- “There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part. You can't even passively take part!”
- ―Mario Savio, 1964

Soul of the Machine is a non-canon storyline written and created by Greedyselfish. Unlike previous storylines which are based on Treyarch's Zombies mode, this one is based on Call of Duty: Online's Cyborg Rising (aka Cyborg Zombies) mode, though gameplay wise it's a hybrid between the two.
It takes place in the year 2036, during this time the cyborgs created by the science group known as the CODOL Institute have been unleashed across the globe and have massacred the lives of thousands of human beings and other species. A group of four mercenaries are sent to destroy the machines and find out who caused them to attack humanity. Another group made up of four scientists are also having to fight the cyborgs after an invasion took place at their laboratory and must escape before they are overrun.
Four maps are included in the storyline. Each of these maps take place after the events of Online's Cyborg Rising canon maps (Outpost, Mechanical Body Labs, and Ghost Swamp) and as such, Soul of the Machine can be considered the unofficial fan-made/non-canon continuation.
The entire storyline and all it's maps are playable in the game Call of Duty: Zombies by Tachibana Games while the map "Guilin Peaks" is featured as a bonus map in Call of Duty: Undead Warfare.
A film explaining the events of the saga called Soul of the Machine: The Movie was created and released as an extra for Call of Duty: Zombies Arena as part of the Gold Edition.
Maps[]
Cyborg Reliance[]

Cyborg Reliance is the first map in the Soul of the Machine storyline. It follows the original characters from Outpost and Mechanical Body Labs and explains their "disappearance". It takes place in an underground desert laboratory and goes into further detail about the cyborg's creation. A new wonder weapon is introduced called the Soul Hacker, as well as the Fire, Ice, and Shrink Traps as wonder weapon grenades available to everyone via the mystery box. Carpenter Cola is also available as a standalone perk machine. A major easter egg called Power Struggle is featured here as well.
S.O.D. 2036[]

S.O.D. 2036 (Scientific Observations Department) is the second map in the Soul of the Machine storyline. It is a remake of one of Greedy's older maps, School of Doom. It takes place in a laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia and follows a group of four scientists trying to survive an onslaught of cyborgs while also helping an unknown individual create a device for himself in exchange for parts they need to build an airplane out of the map. It reintroduces the Fast Melee Dew perk and introduces a new boss type enemy called the Securitron.
Guilin Peaks[]

Guilin Peaks is the third map in the Soul of the Machine. It takes place in the Guilin Mountain Range outside of Guilin, China. It features both groups from Cyborg Reliance and S.O.D. 2036 as they work together to complete a task. Two new wonder weapons, ShockBow and Fireworks Launcher, are introduced in this map.
M.A.R.S.[]

M.A.R.S. (Martian Aerospace Research Station) is the fourth and final map in the Soul of the Machine storyline. Taking place on the planet Mars, it features the Mercs doing one final task for Dr. Van Lucker while also plotting his demise and hopefully saving the Earth from destruction, all while several revelations are revealed that could change the course of the War against the Machines. Nearly all of the Wonder Weapons from the saga are present as well as three new weapons, the Plasma Gun v2.0, Electro Nades, and The Conqueror's Blade. A new perk called Jump Chug is available.
Characters[]
Playable
Non-playable
Trivia[]
- The name of the storyline is a reference to the power core featured in the Power Struggle Easter egg in Cyborg Reliance.
- There were originally going to be five maps rather than four, but because there were only enough ideas for four maps instead of the usual five, one had to be sacrificed and cut to fit into the timeline.