the plug on the entire ZEROT project and reassign the remaining team members. Yes, it is rather ironic to destroy the project the late Charon and Morgan strived so hard towards completing, but I cannot jeapordize the peoples' safety any longer. Dr. Lanning, I want you to arrange transport to ship the failed Prototype to Phobos Station for proper disposal.
	Having said that, I will now touch on other issues. I am going to be enforcing some new rules to make sure we all stay in check. Regular status updates will now be mandatory, and new overseers will be appointed, one each for New Fork City, Phobos Station, and Avalon Island divisions. Sorry to single you out, Dr. Tauren, but I must address you specifically on this issue. I am not trying to pin the blame of recent events on you, but Avalon's rather lax policies must be tightened up to help prevent future problems. Please keep this in mind.
	As for the rest of us, we must work hard in order to make sure that--

		--confirm message delete? y/n--
		y_
			-message deleted.




			** Out Of Curiosity **

	Gabriel Tauren removed his glasses and began to slowly massage the bridge of his nose. Although he had been under tremendous pressure before, no amount of stress could compare to what he was now feeling. He barely even noticed when the tall, slender figure of Miranda Welch cautiously slipped through his office's doors. Dr. Welch knew that Gabriel "Tau" Tauren never missed anything or ignored anyone. Something was wrong, and she knew exactly what that something was.
	"I take it you got the message, Gabriel." He nodded solemnly in return, another oddity on his part. The semi-famous Tau, extrovert extraordinaire, was grieved to the point of speechlessness. Miranda was at a loss for words as well, but for lesser reasons. Although she had never even met the two victims, she knew from his actions that Dr. Tauren had cared for them very much. Dr. Welch finally broke the silence. "Tau, look... I know that Morgan and Charon were your friends. I just wish there was something I could say to help..."
	An awkward pause ensued. After what seemed like eons, Dr. Tauren sighed loudly and responded, "Don't worry about me. I'll be all right soon enough." With this, he straightened up, rubbed his eyes, and replaced his glasses. Though he didn't look much better, Miranda felt relieved nonetheless. The two looked at each other in silence for a few seconds before Tauren stood and spoke again, "It was just so senseless. How could this have happened again? How could..." Miranda cut him off. "Gabriel, please. We'll get through this. At least we're safe, right?"
	Whoops. Bad call. Welch realized her mistake right as the words left her lips. "Tau" was the polar opposite of a self-centered person, and his reputation showed. The last thing he probably wanted to hear was that another accident had occurred with the punishment falling on the innocent. Dr. Tauren knew the entire ZEROT project was a huge risk, but he allowed it to happen anyway. He had played the part of the fool who allowed his big dreams to cost another's life. At least, that's what Miranda was thinking. Gabriel was allowing yet another issue bring him down that was completely out of his control.
	Before Tauren was able to react to her comment, Dr. Welch quickly spied something behind him. She welcomed the opportunity to change the subject, and asked, "What have you been looking at, Tau?" Sure enough, on his desk were papers strewn everywhere. It was another mark against Gabriel Tauren's usual personality, as his entire office was always neat and tidy. He hastily tried to cover his tracks, responding "Uh, nothing. Research."
	Research? At a time like this? Even a deaf man wouldn't believe that lie. Tauren was up to something, and upon closer inspection, Welch's fears were confirmed. "Tau" made no effort to stop her and simply stepped aside as Miranda approached his desk and gazed at the papers lying there. She read the top page's title out loud, "Project Zerot - The Perfect Machine. Gabriel, what is this?"
	If it was anyone else but Tauren, Dr. Welch would have suspected foul play. However, both of them knew that Tau wasn't capable of sabotaging anything even if he tried. It was apparent that Dr. Tauren had only recently pulled out the documents, and there remained only one question. "Why?"
	Gabriel Tauren let out another sigh and began to speak slowly, "They're design docs. What you're looking at are blueprints, specs, notes, designs... the works."
	Miranda picked up the topmost sheet of paper and gazed at it. "So, you're doing research after all. Maybe you're not quite as shaken up as you look." She smiled faintly, and Gabriel returned the smile for a second or two before the too-serious look returned to his face.

	He did his best to try and explain. "Look, Miranda, I'm getting worried. I mean, first there was that accident with Friedrich's team, and now this. I'm having trouble grasping the reality of this. Hell, you saw me, I'm even reviewing the design documents to see what went wrong. I've got to figure it out before another disaster occurs..."
	Miranda couldn't help but to interrupt. "Gabriel, listen to yourself! You've let this get to your head. You're right, it shouldn't have happened and it was a very tragic loss, but you just can't go on blaming yourself for this."
	Her interjection was returned threefold as Tauren exclaimed, "Well, maybe I'm just paranoid! Yeah, that's it. I'm just afraid that something like this is going to happen again. Is that so bad?" This caught Dr. Welch completely off guard, and even Tauren himself regretted the harsh response. "I... I'm sorry Miranda. I guess I am taking things too seriously. I was just worried that... well, things just seem to be getting more violent by the second. I'm afraid that if this continues, even more people might get hurt. I'll go ahead and admit it. I fear for our safety, Miranda. I mean, if something were to happen to you, well... I..."
	Before Dr. Tauren could continue, Miranda Welch reached out and squeezed his shoulder to comfort him. With a bit of a smile, she replied, "Hey, don't worry about it. Besides, even if something were to happen, nothing would ever reach us out here on this God-forsaken island."
	"Tau" looked up at her and forced a smile. Despite his own tall stature, Dr. Welch still towered over him by a few inches. This humorous thought seemed to cheer him up even more, and he finally calmed down a bit. "What do you say we get out of here and get some rest?"
	Finally, the first good thing he's said in ages, thought Miranda. "Not a bad idea. Mind if I join you?" A quick nod was all she needed. However, as the two of them turned toward the door, she remembered about the paper she was still holding in her hands. As she eyed the page, she asked, "Out of curiosity, what exactly was it, anyway?"
	"Nothing," Gabriel Tauren remarked. "It's all in the past now. Sometimes it's better just to walk away and forget."




			** A Perfect Machine **
    Overview:
	The ZEROT project is the latest running development by the Zen Dynamics corporation, the industry's leader in cutting-edge military technology. Headed by Dr. Rebecca Morgan, the ZEROT project is the first scientific expedition of its kind. ZEROT's aim is to aid military support and firepower by creating the world's first completely artificial AI-controlled super-soldier. Running on an experimental neural simulation program developed by Dr. Edward Charon, the ZEROT Operating System, the project has laid claim to the world's most advanced artificial intelligence system. Armed with the Zen Electromagnetic Remote Operations Transmission system, the android is able to be controlled remotely from almost anywhere through simple directives. While much too expensive to replace an average solder on a regular basis, the androids are planned to be used for covert missions and risky procedures that most humans simply wouldn't be able to handle. The project is currently in beta phases and, once ready, will be a worldwide breakthrough on the forefront of modern technology.

    Specs:
	Completion	- 95% (final beta stage)
	Armor		- High-density kevlar w/Zentry Shielding (prototype)
	Top Speed	- ~55mph
	Stamina		- 250% of a standard human's (Charon Estimate)
	Reaction Time	- 3ms (average)
	ZEROT-OS version- 1.5a (bugfix revision 2.0.64)
	Test Results	- ERR: Accuracy glitch in ZEROT-OS during first test,
				not yet confirmed fixed in pending tests.
	*List currently incomplete, subject to change*

    Standard Armaments:
	  "Prophet" .45 Mag Pistol -
	As a more powerful alternative to the standard 9mm caliber, the Prophet is a lightweight powerhouse. Modern prototypes come equipped with a laser sight and are very accurate even at long distance, making it a great all-around weapon.
	  "Susan" Fusion Pistol -
	With the latest breakthroughs in fusion technology, certain amounts of high-energy output were actually desirable for possible use in weaponry. Named in honor of Dr. Susan Calvin, who discovered the aptly-named Calvin Method of Extracting Fusion Energy, the "Susan" is the first of Zen's line of weapons to utilize this power. While not very accurate, the splitting particles provide for a nice shotgun alternative.
  	  "Raiden" .45 Assault Rifle -
	Utilizing the same .45 ammunition behind the Prophets, the Raiden is the standard military-issue assault rifle currently in mass production. It serves as a better alternative to the ancient AR-15 or the less popular Zen-Series I SMG. With both full-auto fire as well as accurate single-shot capabilities, no arsenal is complete without a Raiden on board.
 	  "ZER-401", "INF-402"
	Formerly a seperate Zen project, these twin blasters have been retrofitted for the ZEROT mechs after being proven too unwieldy for the average soldier. All other information has been classified level Epsilon. Please report any unauthorized information leaks to your superiors immediately.

    Notes:
	Warning - The subject may be unstable during certain conditi--


	"Hmm... that's odd. this page has been torn. Was it like this when you found it, Gabriel?" A deep look into his eyes told Miranda that he was just as surprised as she was.




			   ** Rude Awakening **

	A bloodcurdling scream echoed down the bleak stainless-steel hallway, making the scientist's heart beat even faster. He continued to race down the dimly-lit corridor, adrenaline surging through his veins. The man had never been much of a runner, and probably would have given up long ago if it weren't for the knowledge that any hesitation spelt certain death.
	For what seemed like a lifetime, the only sounds he could hear were the rapid clicking of his footsteps, his heavy breathing, and the quickening thump of his heartbeat. A million thoughts raced through the man's head, but above all, he knew he had one last mission to accomplish. Even if the creature claimed his life, he knew he couldn't let it happen. At least, not yet.
	He had instructions. Not from the beaureaucrats at the head of the UAC or the thick-skulled military generals who did a fine job at screwing things up. No, it was from a much more important source, one that could be trusted. He had to reach the capsule in time. If he did not, the entire human race would be doomed. The irony hit the scientist like an atom bomb. It was so cliche... the end of the world, humanity's last hope. And he was playing a huge part in it! He even would have laughed if he had the strength left, but the only things that were fueling his system and keeping him alive were his six cups of morning coffee and a barrel full of adrenaline. That barrel had better be big enough...

	Finally, he saw it. The capsule. Salvation. It had mysterously arrived a few days ago in a routine shipment with strict orders to seal it away and never open it under any circumstances. Naturally, as it always seems to work out, he had to open it anyway. Although the suits at Zen had labeled it as a failed experiment and a fatal hazard, someone else thought otherwise. And in his frenzied state of mind, Dr. Gordon Bush was going to risk his own life to fulfill that someone's wish.
	Bush scrambled up to the pod, gasping for breath. Now, the only thing seperating him and the prize was a sheet of reinforced plexiglass and a nine-digit keypad. How typical. After all this trouble, the simplest obstacle proved its worth. Fanatical about the "Instructor's" cause, Bush had allowed for the deaths of Gotfried and Kade in his attempt to reach his final objective. As fate would have it, here he was, inches away from the thing that could save the human race, and the only thing stopping him was a lock without a key.
	It couldn't end like this. No way, no how. Gordon Bush was not about to go down in history as the man who allowed the human race to be destroyed simply because he didn't know a simple combination. Without any time to think, Gordon set into action the only plan he could think of. He pulled out his only weapon, confiscated from the severed hand of an unfortunate security guard. He raised his 9mm semi-automatic access code and fired three times at the obstinate keypad.
	They say that brute force never solved any problem. As it turned out, they were wrong.
	For once, Gordon congratulated the Zen techs for providing such an easy solution to their stupid security system. A small LCD screen above the pad, surprisingly still intact, flashed a single word: "CONFIRM?" Nearly overwhelmed by its simplicity, Dr. Bush hesitated for a split second before slowly reaching out towards the "ENTER" button. After all this, he was nearly there. Just a simple push of a button could spell doom for the invaders.
	Unfortunately for him, his hand never reached the button.

	Gordon Bush was blinded by a surprise flash of light and fell to the floor, writhing in pain. He was mere inches away from saving the human race, and now his right hand, formerly reaching for the magic button, was lying alone on the floor beside him. Grasping his brand-new stub and screaming in anguish, Bush forced himself to his feet against all odds.
	The sight that lay before him was almost enough to stop him dead in his tracks. The nightmarish creature had proved to be much faster than he thought, as it was standing right in front of him. Its brown leathery hide contrasted sharply with the gleaming, silvery spikes protruding from the skin's every angle. It was not alone, Gordon knew, and it would not hesitate to take yet another life. As the thing began to wind back and strike, Bush knew that his entire quest would prove to be futile if he failed. The only thoughts that drove him on were his memories. Although he hadn't seen his ex-wife and two children in years, he knew that if he did not do something, they would suffer the same fate as him.
	In a desperate flash of anger and adrenaline, Gordon Bush made his move. Screaming at the top of his lungs, he used the very last of his strength to swing his left hand towards the console. Time began to move in slow motion, as his arm continued to soar and the horrific monster's claws were thrust out towards their mark. As both appendages began to approach their final destination, Bush let his mind go. Not a single thought ran through his head after that moment. He was content that he had done all that he could do and was absolutely certain that the Instructor would finish the job. After all, fate couldn't be too cruel, could it?
	After an eternity, Gordon Bush's senses began flooding with nearly unbearable pain. He could do nothing but stare helplessly. The sharp razors tearing through his chest were a knife through butter. A bullet through flesh. As his heart pumped its final beat, his left wrist shattered on the console beside him, the massive impact putting a dent in the keypad's already trashed surface. He was slammed against the plexiglass tube with the force of a freight train, the creature withdrawing its crimson claw from the abyss. Leaving a neat trail of blood on the pod's clean surface, Gordon slid down and crumpled into a sprawling heap.
	While he was releasing his final breath, the fallen scientist's ringing ears picked up the faint hissing sound of the chamber's gas vents. By the time his vitals ceased to function, the plexiglass door began to slide open. The murderous beast stared silently as the creature within began to stir. The last thing the demon saw before it died was a faint twitch as the Prototype's eyes began to open.

