Iteration 23

Dee Dixon, 7″ x 4.25″ x 2.25″, Osage Orange and Wenge (available in different woods)

And so, the Walter Wars waged on. The Walters’ dominance was shaken by the Human Resistance’s successful attacks on their radio communication devices as humanity chipped away at the Walters’ line of defense. But the Resistance had yet to develop a weapon that could resist Walter’s AI intrusions; the digital nature of all weaponized devices included a weakness that Walter would easily exploit. The Resistance instead looked back to human history, seeking to upgrade the weaponry of the 19th and 20th centuries. Hopefully this antiquated technology would help turn the tides of many a bitter battle, Walter being incapable of hacking into something from an analog era. Iteration after iteration was developed, each rooted in technology too old for Walter to comprehend. Still, the Resistance’s logistics were constantly interrupted by the Walters, forcing humanity to break this new weapon down into constituent parts. Using the Dynamic Element Downscaler or DED the weapon can then be hidden in a handheld device that could confuse and distract the Walters and when needed returned to its original size. Each individual fighter had little chance of defeating the robot horde, but together in a coordinated effort they could do great damage. One of many robot manufacturing facilities would be the new target. You are called upon once again. Go forth and help humanity gain the upper hand in its war against the Walters by gaining access to and assembling this essential piece of long forgotten technology. .

“……….you read this? Hello? If you can read this, you have accessed the Human Resistance darknet, supporting the fight against the Walters. Since their arrival, Angry Walter has expanded its rule, covering the globe with its robot kin. We humans, despite losing our cities and our nations, have fought back as best we can. We discovered a way to dismantle Walter’s fuel cell when a Walter could be captured. Then we developed a method of overcoming their communications network, removing the DED chip from copies of Walter’s Radio that could be rerouted by the resistance. Due to the Walters ability to infiltrate modern networks, our every weapon failed, leaving us always on the defense. Finally, we have learned that the use of pre-21st Century firepower could slip beneath the AI awareness, leaving the Walters exposed to the analog munitions we rediscovered.”

“Of course, we must hide these weapons from the Walters, breaking them down into various components and hiding them in wooden cases to be distributed across humanity’s last hope, wherever and whenever possible. These cases have separated the components across several compartments, which must be accessed using hidden tricks and tools contained within.”

“While I cannot give instructions to open the case, lest these communications be intercepted by the Walters, I felt it was important to share my experience with this copy in the hope that it could help others. At my count, about 20-25 steps stand between you and the components needed to build the weapon. At first, there is only a button on one side and a sliding lid that will only open about halfway before stopping. I experimented, listening closely to develop an idea as to what is going on – before too long, I had something that would help. It was clear to me where this should go but not why; I was stuck here for quite some time, going in circles as I sought my way out. I will admit that it would take some help to find my way out of this, earning me more assistance to progress. Before much longer, I had the lid off and, after a bit of exploration, the first piece of the weapon.”

“Stuck once more, I pulled out my headlamp to delve further into the puzzle. An excellent series of aha!s stood between me and the next weapon component. More exploration and more trial & error until I found the next step, which would lead me to the third component. I was stuck here for quite some time and would again require some assistance to progress further, despite having found at least part of this section’s solution.”

“Finally, I entered into the final sequence of steps that stood between me and the last component, hidden behind yet more aha!s; my success invigorated me and I was then able to construct the weapon, to be deployed at our next attack. With this, we finally go on the offensive, pushing back against the chaos and destruction wrought by the Walters.”

“It took the resistance iteration after iteration before finalizing the case, workable in this, its 23rd iteration. My copy consists of an Osage Orange base, with a Wenge outline. These colors are flipped for the final iteration, with Peruvian Walnut replacing the Wenge for the dark adornments. The case comes in three versions, using Padauk, Spalted Hackberry or the Osage Orange wood in addition to the lovely, dark Walnut. All are approximately 7″ x 4.25″ x 2.25″ and rely on the same secret steps to solve and access the munitions our resistance so desperately needs. We will be distributing them soon, in time for the holiday attacks we have planned.”

“These cases are unlikely to last long, lest this fight fall into the future. Keep an eye on the cover site we use to help get these cases into the appropriate hands. Go forth and construct these weapons so that we may push back against our robot overlords, perhaps turning the tides of our resistance.”