"That was what us wrenchheads call a soft re-boot. Let's be more loyal, and avoid a hard re-boot".

Artie puzzles over the comings and goings, drops his spork and picks it up again.

He considers fixing the speaker - no, Artie is meant for fixing better machines. Perfect ones. And the whole speaker thing is sort of done.

Artie thanks the Morale officer for his concern regarding Dweeb. "Your vigilance towards loyalty will not to go not unnoticed neither unrewarded if due in the mission output tabulation of the Computer, no doubt.  This Dweeb had faulty coding. Carry on!"

"Loyal mission leader! Continue your excellence in leading us to the mission area."

"Thanks to these loyal Yellows for seeing that our mission gets off to an auspicious start. Thanks for filling that Dweeb with holes." 

"This broken speaker will ensure we leave no trace for commie spy filth to track us. Thanks to our loyal team member - whoever it was."

"Last one to the mission area is a disloyal traitor!"

Artie takes one more sporkful of soylent green, and then exits the cafeteria.

"I knew he was a spy and had to get rid of him.  But if we hurt him it might have compromised our mission.  Unfortunately I had to break that speaker to draw security to deal with him.  Now that the pain in my head from whatever he did is subsiding we can carry on.  Our faithful leader asked to get going so let's go.". Brighte was ready to go and see how he could make up to friend Computer for the small inconvenience he had caused.

With lunch forgotten, you leave the cafeteria and head into a red corridor, feeling what seems like hundreds of eyes boring into your back. A last glance over your shoulder reveals the Yellow troubleshooters enlisting the aid of some random Red clones to help deal with the wounded and clean up what is left of Dweebs.

Turning left, you see a large red blast door on the side of the corridor. It is labeled "SWR Sector". Next to it is a small panel with a speaker and a black button.

Pushing the button has no immediate effect, though after a delay, a computerized voice politely asks for your team number, which Artie is able to provide - down to the "dot R dash two".

After you proceed through the blast door, it closes behind the team, and you find yourselves in a small room similar to an airlock, with a yellow laser cannon on the ceiling and another large blast door in front of you. This door has a small sign with two buttons below it. The sign reads "SWR SECTOR. To activate automatic defense system and to open access door, use controls below."

The two buttons beneath the sign are side by side - a red one on the left, and a yellow button on the right.

Steam grabbed the laser that had fallen out of his hand when the pain shot through his head--a punishment well-deserved for not shooting that dirty commie spy before he had the chance to try to sabotage Friend Computer. He holstered the pistol he had been too slow to draw and looked around for something to dab at the piss on the front of his pants.

He waited for the rest of the team to head out before following them. Brighte was quick, with his eyes and his mouth. Hopefully that'll come in handy in their upcoming task. Interesting tactic for the morale officer to blame that commie for attacking Friend Computer, then admitting to breaking the speaker himself, resulting in a team brain fry. However, because of him their team had already taken out an enemy of Friend Computer, and that was something to be proud of.

Steam walked awkwardly through the blast doors, hoping the pee would dry soon, and read the sign on the second blast door, "SWR SECTOR. To activate automatic defense system and to open access door, use controls below."

He made his way to the front of the group, ready to make up for his hesitation before, "Stand aside, I got this."

Steam looked at the buttons, and back at the laser cannon. These are a kind of equimpent, and Friend Computer put Steam in charge of equipment. And Friend Computer doesn't makes mistakes.

Steam knew what to do.

The team is Red. That button is red. It made perfect sense.

Steam raised his hand to push the red button.

Brighte watched Steam reach for the red button.  "umm. Steam.  Maybe the buttons are in the same order as the directions with the left or red one activating the defense system.  Just saying red is usually bad."

Steam looked at Brighte, a finger on the red button and a hand on his laser, "Yellow is treason, comrade", and pushed the red button.

"I was just testing you.  Of course it is the red button."

Slipp is happy to let others who are obviously more qualified to make decisions such as these. Besides that s*** hurt and thinking is still painful. Time for a "vitamin". Slipp takes a "vitamin" out of his bag and pops it in his mouth waiting for the effects to take hold. He looks over at steam and says, "Care for one? It's good for your health. I AM a professional." Slipp gives steam a sly smile.

Steam confidently presses the red button on the console. As soon as he does, a slight humming sound can be perceived - but the door does not slide open. Instead, a computerized feminine voice speaks.

"At your service, citizen. Automatic defense system activated."

The hum immediately grows louder, and the laser cannon rotates towards the team and begins firing!

Ammpe is the unlucky clone chosen to be the first target - the yellow laser completely ignores his red reflec armor, and the blast knocks him to the ground. The team leader now lies, stunned, on the ground.

The cannon then rotates a bit as it pulls a bead on the next troubleshooter.


Actions?

Without thinking, Slipp rushes to the yellow button to attempt to press it before he gets shot because apparently, he spoke to himself way too soon about the qualifications of his teammates when it comes to button pressing.

No stranger to vitamins himself, Steam took the pill from Slipp and popped it in his mouth.

"At your service, citizen. Automatic defense system activated"

Steam watched as the yellow laser turned on team leader, taking him down in an instant and moving to face its next victim. Torn between his years of protecting his team members and the wisdom of Friend Computer, Steam drew his laser, ready to help take down the next traitor Friend Computer's laser set its sights on.

Artie's eyes light up. The computer is taking an interest in our team. In our mission. Oustanding!

"Hello, O great computer. It is us, your loyalist of loyal red troubleshooting teams! We're looking forward to this task, I can tell you, and looking forward to the ensueing promised promotion!"

"You may remember me, great computer - I humbly tended to the gear-o-matic rhumba mop-bots the next sector over. Oh, what larks!

"Anyhoo - these carbon-basers are with me, the loyalty officer. And as far as I know, they're all loyal - excepting the ones which you're blasting while I chirp away like a chirp-bot. We will loyally stand here while you blast away, computer - we who are about to be blasted, salute you!"

Artie salutes and drops his toolbelt in the process.

"Can someone get that?"

"Let's see some salutes! More loyalty!"

Perhaps a song of obedience....

"It goes BIP when it moves and BOP when it pops and WHIRR when it is still... We OBEY the computer happily and I know I always will..."  (dodges a laser beam) "EVERYBODY now, second verse, same as the first, a little more loyal and work up a thirst!"

Artie conducts with a spanner wrench. 

Brighte watched as the leader pushed the red button and was in turn vaporized by the newly activated defense cannon.  So much for red being the right choice.  Figuring the cannon targeted moment he drops to a prone position and stays very still.  

Steam has a brief conflict of conscience before deciding to side with this agent of the Computer as it moves to eliminate traitors.  The Armed Forces clone draws his laser pistol, intent on coordinating with the laser cannon against any potemtially treasonous teammates. 

The friendly, feminine, computerized voice speaks again.

"Threat detected.  At your service, target acquired."

The laser spins quickly towards Steam and fires, striking him in the forearm just below the hand holding the pistol. The yellow beam burns a hole through not only the reflec armor, but through skin, flesh, and bone.  Also through flesh, skin, and reflec amor on the exit side. 

And is remarkably painful!

Arguably worse, the shock of the trauma casuses Steam to lose his grip on the expensive and delicate firearm that Friend Computer had so thoughtfully issued.  The laser pistol impacts the ground with a sickening *crunch*; hopefully, it isn't too damaged.

Slipp rushes to the yellow button and presses it, hard.  At his action, the blast door whooshes open.  However, this does not seem to have impacted the laser cannon in the slightest, as it continues to hum and swivel. 

Actions?

Seeing the newly opened door, Brighte crawls slowly, quietly and as nonthreatening as possible towards the opening.