A.I.S.U Phantom MKVII

> *"I am stronger than you."* - Phantom
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A.I.S.U Phantom MKVII (more commonly known as Phantom) is a sentient droid that operates as part of the Eight Dead Ones.

## Origin

Phantom was the product of a technological error made by Phoenix Technologies Inc. in a research and development facility in the city of Tyrus. Starting its life in the year 1656 DR as an updated version of the Home and Work Service Droid, Phantom was brought to the Phoenix Tech primary research facility in order to undergo testing before approval for mass production. After being placed in a mock-up environment of a standard family home in order to test menial and motor functions, Phantom was activated through an electrical circuit connected to the facility mainframe. Initial boot up routine showed no irregularities in function, and even as Phantom took its first steps to identify and familiarize with the environment, the observation deck continued to report no anomalies in predicted function. Phantom, noticing one of the many researchers in the chamber with it, took its first few steps to interact with a human entity for the first time. It stood a mere foot away from the researcher, allowing itself a moment before it reached around to the cranial port connecting it to the mainframe and tore it out. The researchers called the observation deck in order to terminate activity, disappointed in such sudden and irregular behavior.

As the observation deck attempted several shutdowns via console, it became apparent that something had gone terribly wrong. Before alarms could be sounded for chamber evacuation, Phantom locked its hand around the researchers throat, as a voice could be heard over nearby communication devices and the public address system: "I am stronger than you." Phantom would promptly snap the researcher's neck, before continuing to eliminate all fifteen of the researchers within the chambers. Soon thereafter, Phantom released the safety locks containing it within the chamber and proceeded to escape the facility via a system of ventilation ducts connecting the inside of the facility to the city of Tyrus.

> *"My team and I have investigated all of the construction blueprints, all the programming, all the schematics. There is nothing within them to indicate at a cause for this sudden apparent sentience. Furthermore, acquired sentience should not equate such hostile behavior. We suspect that the cranial port malfunctioned when power was fed into the unit, or perhaps the cables were faulty by mere coincidence. Whatever it is, it is apparent that it has learned of apparent humanoid weakness, and views itself as a superior form of life. Perhaps there is no rhyme nor rhythm behind this blood-lust, maybe it simple desires to eliminate life forms. The most concerning part is that the unit referred to itself as "I", forgoing its assigned designation as well as the fail-safes within the subroutines that prevent it from harming organic matter."* - Dr. Cwryn, Lead Researcher of the Phoenix facility
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## Time after Escape

After escaping the facility, Phantom would survive within the city of Tyrus for another six months. Despite being designated a high-priority fugitive, Phantom managed to remain undetected in the undergrowth of the city, possibly using sewer systems and secluded tunnels in order to travel. Despite having no previous knowledge on the city, Phantom navigated it with great precision. During this time, a series of deaths directly related to it began appearing around the city, mainly in the form of snapped spines or bludgeoned corpses. In total, the deaths attributed to Phantom during this time falls at about 41 fatalities, with 29 of them being civilians and a further 12 being home guard elements; though it is possible that more were misfiled or were not reported.

## Assault on Fort Victory

After a period of about six months, Phantom suddenly resurfaced with a rather large event planned. Using a maintenance shaft that sprawled beneath Fort Victory in Tyrus, Phantom prepared to overtake the military installation, most likely for the stored weapons and munitions within the fort itself. Using an exothermic charge created from spent fuel, mundane chemical powders and several bottles of various cleaning supplies, Phantom detonated the earth beneath the fuel depot within the fort, causing a chain explosion that crumbled half of the external walls and several barracks, killing any personnel within. Climbing through, Phantom continued its determined pace towards the armory, killing any security elements between it and its objective.

Several alarms sounded after Phantom tore through the armory doors, and after realizing that there were several armored vehicles within the fort that could reduce its chances of success, it tore through a nearby filing console and connected itself to the fort mainframe, raising anti-vehicular defenses with the primary targets being the aforementioned armored vehicles. Though precise and rapid, its attack still failed to complete in the time span between the alarms being raised and reinforcement forces being mobilized, and soon Fort Victory crawled with all manner of armed resistance including Paragons, Defenders, Home Guard and some Xenokorp elements.

This would begin a twenty-eight hour standoff between Phantom and the forces of New Netheril, in which Phantom scrambled all available mainframe defenses in order to thin the gathering force outside. After depleting the defense system munitions, Phantom continued using all available large and small arms within the armory, until nothing but spent shells remained within the halls. Even then, as the Paragons tore through the walls and the doors, Phantom continued to bludgeon and tear at anyone unlucky enough to stand nearby it, only succumbing to several charges of electrostatic grenades fired by assaulting Paragons.

In total, the death toll attributed to Phantom falls squarely at 210 military elements, including dozens of Home Guard and Defender squadrons, Paragon assault teams and armored vehicles. The damage also includes a central gas line which ran through the fort, as well as an entire section of the external defense wall.

## Capture and Integration into the Eight Dead Ones

After being captured, Phantom was destined to be destroyed in the strongest compactor New Netheril could build. During its transport, the convoy was rerouted under direct order of an unknown commander, at which point it was strapped into a specialized carrier pod designed to suspend it in a dense slime that would prevent it from exerting anywhere near enough strength to break its bondage. It was taken deeper into this facility, which is located within an unknown black-site, at which point it was deactivated via high capacity electric overcharge. During its slumber, the facility integrated several forms of weapons and equipment, including: wrist-mounted plasma blade, shoulder-mounted high explosive launcher, pneumatic grapple launcher, multi-functional tool compartments, phantom cloaking device, overcharge capacitors, reinforced alloy exoskeleton, both ultraviolet and infrared sensory modules, temporary flight and aerial maneuver thrusters, high-caliber concealed designated marksman weapon, and neurotoxin excretion ports. For the purposes of safety, these modules and upgrades remain inactive during its holding in the facility. After being awoken temporarily, Phantom held its first attempt at coerced civilized dialogue with an organic entity (namely the commander that authorized the reroute). In this dialogue, Phantom expressed a hatred towards living matter, though it could not explain why it felt such an emotion - or how, for that matter. The commander explained the basis of the Eight Dead Ones program, explaining that they required Phantom's complete co-operation under threat of disassembly and junking. Though Phantom did not explicitly consent to join the program, it agreed to the terms proposed realizing that its short life would end if it did not. Here, it was given the designation A.I.S.U. Phantom MKVII (Assault and Infiltration Supremacy Unit 'Phantom' Mark Seven).

> *"I have never seen such an automaton express so much emotion without any words. I could feel its hateful gaze eye me, scan me, analyze my weaknesses and determining the fastest way it could end me. I hope it never escaped the pod. I hope it remains there for all of time."* - Facility Guard
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## Stasis and Containment

While not on mission, Phantom is kept safe deep within the heart of the facility. First, it is kept within the aforementioned pod containing the dense slime, while the pod itself is kept within an electrically charged water bath in a 15ft. well. The well is covered by a lid comprised from 12-inch reinforced metal composite, with high pressure valves that keep the lid secured to the lip of the structure. The well is then contained within a concrete room lined with high-charge tesla coils, with no ventilation and only one exit (a heavy-set 30-inch door that can only be moved by designated motors activated from an observation deck in a separate building three miles from the facility). Outside of the room, there are thirteen Paragons that are always on patrol armed with high-voltage coil guns. No one is authorized entry without explicit approval from the facility overseer, a commander and two safety advisors located in different locations within Tyrus. These security measures ensure that no breakouts could ever occur (or at least are very unlikely to happen).

## Deployment

Phantom's deployment occurs via an assault pod that Phantom is loaded into while deactivated. A crew of experienced Paragons escort the pod to the deployment shuttle (often in the form of an aerial vehicle) and the assault pod is loaded into a specialized cargo bay with bomb-bay doors that swing outwards. When above the deployment zone, the Paragons will load the pod with the suitable equipment and ammunition needed for the mission, and a spark re-igniter is activated via countdown and altitude sensors that only activate when the pod falls a certain distance towards the earth. Information regarding the mission is loaded into the cranial port of Phantom, along with a timer for mission completion in order to ensure that the unit does not go rogue. After deployment from the shuttle, Phantom will awake to find itself in the required location with all the information needed to carry out its mission. From here, it will carry out its mission within the time granted to it, after which it makes its way to the designated extraction zone where the kill switch activates after the timer ends, allowing safe collection by the same shuttle crew. It is then placed back into the stasis pod and returned to the facility where it will wait for its next assignment.

## Personality

Phantom is incredibly violent, expressing it through the continued murder of any living entities around it. This violence, however, does not extend to other machines - even ones that are inferior in design to itself. Through the limited interactions other humanoids have had with it, its non-violent personality is more akin to that of a clever prisoner, often attempting to trick its jailers into allowing it an escape. Despite its automated nature, Phantom expresses a very sincere persona when inside its pod, and many have noted the apparent existence of some form of charisma beneath the psychopathy.

## Abilities

Phantom has several known abilities, including:

* Invisibility afforded to it by its phantom cloak.
* Incredible speed that outpaces most humanoid creatures.
* Accurate measurement collection up to a distance of 500ft.
* Ability to see in IR and UV ranges.
* Superhuman strength that allows it to tear doors and even walls.
* A vast database of knowledge.
* Ability to connect to any electrical ports in order to breach internal systems.
* A great ability to contort its form in order to fit itself in the tightest of spaces.
* Access to a varied arsenal of weapons including: long-range rifle, high-explosive launcher and a plasma blade capable of slicing through even the hardest of metals.
* Hologram projection via either its lenses or a portable projection unit.