Subject Recovery Machine
Subject Recovery Machines, the most common of which are SSRMs, are armoured, track-driven, partially autonomous combat robots. They were originally designed by the covert DCI-SS division of Küiser Laboratories, but after Küiser's collapse, the secretive division, which split from Küiser and became known as Dreams Intelligence, became the only organisation with access to the technology. Its later R&D was assigned to the Dream Pump Corporation.
SRMs were developed in the 2020s by Dr. Evan Grey, head researcher at the DCI-SS Unit. They were also occasionally referred to as "sweepers" by personnel. SRMs which were originally designed to incapacitate test subjects with extreme force. Larger SRMs, such as the MSRM and LSRM, were designed with more of a military purpose in mind. The first SSRMs were first tested by Küiser at a covert facility in the London Dungeons designed to contain the machines.
Modes
In common with all types of SRMs is the presence of a suction intake and turbopump module, which together are able to create a negative pressure field so powerful no entity can resist being drawn towards the machine. Organic individuals generally fall unconscious from the rapid pressure gradient when a SRM is in "non-lethal mode". In "lethal mode", the force of the suction field is increased to be so high as to cause subjects to be crushed into the intake via the Delta-P phenomenon, after which they are shredded and ejected via a "chopper module", which avoids damage to the turbopump assembly.
Features
All SRMs also incorporate a tracking module and optionally a teleportation module that was originally developed by Küiser Dimensional Research. This allows them to teleport closer to their target if their path is obstructed for too long - however, use of this feature is discouraged to the onboard AI, as it can cause wear on the reactor. Later Dreams Intelligence SRMs include an infohazardous component known as an “absolute terror module”, which has the power to inflict feelings of terror on any sapient beings that are in its line of sight.
Behaviour
A SSRM has been dispatched to your location. Failure to comply may result in lethal countermeasures. DO NOT MOVE.
SRM onboard AI is based on a non-sapient algorithm that is known to be extremely unpredictable, and was trained with an intrinsic understanding of test subject fears. It is also adaptive with a “scaling difficulty”, allowing it to quickly overcome subject evasion after too many attempts are made.
Types
Three types of SRMs exist - SSRMs, MSRMs, and LSRMs. SSRMs look like a small box on treads with a large, forward facing intake mounted on the top known as the suction horn. They can either operate using a simple onboard AI, or be remotely controlled by an operator. MSRMs are bigger machines than SSRMs and are generally a similar size to road vehicles. They look like a street sweeper. Sometimes, they are driven by human operators. S-type (Shredder type) MSRMs look like a turbofan engine mounted on a pair of heavy tank treads. Finally, LSRMs are much bigger than MSRMs, and have the ability to levitate. They are always controlled remotely, and create a gravity well instead of a suction field with immense power.