"Destroy the Madness, Embrace Peace"
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The problem was the drug.  The problem was always going to be the drug.  If Synerlabs had only realised sooner the destruction their product was going to cause, things might have been different. Nice maybe. 

The idea had seemed like a good one.  Senators and politicians the world over had applauded the pacifying effects of Ashkra.  'Ashkra' - even the name had sounded nice, if only they could have known..

Developed specifically to genetically alter the criminally insane and remove unwanted DNA from the gene-pool permanently.   Governments the world over began to inject prisoners.  They thought they were cleansing their little part of humanity.

Governments began to think.  Why cleanse only the dirty.  Why not purify the clean?  New products slowly spread across on the shelves.  Why worry about the ethics of genetic alteration, when the tranquillity of humankind was within reach.  

The world seemed cleaner now.  A fresh breeze had passed over the cluttered and debris strewn landscape of life, and brought with it new hopes of peace and harmony.  AshkraWare, the answer to everyone's dreams had arrived.  Society revelled in this new messiah. 

"Destroy the Madness, Embrace Peace".  That's what the advertising had said. 

....

Only a few survive, and those who do live a pitiful life of misery in small, overcrowded population camps called Ashkrani.  The buildings that mask out the horizon no longer belong to the old AshkraWare conglomeration.  The tranquillity that was, is no longer.  Terror is the force that makes the world turn.

No one had expected it.  How could they? Everybody was so tied-up with their idyllic lives that the threat of alien android invasion had seemed negligible.  Even when K-Ru1 had appeared on communications sets across the globe, people had dismissed it as an evil primeval flashback to the days before Ashkra.

Slowly, reality had sunk well and truly in.  K-Ru1's minions had taken the world by storm.  Peace loving humankind was tossed aside like crumpled wrapping paper at an 18th birthday party.  Homes were ruined and families slaughtered or thrown out into the desolate wastelands.  

Millions were slaughtered, maimed and abused by K-Ru1's ruthless forces.  Ashkra was not helping people forget and live peacefully anymore.  Ashkra was the reason they were in this mess.  Maybe if they hadn't been so high they would have been able to stop this mechanical devastation.   Mankind was now annoyed, it had seen enough.  A burning sensation that humans had been deprived of for generations, it felt good and they felt strong.  

Small resistance groups had set up across the globe.  Ashkrani everywhere had been converted from litter strewn hovels into makeshift battle headquarters.  Beaten plastic screens glow dimly with the faint light of resistance.  Carefully drawn up plans for unattainable retribution scroll wildly into the darkness.  Humankind was not a futile race that could be pushed aside easily.  The only question that remained to be answered was how to topple the seemingly insurmountable K-Ru1 from his reeking metallic throne.

Ken Myers thought he had the answer. 

....

So, it is now that in an isolated battle centre, a hushed crowd gathers in anticipation to await his instruction.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, as you are probably aware, several months ago scavengers brought this damaged Z-2 unit back from the wastelands.  We assume it was heavily damaged by sniper fire, and left to rust.  
For those of you who do not know of the Z-2.  It is a highly specified assassination android used primarily in intelligence operations by K-Ru1."

Ken pauses momentarily to wipe the sweat from his brow.  The crowd remains silent...

"We can take great pride in announcing that our Z-2 system is now fully operational again.  We have also taken the liberty of adding an intelligent alien artifact TRANSLATE module.  This will enable it to self-modify its weapon and shield systems to accommodate new alien technology as it is encountered.  The plan is simple.  So simple that it may work.  As you are aware, humans cannot enter the palace of K-Ru1.  The bio-detection alarm system will be activated before we get within 3 miles of the place.  Therefore, it is our intention for the Ashkrani resistance network to place this modified Z-2 droid into K-Ru1's palace and assassinate its previous master for us."

The crowd remains silent...

"That's it.  Does anyone have any questions ?"

"Yeah,  Ken, what happens if the Z-2 is destroyed ?"

"I've spent many hours pondering over this one myself.  I think the only thing that can be guaranteed is the total and utter annihilation of the human race.  But what choice do we have my friend ?  We can suffer in these, our Ashkrani hell-holes for only so long.."

Murmurs of discontent rustle throughout the crowded room, but no one dares to oppose their only plan.  

And so it is that as the Z-2 drifts slowly undetected through the entrance to K-Ru1's palace, Ken finds himself praying that the last minute soldering he did to the power unit stays intact...

 
