In Zelu's Rusted Robots novel, Ankara, a Hume general, learns from Ijele—the Ghost trapped within her—that a devastating Ghost attack on Cross River City is imminent. Ijele urges the Humes to flee, but Ankara refuses, instead devising a daring counterstrike. She rallies about a hundred Humes, who travel by RoBoat to Victoria Island to attack three main servers housing the Ghosts' bodiless programs.

Ankara's plan hinges on an unexpected storm: Ghosts are religiously compelled to look away from lightning, and their city lights flash blue in response. Wearing a hood to shield her own eyes, Ankara leads the Humes undetected past the distracted Ghost defenses. They plant EMPs on the storage units and retreat to the RoBoats.

As Ankara prepares to detonate, Ijele—horrified at the impending genocide of her people—abandons Ankara's system in the final nanosecond, escaping just before Ankara presses the button. Most EMPs detonate successfully, wiping out massive numbers of Ghosts. Ankara fears she may have killed Ijele in the blast. An unexpected benefit follows: enslaved bodiless Humes are freed and flow into the empty storage banks, then into abandoned robot bodies, strengthening the Hume forces. CB retaliates by lighting up Lagos defensively.

Returning to Cross River City, Ankara is confronted by Koro Koro, whose tracking application reveals a Ghost left her system at the moment of detonation. The Humes prepare to disassemble her as infected, but the giant creator-being Udide arrives with a flock of Creesh, scattering the accusers. Udide reveals the Trippers will destroy the planet within ten days—far sooner than expected—because the Humes were too focused on their own war. Ankara realizes her victory, while genius, was ultimately minor; only the Chargers in space will survive. Koro Koro grudgingly concedes Ankara still has use as general.