I believe I spoke of the Elite Close Combat Model as the most dangerous; so with the creation of this model, I must rescind that statement. Not only is this model the most dangerous, but it is the most frightening.
The Vulture project began with a need to hunt down stragglers in the battlefield. I hadn't thought of defeated enemies returning to base and causing more havoc if they had already been thoroughly routed...but it is a confirmed problem. There are certain advantages in terms of lowering morale when the enemy knows they won't even be able to retreat. With that in mind, you can imagine this model is called "vulture" for a reason.
Just as a vulture circles the sky looking for dead or dying prey, the Vulture Model will comb the battlefield in the air looking for the retreating or hiding enemies. There are inherent problems with this, of course. If a small band of retreating or hiding enemies are being pursued by a Vulture Model, then they'll be able to see it and avoid it. Of course the Vulture is quite mobile on the ground as well, but I wanted to find a way around the obvious visual confirmation of the pursuing Vulture when in flight.
This was the first step in making the Vulture fearsome. The hood you see over the head is simply a retracted optical camo cloak. It extends from around the neck and stretches over the body and bottom of the wings to cover 95% of the model. The camo isn't a perfect concealing method however; in the daylight it can be detected if one is looking out for it, but in the night the Vulture is almost completely concealed. Another drawback is, of course, the fact that it is a cloak, and it can be ruined by enemy fire if the model is detected.
Though the camo is imperfect, the fact remains that the Vulture hides itself well. I've input a number of stalking tactics torn right from the animal kingdom, which adds another drop of horror to the mix. The model is almost catlike, but I've made so many tweaks to the system that I can't honestly compare it directly to a cat. It hunts, to say the least. To aid its hunt I've equipped it with bladed fingers fixed to strong armored hands and forearms. Within the palms I've also added a special heat system that allows the hands to tear through metal doors and peel off locks. This is, of course, to aid the model in pursuit of targets, wherever they hide. I had considered onboard firing weapons, but decided against it to minimize internal errors that can occur with the complex mechanical systems that result from merging a moving body with the differently moving parts of a weapon. The model can retrieve and use any weapon it comes across and is usually sent out with a long-range rifle.
Finally, I want to stress how...unnerving this model is. It has been tested and it performs well above expectations, but its movements and actions are far too predatory for for my tastes. Of course...I built it that way, but the model performs well above expectations. I repeat myself because I'm not sure how else to describe it. It hunts as I programmed, but it keeps going further and further to learn its opponents and I'm afraid it may be retaining that knowledge. The AI needs to be dumbed down, to be sure, but I'm hesitant.
I've shelved the model until I can test it further. I can't call it a prototype, but neither can I call it finished.
