Robert spat at the retreating boarders, hoping that they’d never return, and then did what Kato asked, heading to where the controls for the turrets were, his feet heavy, as was the rifle, the fight and the wound draining him of his energy. When he got there, he only saw Ike and a closed door, presumably locked to keep him from stopping her, and sighed, saying “she locked herself in there? Or are you standing around waiting for her to get ready for her to give you permission? Either way hurry up, I need to talk to her.”
♫
Mackie’s heart leaped as an indicator of structural weakness popped up in the corner of her vision - a little reticle pinpointing the exact location where the mech’s arm was about to sever. She held her fire. That her dart had not instantly killed the enemy had come as a surprise - but it was of consequence. The erratic, sputtering fire of the laser emplacements was all she needed to know her plan - forged in an instant with all the careless haste of mid-battle - was coming fruition.
Continuing to bite down on the distressed cigarette between her teeth, Mackie’s silent snar turned to an almost wicked grin as she watched her enemy through thick, fallen locks of blonde hair that had come loose and fallen in her face. Could this really be the same flighty hippie seen loafing about the arms depot smoking pot all day?
”Nah, bruh, I’m fine right where I am. Thanks though.” She replied, her voice husky and low, spoken just loud enough to be heard and with no attempt to hide the sudden, casual smugness that came with a trap snapping down onto an unsuspecting prey. ”Like, totally rad of you to offer though.”
As the metal gave, Mackie bit the cigarette in half as she led careful internal control fall to the wayside in favor of putting everything she had into her next movement. The woman lunged forward, twisting, ducking, grunting as the augmentations burned at her muscles with the strain. She lowered the rifle just enough to use the twisting motion to check Annag, slamming the girl off to the side using her shoulder, with the hard sensation of metal-on-metal. Having forced herself into the same proximity as the battered girl had been to the now one-armed enemy, Mackie was aware that the mech’s only remaining offensive was (most likely) to try and beat her back with that remaining arm. Despite Mackie’s right shoulder apparently being armored under that baggy hoodie, she was not quite as tough as Annag was - but she was still certain that she could take the force better than the girl could at this point.
Annag was shoved hard off to the side in the moment before she could hit the floor. Both severed mechanical arms fell unheeded and landed with heavy thuds. Without a moment’s hesitation - knowing that she needed to act fast, and at that was still going to most likely get hit pretty hard - Mackie raised the rifle, bracing it on her armored shoulder, and unleashed a barrage of high-caliber rounds at the maximum possible velocity, thumb pressing fully down on the sensor pad which controlled the firing strength and hanging all the way on the trigger which governed fire rate. No attempt was made at accuracy - a weapon of this magnitude at literal point-blank range was going to do some serious damage, even to such dense armor as that which she was now pelting with everything she had - for as long as she could before being undoubtedly struck with some variety of retaliation. She wasn’t even going to try and defend against it - for the idea was now to simply do as much damage as possible before going down.
----
Chest heaving, Chief Engineer Miles smacked the key to activate the last of the turrets. The sounds of battle had been drowned out as each consecutively opened fire, and the temperature of the low-ceilinged chamber above the bay rose as heat expenditure from the turrets exhaust ports blew wafts of hot air upward - but the heat didn’t bother Riley.
She had to know. Had to know if her presence had actually accomplished anything, know if she had actually been really useful for the first time in her miserable life. Wasting no time, Riley scuttled over to a panel in the floor, hastily peeling it up with all the might her infuriatingly small stature could manage and slid it aside just enough so that one particularly undersized human could potentially poke their head and shoulders through.
Thoughtlessly, Riley did just that - poking her head out from the ceiling of the hangar for just an instant, just long enough to see with an immense satisfaction that the tide of battle was, in that very instant, turning in her favor. The grimace of exertion shifted immediately to a wicked beaming smile. She laughed almost kiddishly at the sight of it, knowing that she had definitely been at least part of the victory she was currently witnessing in progress.
Out of the corner of her eye - blood rushing to her her head given the irresponsible posture - she caught Kato who appeared to be casually leaving the scene before the fight was even finished. But she was too exalted from having actually participated in a battle - a victorious battle - to care. He did not appear to notice her, off in his own little universe as usual. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered now - except the fact that she had finally achieved the very sort of goal she had been born for.
RIley was ecstatic.
She was just about to belt out some kind of curse-laden taunt at the backs of the fleeing attackers when - either by a stray beam or the final, spiteful shot of an enemy who had managed to glimpse the bright red hair sticking out otherwise unobtrusively from the high ceiling - sparks flew just beside Riley’s head, followed immediately by the musty scent of ozone and something burning.
The girl yelped, scrambling back up into shelter, falling back on her ass before realizing that her coat was presently on fire. The girl yelped again, and frantically proceeded to flail her way out of the coat in a humiliatingly clumsy display of panicky desperation, then spent a moment stomping the fire out before collapsing atop it and just sitting there, legs outstretched, hands limply between them, slightly hunched over.
When Ike and Robert entered (Whether they had come in just as she was patting the fire out or several moments after she had taken to sitting tiredly atop the extinguished coat) they would be met with the sight of a Riley who was positively giddy between the exaltation and, yes, the fear. But mostly the former. Looking haggard and exhausted but otherwise elated, the two were met with a weary, but bright smile the likes of which even Ike had never seen. That she was proud of her involvement was very, very obvious. That beaming smile was downright cheeky.
Down below, the rumbling Danesh abruptly burst forth from behind his cover and went lumbering like a gangly, speeding freight train out into the ravaged battlefield which had previously doubled as a hangar bay. Coming to a clunky halt at the nearest wounded soldier, the birdlike machine paused. His body - always rumbling like some kind of old diesel engine - began to tremble as the rumbling grew louder. For several disturbing seconds it seemed almost as though he had malfunctioned and was about to explode - then, with the BANG of an old car’s exhaust pipe a panel in his hindquarters burst open. From it flooded a baker’s-dozen little hovering spheres - each as rusty and decrepit as the old medbot himself - which burst forth like a cloud and dispersed in the air. Each found a wounded soldier, descended upon them, and prodded a sort of umbilical cord into their flesh - the combination of drugs and nanobots serving to keep them stable until proper medical assistance could arrive. They would hover beside the individual even if they were moved.
This, in fact, was a feature that nobody except Sec and Kato on the entire ship had any idea old Danesh was capable of.
Quietly muttering soothing reassurances in ancient Farsi, Danesh went about locating the most critically wounded among them and tending to them in short order.
The armoured hulk almost paused with surprise for a few seconds, the exact right amount of time needed for Mackie to get herself between the practically broken girl and their tormenter. It seemed now as if the being, for it really couldn't be called human anymore was moving with an almost casual detachment to the situation, practically unfazed by the hole through its chest and the missing arm. Tiny emplacements began their swivel slowly but surely towards the downed pair, the Warmachine living up to its reputation as practically a moving artillery platform.
The last arm raised itself upwards before barreling down towards the pair, a blow crushing down towards the nearest part of her, the machine would not even stop to check the damage it would have done with such a blow before preparing another. This time the fist would raise up like before, only unlike the previous time the massive hulk never managed to move again, the manic laser fire had finally done its work and in the upper left shoulder had pierced the outer exoskeleton, where almost paradoxically the last remaints of the control system, the last human parts had been placed.
Slowly but surely the massive hulk began to topple over forwards as if in some last mocking attempt to gain the final victory the dead thing was attempting to crush them with their body. The weight should it hit would do some serious damage, even to augmented humans, even more so to the unconcious and armless body lying face down underneath Mackie.
Ike seemed to be in an almost oblivious state of shock when Robert would find him, his eyes fixed firmly on the palms of his hands. The sort of look a person gets when they're staring death in the face and are just waiting for the moment it will strike, afraid that if they avert their gaze if just for a second then something terrible will arrive.
The instant he heart Robert's voice he would jump, stifling a small squeak of surprise and terror before swinging around to face him, hands planted firmly against the wall. There was no way he was going near anyone if he could help it, not with what he'd just seen, not with what was built into him.
"Talk to her ..... uhhh, yes! .... Right away! ..... Sure!" The voice regardless of the number of affirmations it went through sounded anything but totally and utterly unsure of anything that was coming out of its own mouth. Simply needing to repeat phrases repeatedly to even begin to believe he actually meant it. "Lets go then ... see her I mean ... Riles ..."
In the instant, he entered that room and saw Riley's face he knew he was going to have to make a choice, one between increasing self-doubt and fears and going to congratulate her. The struggle while difficult was not one that took him long to make, in fact it was so short that most would miss his little glance down at the fingers, how they curled up defensively, almost to shy away out of sight. That was until he was charging at full tilt forward towards Riley, his arms thrown wide in what could only be taken as an attempt to hug her. His charge and movement patterns was an obvious one, one that should the now beaming runt of an engineer wish to dodge she could do easily.
He knew this and silently gave the choice up to her, if she wanted or was willing to accept a hug, no matter how briefly then he would give her one, she meant too much to him not to congratulate her on such a success. Even so if she still wanted to shy away from most physical contant he wouldn't press, he'd keep those hidden weapons safely within his own arms to stop them hurting anyone.
The last arm raised itself upwards before barreling down towards the pair, a blow crushing down towards the nearest part of her, the machine would not even stop to check the damage it would have done with such a blow before preparing another. This time the fist would raise up like before, only unlike the previous time the massive hulk never managed to move again, the manic laser fire had finally done its work and in the upper left shoulder had pierced the outer exoskeleton, where almost paradoxically the last remaints of the control system, the last human parts had been placed.
Slowly but surely the massive hulk began to topple over forwards as if in some last mocking attempt to gain the final victory the dead thing was attempting to crush them with their body. The weight should it hit would do some serious damage, even to augmented humans, even more so to the unconcious and armless body lying face down underneath Mackie.
Ike seemed to be in an almost oblivious state of shock when Robert would find him, his eyes fixed firmly on the palms of his hands. The sort of look a person gets when they're staring death in the face and are just waiting for the moment it will strike, afraid that if they avert their gaze if just for a second then something terrible will arrive.
The instant he heart Robert's voice he would jump, stifling a small squeak of surprise and terror before swinging around to face him, hands planted firmly against the wall. There was no way he was going near anyone if he could help it, not with what he'd just seen, not with what was built into him.
"Talk to her ..... uhhh, yes! .... Right away! ..... Sure!" The voice regardless of the number of affirmations it went through sounded anything but totally and utterly unsure of anything that was coming out of its own mouth. Simply needing to repeat phrases repeatedly to even begin to believe he actually meant it. "Lets go then ... see her I mean ... Riles ..."
In the instant, he entered that room and saw Riley's face he knew he was going to have to make a choice, one between increasing self-doubt and fears and going to congratulate her. The struggle while difficult was not one that took him long to make, in fact it was so short that most would miss his little glance down at the fingers, how they curled up defensively, almost to shy away out of sight. That was until he was charging at full tilt forward towards Riley, his arms thrown wide in what could only be taken as an attempt to hug her. His charge and movement patterns was an obvious one, one that should the now beaming runt of an engineer wish to dodge she could do easily.
He knew this and silently gave the choice up to her, if she wanted or was willing to accept a hug, no matter how briefly then he would give her one, she meant too much to him not to congratulate her on such a success. Even so if she still wanted to shy away from most physical contant he wouldn't press, he'd keep those hidden weapons safely within his own arms to stop them hurting anyone.
It took much longer for Ike to figure out how to open the door than Riley might have expected. She hadn’t locked it. Was he really that ditzy? Not that she cared - but it was sort of funny. She found herself wondering absently what that loud, thunderous sound had been off in his direction, but assumed it to have been most likely just one of the sounds of battle from below, made to seem nearer by some trick of the ear. She didn’t waste much thought on it, too busy beaming like an idiot as she waved to the rapidly charging synth.
Making no move to avoid the barreling oaf, Riley was struck with the force of an Ike-sized freight train as he collided into her. Still grinning like a fool, she emphatically nuzzled into his shoulder, possessively grasping the front of his shirt and snuggling companionably into him, giggling like a schoolgirl.
”It...It wan’t locked y’know~” She teased affectionately, voice muffled by his arms as he clung to her. The scent of burnt fabric and lightly singed skin was about the girl - who, in the process of putting out the little fire on her coat, had burnt her hand just a bit. But it wasn’t too bad.
Riley was still grinning when Corporal Firth entered in at length. Peeking over Ike’s shoulder she gave a quick wave, only then allowing herself to be disconnected from Ike as she went about standing, giving a more enthusiastic (but still absolutely casual and butchered) salute to the old officer before going about picking up her coat and slinging it over one shoulder. ”Oi Corp, wassup?” She chirped, her startlingly cheeky expression only sobering mildly when she noticed the wound in the man’s side. ”Y’should ge’at checked out’like.” She said, nodding toward it almost as an afterthought. The little brat did have some concern for her comrades hidden in there after all...
In the corner of Mackie’s eye, a rapidly depleting gauge told her that she was rapidly running out of ammunition - but she didn’t care. Actually that was kind of the point - to unload every remaining projectile at her disposal into the guts of this metal monster and make sure, without a doubt, that it could never hurt anyone again.
She didn’t want to kill. Mackie hated killing. The very thought of doing it made her sick and her body shiver. But she had always known she was capable - and she had always known that if it was necessary, she would do it.
She just wasn’t sure if she could look Katolai in the eye again once she did. He was going to be so disappointed in her…
But none of that mattered now. The universe revolved around making this bastard go away and leave her angry little friend alone. And so she held that trigger, and bullets hailed upon the metal, gradually pocking, denting, cracking and eventually piercing the armor.
Not fast enough.
The remaining fist was on her before she had a chance to dodge it - not that she would have really tried either way, not at this point. An unconscious shift in her posture meant that she narrowly avoided having her head mashed into a fine paste, but the sound of at least two or three ribs cracking was something that she could feel in her teeth. Suddenly she couldn’t breathe - as if the oxygen had been sucked out of her - but Mackie persisted. By some miracle she had braced herself in such a fashion as to keep from getting blasted across the room with the force of it. She still stood - or, rather, half-crouched, half-knelt - between the enemy and the limp Annag. She held the trigger, stock braced against the metal in her shoulder.
The laser emplacements that hadn’t been blown away by Mackie’s unrelenting hail of bullets fired erratically. She could feel the heat of them as they shot past her face. Ironically, the ones that actually hit her felt somehow icy cold. The fire-resistant material of her hoodie kept the woman from bursting into flames as she was struck, but it was shredded in the process and left ugly, streaking wounds on her sides and arms. She ignored them. She ignored everything. She held the trigger.
The screaming hail of bullets had gone on far longer than the clip size should have suggested - in reality, the clip did not contain the rounds themselves, but rather the hyper-condensed material which was extracted and made into bullets by the weapon’s absurdly sophisticated mechanisms.
Mackie’s breath returned after what seemed an age, but a sharp stabbing sensation in her lungs made her initial gasp cut short and wheeze ineffectually. But that didn’t matter. She held the trigger.
Again, the machine’s great fist prepared for the blow that would most likely end her and her suicidal mission. She held the trigger.
An instant dragged out into an eternity as the gauge in her overlay reached zero. The sudden silence was deafening with the relentless roar of pounding bullets abruptly ceasing, like a jet engine suddenly going dark. Despite herself, Mackie couldn’t help but screw her eyes shut as the fist reached it’s apex.
But nothing happened.
Tentatively, the woman opened one eye, peeking up owlishly at the frozen mech, standing like some olympian goliath in a stance of victory. She opened her other eye, and blinked. Had she actually pulled it off…? Macks could hardly believe it. There was the control panel, sparking and sputtering. Yes, it seemed that against all odds, she had actually defeated the colossus. Not without help, of course. With a sudden pang of fear sharper even than the icy terror that had come with being so certain she was about to die, Mackie whirled around to look at Annag who, yes, was still breathing. Mackie gave a sigh of relief - which was, again, cut short by a stabbing pain as her punctured lung strained against the shard of bone which had stabbed into it.
She had fallen into a half-kneeling crouch in the process of pelting the armor which had been looming over her - still did, though now frozen - and the temptation to let herself collapse onto her ass was strong. But just as she was about to give into that urge, a soft creaking sound, like strained metal, forced her to tear her eyes off the unconscious Annag and whirl back on the armor, which was falling-
There was no time to think. Involuntarily (and painfully) Mackie yelped loudly, the first real show of fear she had exhibited and definitely the first instance of downright panic she had felt this whole time.
There was no time to stand, either. It was all she could do to throw herself backwards onto the floor, furiously and ungracefully scuttling backwards with all her might, pushing (and sort of rolling) the limp Annag behind her with her back and unconsciously whimpering a franticly rapid string of ”@#$%@#$%@#$%@#$%@#$%@#$%@#$%@#$%” under her breath. It might have worked to get them clear of the metal monster’s impact zone, except that Annag’s remaining mechanical arm - the bulky thing - was both very heavy and very cumbersome. She had pushed them both several feet when it caught on something, and instinctively Mackie decided to cut her losses. In one last, desperate gesture the woman flipped herself onto her stomach and shoved Annag with all her might - which wasn’t much, given her present state.
Not much, but enough. She was even able to follow the girl, scrambling and clawing just enough to-
C R A S H ! !
The lifeless goliath came down like a great redwood, the thundering boom of it’s impact resounding throughout the cramped space and sending up dust and scraps of debris that would take minutes to settle again. Again, Mackie couldn’t help but screw her eyes shut.
Again, she opened one eye. Her vision was off, but she could see.
She opened the other eye. There was a strange blackness at the corners of her vision - maybe her implants were malfunctioning from the stress? That was fine. There was Annag, still breathing, just a few inches ahead. Feeling dazed, Mackie just lay there for a moment, watching closely to make sure it wasn’t a trick of the dusty light - yes, Annag was definitely breathing. Dope.
In the distance, just barely, over the white-noise-roaring of her own struggling heartbeat and the wheezing of her battered lungs, Mackie would hear the footsteps of Hawk and Honey Badger as they sprinted toward them. It was reassuring. Jack and Robyn would tend to the two of them, get Annag to the medical bay, where she would doubtless wake up many hours later amidst a crowded recovery ward. Also dope.
Shifting with the intent to stand, Mackie was startled when she planted her hand on the floor beside her only for it to smack wetly into some kind of sticky puddle. Moving her hand back in front of her face, she squinted and was able to determine that it was most certainly blood. Hers, presumably. Not cool. But she had expected to take a few hits. After several seconds of struggling and wriggling as she tried to command her body to move, Mackie was able to crane her neck with a great effort to look back at the wound. Not dope.
Mackie blinked. She narrowed her eyes, squinting to get a better look. That didn’t look too good.
After a moment’s hazy contemplation, Mackie muttered a dejected ”...Dude.” as she realized numbly that she no longer existed below the waist, and promptly died.
...Almost.
Making no move to avoid the barreling oaf, Riley was struck with the force of an Ike-sized freight train as he collided into her. Still grinning like a fool, she emphatically nuzzled into his shoulder, possessively grasping the front of his shirt and snuggling companionably into him, giggling like a schoolgirl.
”It...It wan’t locked y’know~” She teased affectionately, voice muffled by his arms as he clung to her. The scent of burnt fabric and lightly singed skin was about the girl - who, in the process of putting out the little fire on her coat, had burnt her hand just a bit. But it wasn’t too bad.
Riley was still grinning when Corporal Firth entered in at length. Peeking over Ike’s shoulder she gave a quick wave, only then allowing herself to be disconnected from Ike as she went about standing, giving a more enthusiastic (but still absolutely casual and butchered) salute to the old officer before going about picking up her coat and slinging it over one shoulder. ”Oi Corp, wassup?” She chirped, her startlingly cheeky expression only sobering mildly when she noticed the wound in the man’s side. ”Y’should ge’at checked out’like.” She said, nodding toward it almost as an afterthought. The little brat did have some concern for her comrades hidden in there after all...
In the corner of Mackie’s eye, a rapidly depleting gauge told her that she was rapidly running out of ammunition - but she didn’t care. Actually that was kind of the point - to unload every remaining projectile at her disposal into the guts of this metal monster and make sure, without a doubt, that it could never hurt anyone again.
She didn’t want to kill. Mackie hated killing. The very thought of doing it made her sick and her body shiver. But she had always known she was capable - and she had always known that if it was necessary, she would do it.
She just wasn’t sure if she could look Katolai in the eye again once she did. He was going to be so disappointed in her…
But none of that mattered now. The universe revolved around making this bastard go away and leave her angry little friend alone. And so she held that trigger, and bullets hailed upon the metal, gradually pocking, denting, cracking and eventually piercing the armor.
Not fast enough.
The remaining fist was on her before she had a chance to dodge it - not that she would have really tried either way, not at this point. An unconscious shift in her posture meant that she narrowly avoided having her head mashed into a fine paste, but the sound of at least two or three ribs cracking was something that she could feel in her teeth. Suddenly she couldn’t breathe - as if the oxygen had been sucked out of her - but Mackie persisted. By some miracle she had braced herself in such a fashion as to keep from getting blasted across the room with the force of it. She still stood - or, rather, half-crouched, half-knelt - between the enemy and the limp Annag. She held the trigger, stock braced against the metal in her shoulder.
The laser emplacements that hadn’t been blown away by Mackie’s unrelenting hail of bullets fired erratically. She could feel the heat of them as they shot past her face. Ironically, the ones that actually hit her felt somehow icy cold. The fire-resistant material of her hoodie kept the woman from bursting into flames as she was struck, but it was shredded in the process and left ugly, streaking wounds on her sides and arms. She ignored them. She ignored everything. She held the trigger.
The screaming hail of bullets had gone on far longer than the clip size should have suggested - in reality, the clip did not contain the rounds themselves, but rather the hyper-condensed material which was extracted and made into bullets by the weapon’s absurdly sophisticated mechanisms.
Mackie’s breath returned after what seemed an age, but a sharp stabbing sensation in her lungs made her initial gasp cut short and wheeze ineffectually. But that didn’t matter. She held the trigger.
Again, the machine’s great fist prepared for the blow that would most likely end her and her suicidal mission. She held the trigger.
An instant dragged out into an eternity as the gauge in her overlay reached zero. The sudden silence was deafening with the relentless roar of pounding bullets abruptly ceasing, like a jet engine suddenly going dark. Despite herself, Mackie couldn’t help but screw her eyes shut as the fist reached it’s apex.
But nothing happened.
Tentatively, the woman opened one eye, peeking up owlishly at the frozen mech, standing like some olympian goliath in a stance of victory. She opened her other eye, and blinked. Had she actually pulled it off…? Macks could hardly believe it. There was the control panel, sparking and sputtering. Yes, it seemed that against all odds, she had actually defeated the colossus. Not without help, of course. With a sudden pang of fear sharper even than the icy terror that had come with being so certain she was about to die, Mackie whirled around to look at Annag who, yes, was still breathing. Mackie gave a sigh of relief - which was, again, cut short by a stabbing pain as her punctured lung strained against the shard of bone which had stabbed into it.
She had fallen into a half-kneeling crouch in the process of pelting the armor which had been looming over her - still did, though now frozen - and the temptation to let herself collapse onto her ass was strong. But just as she was about to give into that urge, a soft creaking sound, like strained metal, forced her to tear her eyes off the unconscious Annag and whirl back on the armor, which was falling-
☠
There was no time to think. Involuntarily (and painfully) Mackie yelped loudly, the first real show of fear she had exhibited and definitely the first instance of downright panic she had felt this whole time.
There was no time to stand, either. It was all she could do to throw herself backwards onto the floor, furiously and ungracefully scuttling backwards with all her might, pushing (and sort of rolling) the limp Annag behind her with her back and unconsciously whimpering a franticly rapid string of ”@#$%@#$%@#$%@#$%@#$%@#$%@#$%@#$%” under her breath. It might have worked to get them clear of the metal monster’s impact zone, except that Annag’s remaining mechanical arm - the bulky thing - was both very heavy and very cumbersome. She had pushed them both several feet when it caught on something, and instinctively Mackie decided to cut her losses. In one last, desperate gesture the woman flipped herself onto her stomach and shoved Annag with all her might - which wasn’t much, given her present state.
Not much, but enough. She was even able to follow the girl, scrambling and clawing just enough to-
C R A S H ! !
The lifeless goliath came down like a great redwood, the thundering boom of it’s impact resounding throughout the cramped space and sending up dust and scraps of debris that would take minutes to settle again. Again, Mackie couldn’t help but screw her eyes shut.
Again, she opened one eye. Her vision was off, but she could see.
She opened the other eye. There was a strange blackness at the corners of her vision - maybe her implants were malfunctioning from the stress? That was fine. There was Annag, still breathing, just a few inches ahead. Feeling dazed, Mackie just lay there for a moment, watching closely to make sure it wasn’t a trick of the dusty light - yes, Annag was definitely breathing. Dope.
In the distance, just barely, over the white-noise-roaring of her own struggling heartbeat and the wheezing of her battered lungs, Mackie would hear the footsteps of Hawk and Honey Badger as they sprinted toward them. It was reassuring. Jack and Robyn would tend to the two of them, get Annag to the medical bay, where she would doubtless wake up many hours later amidst a crowded recovery ward. Also dope.
Shifting with the intent to stand, Mackie was startled when she planted her hand on the floor beside her only for it to smack wetly into some kind of sticky puddle. Moving her hand back in front of her face, she squinted and was able to determine that it was most certainly blood. Hers, presumably. Not cool. But she had expected to take a few hits. After several seconds of struggling and wriggling as she tried to command her body to move, Mackie was able to crane her neck with a great effort to look back at the wound. Not dope.
Mackie blinked. She narrowed her eyes, squinting to get a better look. That didn’t look too good.
After a moment’s hazy contemplation, Mackie muttered a dejected ”...Dude.” as she realized numbly that she no longer existed below the waist, and promptly died.
...Almost.
Ike couldn't help but grin back, as nervous as he was about his discoveries the mere sight of Riley appearing this happy infront of him was a sight he was going to treasure. Just as she grasped onto the front of his shirt he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her close to him where they could share that moment together. He didn't care about the smell, that could be dealt with later, little burns like that could and would be healed, he was gonna make damn well sure of that, but for now, she was here and she was happy, she was safe. They were together.
"I ran into a few complications, I'll tell ya about them later." He did mean that, this was something he was going to talk to her about, she knew a damn sight more engineering than he did, especially towards how Synths worked and he was going to need all the knowledge he could glean from her. "Well done there Riles."
With his back to the door it would only be until Riley released him that the Synth would remember Robert, remembering that it was her the man had come to see. Springing backward with his natural agility, even including its own little spin Ike moved to give the two of them space to talk.
With space now obtained he could give another quick thought about his own troubles, he needed to understand what had caused his arm to change like that, what sort of weapon if that was the only one was hidden inside of him. He couldn't afford to allow it to randomly discharge like that again, it could hit someone or more importantly Riley. Then again could he reveal it to anyone? That sort of thing never really seemed like the sort of announcement that would go down well. Yes hello, I have a ton of weapons hidden inside of me that make me a super dangerous Warmachine, but the thing is I don't know how to use them, can you help? No he couldn't tell them that, only the person he trusted the most, only her. She would know how to deal with it.
Absentmindedly he moved his hand back behind his back, tracing a finger alongside the rimmed edges where he now knew they could split apart and reveal that thing
"I ran into a few complications, I'll tell ya about them later." He did mean that, this was something he was going to talk to her about, she knew a damn sight more engineering than he did, especially towards how Synths worked and he was going to need all the knowledge he could glean from her. "Well done there Riles."
With his back to the door it would only be until Riley released him that the Synth would remember Robert, remembering that it was her the man had come to see. Springing backward with his natural agility, even including its own little spin Ike moved to give the two of them space to talk.
With space now obtained he could give another quick thought about his own troubles, he needed to understand what had caused his arm to change like that, what sort of weapon if that was the only one was hidden inside of him. He couldn't afford to allow it to randomly discharge like that again, it could hit someone or more importantly Riley. Then again could he reveal it to anyone? That sort of thing never really seemed like the sort of announcement that would go down well. Yes hello, I have a ton of weapons hidden inside of me that make me a super dangerous Warmachine, but the thing is I don't know how to use them, can you help? No he couldn't tell them that, only the person he trusted the most, only her. She would know how to deal with it.
Absentmindedly he moved his hand back behind his back, tracing a finger alongside the rimmed edges where he now knew they could split apart and reveal that thing
“I’ll get it checked when we’re not firing at big metal men, anyways Kato wants to talk to you, he’s downstairs, so watch out, you don’t want to get hit by a stray laser down there, trust me.” He said painfully, the wound burning and hurting, he actually was starting to get a blurry vision, and his ears rang like church bells were at all sides of his head.
Riley held her coat by two hooked fingers, draping it over her shoulder in a casual manner and almost imperceptibly rocking back and forth from heel to toe. Brow furrowed, she took on a look which bordered confusion and suspicion, peering up at the big man through the gently bobbing red bangs. Her free hand went to the pocket of her fatigues - actually the little dork looked almost cool for a second there - but only because it wasn’t intentional.
Blinking, Riley trotted over to the panel she had been sticking her head through moments before. WIth little regard for safety And presumably no shortage of anxious Ike-chiding she repeated herself, again looking out over the scorched, pocked battlefield which had once been a boring old hangar bay. She saw wounded crew members of the Last Light being tended to by auxiliary droids, all of which were extensions of Danesh’s surprisingly expansive positronic brain and were as such extensions of him. And there was Danesh himself, tending to one of the more severely wounded of them. - until, abruptly, he snapped to attention and went bolting out into the corridor with a speed she never would have imagined those rusty old joints to be capable of.
...At least, not before she had visited him and performed some desperately needed maintenance.
Returning her attention to the others up in the rafters with her (and quite possibly being dragged bodily to safety by a particular paranoid android) Riley gave the Corporal a stern look, as if it actually meant something coming from a tiny teenage girl. ”Fight’s ova’ Corp. Go get’che fixed’like.” And, with the slightest spark of mischief in her stony eyes she added ”Ain’t be a stubborn ol’ coot yeh? Got’sa watch’e health at you’s age.”
Satisfied, Riley proceeded to thoughtlessly grab on to Ike’s hand tugging him along as she scampered off to see the Captain. Surprisingly, there was enough discretion inside the girl that she wasn’t expecting a commendation on her actions - but she would have been lying if she said she wasn’t fantasizing about the possibility the whole way there...
Blinking, Riley trotted over to the panel she had been sticking her head through moments before. WIth little regard for safety And presumably no shortage of anxious Ike-chiding she repeated herself, again looking out over the scorched, pocked battlefield which had once been a boring old hangar bay. She saw wounded crew members of the Last Light being tended to by auxiliary droids, all of which were extensions of Danesh’s surprisingly expansive positronic brain and were as such extensions of him. And there was Danesh himself, tending to one of the more severely wounded of them. - until, abruptly, he snapped to attention and went bolting out into the corridor with a speed she never would have imagined those rusty old joints to be capable of.
...At least, not before she had visited him and performed some desperately needed maintenance.
Returning her attention to the others up in the rafters with her (and quite possibly being dragged bodily to safety by a particular paranoid android) Riley gave the Corporal a stern look, as if it actually meant something coming from a tiny teenage girl. ”Fight’s ova’ Corp. Go get’che fixed’like.” And, with the slightest spark of mischief in her stony eyes she added ”Ain’t be a stubborn ol’ coot yeh? Got’sa watch’e health at you’s age.”
Satisfied, Riley proceeded to thoughtlessly grab on to Ike’s hand tugging him along as she scampered off to see the Captain. Surprisingly, there was enough discretion inside the girl that she wasn’t expecting a commendation on her actions - but she would have been lying if she said she wasn’t fantasizing about the possibility the whole way there...
Not for the first time and almost certainly not for the last, Ike was looking on in awe at Riley, not that the Synth ever needed much of a push to view her through rose-tinted glasses, but even so he was gazing upon her in practically the same way he had done after they had almost been kidnapped together. The way she was standing and everything about her just screamed cool, calm and collected, he didn't care if she was intentionally doing it or not, simply that she looked amazing doing so.
Running one hand almost thoughtlessly through his hair in an extremely vain attempt to smooth it out Ike peered curiously between the two seeing what they were both going to say. With an imperceptible jump, he suddenly snatched the hand away from his head and planted it firmly in the grasp of the other behind his back. He couldn't afford to let anything get too close to his hands for too long, not at the moment, not until he worked out what was going on.
Even that worrying train of thought was interrupted suddenly by the even more alarming situation of Riley carelessly putting herself back into danger. "Hey wait, Riles! It could still be dangerous, you're the engineer and an amazing one at that! You can't go sticking your head out of windows like that, hey Riles!" It was the work of seconds for all of his previous agitation and nervousness to dissapear in favour of protecting the most important thing in his life, for he didn't know what was out there, for all he knew there was someone waiting to fire on her the instant she showed herself. It didn't matter that he had no idea of capabilities he carried with him or the damage he could cause, he just wanted to make sure she was safe. "Don't be putting yourself into danger! Kato wants to see you!"
It wouldn't be that he would forcibly drag her to safety, but there were certainly moves made to that effect. Less proper tugging and more the sort a faithful dog would make when trying to get the attention of its master. He still wasn't so sure about himself to be properly grabbing onto anything yet.
For a few seconds afterward he settled back to watch Riley admiringly as she talked to the Colonel, he knew that deep inside he should be sighing deeply at how cheeky she was, or being appalled at the way she was stepping outside the chain of command. Yet he couldn't, all it seemed he could do was dart nervously around her in utterly vain attempts to ensure her safety.
That was of course until she took his hand, then for Ike the world around him seemed to melt. It was a state of almost nervous bliss for him, on the one hand, she was grasping onto the one place he really didn't want her to. On the other she was actually holding his hand, taking him along on her adventure, she wanted him there with her. Grinning he slowly curled his fingers possesively around hers and dashed along behind her, allowing himself to be taken wherever she was going.
Running one hand almost thoughtlessly through his hair in an extremely vain attempt to smooth it out Ike peered curiously between the two seeing what they were both going to say. With an imperceptible jump, he suddenly snatched the hand away from his head and planted it firmly in the grasp of the other behind his back. He couldn't afford to let anything get too close to his hands for too long, not at the moment, not until he worked out what was going on.
Even that worrying train of thought was interrupted suddenly by the even more alarming situation of Riley carelessly putting herself back into danger. "Hey wait, Riles! It could still be dangerous, you're the engineer and an amazing one at that! You can't go sticking your head out of windows like that, hey Riles!" It was the work of seconds for all of his previous agitation and nervousness to dissapear in favour of protecting the most important thing in his life, for he didn't know what was out there, for all he knew there was someone waiting to fire on her the instant she showed herself. It didn't matter that he had no idea of capabilities he carried with him or the damage he could cause, he just wanted to make sure she was safe. "Don't be putting yourself into danger! Kato wants to see you!"
It wouldn't be that he would forcibly drag her to safety, but there were certainly moves made to that effect. Less proper tugging and more the sort a faithful dog would make when trying to get the attention of its master. He still wasn't so sure about himself to be properly grabbing onto anything yet.
For a few seconds afterward he settled back to watch Riley admiringly as she talked to the Colonel, he knew that deep inside he should be sighing deeply at how cheeky she was, or being appalled at the way she was stepping outside the chain of command. Yet he couldn't, all it seemed he could do was dart nervously around her in utterly vain attempts to ensure her safety.
That was of course until she took his hand, then for Ike the world around him seemed to melt. It was a state of almost nervous bliss for him, on the one hand, she was grasping onto the one place he really didn't want her to. On the other she was actually holding his hand, taking him along on her adventure, she wanted him there with her. Grinning he slowly curled his fingers possesively around hers and dashed along behind her, allowing himself to be taken wherever she was going.
Riley did not run. Mostly because even her young body had its limits, and the energy she had expended on getting to where she was currently exiting from had been no small matter.
With Ike in tow, Riley trotted toward the door to the hallway beyond the present maintenance chamber - but as the pair passed through, her anticipation was momentarily interrupted by a sudden scent of electron sulfur and toasted metal. Slowing to a gradual halt with a look of perplexity on her face, Riley looked around the narrow hallway, sniffing.
Maybe she had simply not noticed the scent in her earlier rush to get to the turret controls in time? But no, she was long since trained to notice that sort of scent instinctually, without even thinking about it. It was a scent which indicated danger to an engineer and their work. A scent that told of ARC discharge - of potential malfunctions that could cause serious problems. She should have noticed it on the way in, no matter how focused she was on the task then at hand - she would have judged it to be an issue worth waiting to look at, but judged nonetheless.
Turning, glancing quizzically to Ike, Riley sidled by him, their bodies brushing closely together in the process, and prowled curiously back toward the door which now swung lazily open - no fancy sliding electric doors in these tunnels.
Sure enough, the metal on the door was singed black. Blinking, Riley put a finger to the marred surface, dragged it down - the pad came away stained with black. In yet another moment of flagrant irresponsibility and disregard for her own personal health and safety, the little idiot proceeded to stick the finger in her mouth and suck on it for a moment. It was this, apparently, which made her certain of what she was looking at.
Wiping the remaining blackness off on her pants idly, RIley glanced questioningly back to Ike - not suspiciously though with his guilty conscious and anxiety it might have come off that way - but more as if to ask ’Do you know anything about this?’ Harmless.
Regardless of what Ike replied with, Riley would take a step back, look over the immediate area, and satisfy herself that what she was seeing was merely the result of an ARC discharge, and not the symptom of a dangerous internal malfunction. That meant she could think about the minor curiosity of who in the name of the Dead Stars had been shooting ARC weapons at a maintenance tunnel door for a later point. If Ike reacted ~strangely~ to her questioning look, Riley didn’t notice.
Presently, the excitable little thing had remembered with renewed excitement that the Captain wanted to see her, and was once again sidling past Ike, grabbing his hand in the process, and tugging him down the tunnel toward one of many access hatches through which she could slip back into the Light’s proper corridors - which, of course, she did as deftly as breathing.
As the pair entered back into the wider hallway, the distant wailing of Danesh’s ridiculous siren could be heard growing louder. Again, Riley hesitated, mostly wondering if they were about to be mowed down - turning to glance down the hall from which the sound was coming from. Seconds later she saw the old bot sprinting across the connecting corridor at the end of their own, and disappearing once again.
Dropping that issue as well, she resumed her trot toward glory.
Or, at least, what she was pretty sure was glory. The voice in the back of her head was nagging as it always did, trying to ruin her high, to tell her that Kato was probably going to tell her she had screwed up or punish her for going against orders or something. With the way he was so opposed to violence, she figured maybe he would be mad at her for employing lethal methods…?
But Riley refused to give those doubts headway. They lingered, but did not dominate. She had to believe.
They entered the lift, RIley hastily poked the button that would take them to the Captain’s quarters.
Then, for yet a third time, another look of confusion mirroring the first detection of ARC residue came to Riley’s freckled face. Another little ’sniff’. Frowning with confusion, Riley held up the hand that was presently entwined with Ike’s, not letting go. She blinked, looking closely at them - at his. ’sniff’
This time, the questioning look she gave Ike was more direct - still not accusatory, but definitely confused. She definitely had questions.
A potential explanation would be averted, however, when the doors opened, and her excitement overcame her once again. It was probably nothing anyway. She was in no position to go figuring out the semantics.
It was only a short corridor. Then they were at the Captain’s door. Subconsciously aware of her still underwhelming stature, Riley couldn’t help but puff up a bit, standing just partially up on her toes as she awaited entry - at which point she would release Ike’s hand and stride confidently into Kato’s presence - with just the faintest twinge of insecurity hiding deep within the steely eyes that so intensely looked up at the vastly larger man.
If Ike hesitated to enter though, she would turn, and impatiently beckon him inside with a tilt of her head.
He needed to be there for this. She needed someone that mattered to see this.
Milo couldn’t see it. But Ike could.
With Ike in tow, Riley trotted toward the door to the hallway beyond the present maintenance chamber - but as the pair passed through, her anticipation was momentarily interrupted by a sudden scent of electron sulfur and toasted metal. Slowing to a gradual halt with a look of perplexity on her face, Riley looked around the narrow hallway, sniffing.
Maybe she had simply not noticed the scent in her earlier rush to get to the turret controls in time? But no, she was long since trained to notice that sort of scent instinctually, without even thinking about it. It was a scent which indicated danger to an engineer and their work. A scent that told of ARC discharge - of potential malfunctions that could cause serious problems. She should have noticed it on the way in, no matter how focused she was on the task then at hand - she would have judged it to be an issue worth waiting to look at, but judged nonetheless.
Turning, glancing quizzically to Ike, Riley sidled by him, their bodies brushing closely together in the process, and prowled curiously back toward the door which now swung lazily open - no fancy sliding electric doors in these tunnels.
Sure enough, the metal on the door was singed black. Blinking, Riley put a finger to the marred surface, dragged it down - the pad came away stained with black. In yet another moment of flagrant irresponsibility and disregard for her own personal health and safety, the little idiot proceeded to stick the finger in her mouth and suck on it for a moment. It was this, apparently, which made her certain of what she was looking at.
Wiping the remaining blackness off on her pants idly, RIley glanced questioningly back to Ike - not suspiciously though with his guilty conscious and anxiety it might have come off that way - but more as if to ask ’Do you know anything about this?’ Harmless.
Regardless of what Ike replied with, Riley would take a step back, look over the immediate area, and satisfy herself that what she was seeing was merely the result of an ARC discharge, and not the symptom of a dangerous internal malfunction. That meant she could think about the minor curiosity of who in the name of the Dead Stars had been shooting ARC weapons at a maintenance tunnel door for a later point. If Ike reacted ~strangely~ to her questioning look, Riley didn’t notice.
Presently, the excitable little thing had remembered with renewed excitement that the Captain wanted to see her, and was once again sidling past Ike, grabbing his hand in the process, and tugging him down the tunnel toward one of many access hatches through which she could slip back into the Light’s proper corridors - which, of course, she did as deftly as breathing.
As the pair entered back into the wider hallway, the distant wailing of Danesh’s ridiculous siren could be heard growing louder. Again, Riley hesitated, mostly wondering if they were about to be mowed down - turning to glance down the hall from which the sound was coming from. Seconds later she saw the old bot sprinting across the connecting corridor at the end of their own, and disappearing once again.
Dropping that issue as well, she resumed her trot toward glory.
Or, at least, what she was pretty sure was glory. The voice in the back of her head was nagging as it always did, trying to ruin her high, to tell her that Kato was probably going to tell her she had screwed up or punish her for going against orders or something. With the way he was so opposed to violence, she figured maybe he would be mad at her for employing lethal methods…?
But Riley refused to give those doubts headway. They lingered, but did not dominate. She had to believe.
They entered the lift, RIley hastily poked the button that would take them to the Captain’s quarters.
Then, for yet a third time, another look of confusion mirroring the first detection of ARC residue came to Riley’s freckled face. Another little ’sniff’. Frowning with confusion, Riley held up the hand that was presently entwined with Ike’s, not letting go. She blinked, looking closely at them - at his. ’sniff’
This time, the questioning look she gave Ike was more direct - still not accusatory, but definitely confused. She definitely had questions.
A potential explanation would be averted, however, when the doors opened, and her excitement overcame her once again. It was probably nothing anyway. She was in no position to go figuring out the semantics.
It was only a short corridor. Then they were at the Captain’s door. Subconsciously aware of her still underwhelming stature, Riley couldn’t help but puff up a bit, standing just partially up on her toes as she awaited entry - at which point she would release Ike’s hand and stride confidently into Kato’s presence - with just the faintest twinge of insecurity hiding deep within the steely eyes that so intensely looked up at the vastly larger man.
If Ike hesitated to enter though, she would turn, and impatiently beckon him inside with a tilt of her head.
He needed to be there for this. She needed someone that mattered to see this.
Milo couldn’t see it. But Ike could.
Ike had been happily, practically in his own little state of Synth-like bliss, following along behind Riley before she'd halted and even then, he didn't notice it happening until she'd properly stopped.
It took him a few moments to even register the change, but as he did he took a few quisical looks around him, surely Riley would have been desperate to get to Kato, what could she be possibly stopping a...What had moments ago been the face of utter joy and contentment suddenly had a flash of guilt pass straight across it as he realised exactly where she'd stopped. It had been the same spot he'd been banging on the door, the spot where he'd discovered a few new tricks he had.
The little Synth had never been good at hiding his emotions before, not when they clearly displayed little effects in his digital eyes and yet he somehow contrived to look even more guilty as he tried to hide showing any reaction to the place. In fact his eyes suddenly began to look wildly around, anywhere but two locations, that door and Riley, his free hand fidgeting erratically behind his back. He couldn't tell her of this, at least not yet, she needed to get to Kato, to feel the bliss of praise, or at least he hoped so, they could worry about his problems later.
Even then, in his distracted, almost distressed state, that didn't stop him developing a light - by Ike standards - blush across his cheeks as he felt Riley sidle past him, brushing up close against his body. It would take a situation far more distressing than this to stop him from feeling happy from being close to her.
Not that he could bring himself to look at her as she examined the door, that was still just a little bit too much for him, this way he could still pretend he knew nothing, that, of course, he couldn't have done this, that after all was he not just a synth? Where would he have been hiding an ARC cannon?
Taking a quick glance back at her, he'd simply reply with a little non-commital shrug, as if to attempt to say "well I know as little about this as you do." He hated having to lie to her, but he didn't want anything to come in the way of her happiness, this moment was all for her.
That moment when she took his hand in hers and started their journey back towards Kato's office once more would be one in which Ike was able to breath an internal sigh of relief, for now, he felt the crisis was averted, that he'd be able to explain what was going on at a later time, for now at least he could be simply content to follow in her steps, allow her to lead. So content was he that even the sudden split-second appearance made by the ships erratic medical droid couldn't shatter this revery, he was simply and utterly hers.
The same could not be said however for that moment in the lift where just seconds before he'd been attempting to shuffle closer to her, before she once again became suspicious. Within the confines of the little machine's brain he cursed his own luck furiously, why couldn't she just not find out? Why did he have to be built this way, it wasn't like he had a choice or wanted this, but now he had to deal with it. Would she even want to be around him when she found out how much of a 'living' weapon he really was?
Yet just as he was cursing his own luck he was saved by the very same thing as the doors slid aside and Riley was once more distracted by the promise of praise.
Ike would not hesitate for a second when following her, he was going to be beside her for this momentus occasion.
They were going to do it together.
Inside Kato was facing the wall, staring blankly at something the two couldn't see, almost certantly staring out into a reality that was existing within his own ancient head, speaking and listening to voices that swirled and raged inside that brain of his.
Yet even as he gazed off into a star-filled sky that was so utterly alien to the two young people who'd stepped into this alternate realm, he laughed softly as they entered as if some part of him recognised that some newcomers had entered.
"Riley .... I want to say ..." He hesitated for a few seconds, before simply turning around to face her, eyes focusing properly on her in the here and now. "Thank you for looking out for the crew there, I appreciate it."
It took him a few moments to even register the change, but as he did he took a few quisical looks around him, surely Riley would have been desperate to get to Kato, what could she be possibly stopping a...What had moments ago been the face of utter joy and contentment suddenly had a flash of guilt pass straight across it as he realised exactly where she'd stopped. It had been the same spot he'd been banging on the door, the spot where he'd discovered a few new tricks he had.
The little Synth had never been good at hiding his emotions before, not when they clearly displayed little effects in his digital eyes and yet he somehow contrived to look even more guilty as he tried to hide showing any reaction to the place. In fact his eyes suddenly began to look wildly around, anywhere but two locations, that door and Riley, his free hand fidgeting erratically behind his back. He couldn't tell her of this, at least not yet, she needed to get to Kato, to feel the bliss of praise, or at least he hoped so, they could worry about his problems later.
Even then, in his distracted, almost distressed state, that didn't stop him developing a light - by Ike standards - blush across his cheeks as he felt Riley sidle past him, brushing up close against his body. It would take a situation far more distressing than this to stop him from feeling happy from being close to her.
Not that he could bring himself to look at her as she examined the door, that was still just a little bit too much for him, this way he could still pretend he knew nothing, that, of course, he couldn't have done this, that after all was he not just a synth? Where would he have been hiding an ARC cannon?
Taking a quick glance back at her, he'd simply reply with a little non-commital shrug, as if to attempt to say "well I know as little about this as you do." He hated having to lie to her, but he didn't want anything to come in the way of her happiness, this moment was all for her.
That moment when she took his hand in hers and started their journey back towards Kato's office once more would be one in which Ike was able to breath an internal sigh of relief, for now, he felt the crisis was averted, that he'd be able to explain what was going on at a later time, for now at least he could be simply content to follow in her steps, allow her to lead. So content was he that even the sudden split-second appearance made by the ships erratic medical droid couldn't shatter this revery, he was simply and utterly hers.
The same could not be said however for that moment in the lift where just seconds before he'd been attempting to shuffle closer to her, before she once again became suspicious. Within the confines of the little machine's brain he cursed his own luck furiously, why couldn't she just not find out? Why did he have to be built this way, it wasn't like he had a choice or wanted this, but now he had to deal with it. Would she even want to be around him when she found out how much of a 'living' weapon he really was?
Yet just as he was cursing his own luck he was saved by the very same thing as the doors slid aside and Riley was once more distracted by the promise of praise.
Ike would not hesitate for a second when following her, he was going to be beside her for this momentus occasion.
They were going to do it together.
Inside Kato was facing the wall, staring blankly at something the two couldn't see, almost certantly staring out into a reality that was existing within his own ancient head, speaking and listening to voices that swirled and raged inside that brain of his.
Yet even as he gazed off into a star-filled sky that was so utterly alien to the two young people who'd stepped into this alternate realm, he laughed softly as they entered as if some part of him recognised that some newcomers had entered.
"Riley .... I want to say ..." He hesitated for a few seconds, before simply turning around to face her, eyes focusing properly on her in the here and now. "Thank you for looking out for the crew there, I appreciate it."
Was this the realization of all Riley’s dreams?
Collectively, perhaps it was.
She had already made it aboard the ship she had obsessed over throughout her childhood - that was by far the most incredible, unexpected aspect of the strange new life that Riley Miles had entered into. But there was so much more than that. She had a friend now - more than a friend, though she couldn’t quite describe what it was - but it was special.
And now she had essentially saved the day. Just like when she had first wandered these ancient halls in a daze, wondering if it was all just a dream - now, too, seemed dreamlike. There was an unreality to it all. It was hard to believe.
This was exactly the kind of thing she had dreamed of doing for years. For as long as she could remember. Since growing up as a tiny, useless little runt she had imagined lofty aspirations of being a marine, a soldier - of really proving herself useful in a capacity that could truly be appreciated. Of being a hero, like Cairo. How she had fought for his admiration, his approval - he had always meant so well. He had been good to her, but Riley had always known that he saw her as but a helpless child.
What would he say if he could see her now, receiving commendations from the captain of a legendary starship for having turned the tide of a key battle all on her own?
This moment should have been explosive for Riley.
And yes, it felt good. If teld damned good.
But all of the different replies she had dreamed up in her fantasies were escaping her. She had not quite frozen up - just sort of ’paused’. Riley blinked, silently bewildered at it all, still trying to come to terms with everything. That was not to say she wasn’t still overcome with pride.
Meeting the celestial gaze of that ancient entity known as Kato sent a shiver down Riley’s spine. Having those eyes focused actually focused on her was in itself surreal.
The fact was that little Riley did not actually know what the heck to do. Salute? Somehow that seemed wrong. Say something? Stupidly, she had to force herself not to just blurt out an emphatic string of ‘thank yous’. The knowledge of Ike being right there pricked at the back of her head as a persistent anxiety - not overwhelming, but enough to throw her off balance. She couldn’t make herself look dumb in front of him now, not now.
But at the bottom of it, nothing was going to ruin this moment of achievement and recognition. Even when, at a loss for what to say or how to say it, the best thing she could muster was a vaguely distracted sounding ”Jus’ doin’ m’job, Cap’.” as she forced her face to be as stoic as possible, resisting with all her might the urge to burst out into nervous giggles and a beaming smile. She put her hands behind her back and stood up a little straighter, then worried that she might look too uptight and so slackened her posture and adopted a more casual stance - that had happened two or three times since entering the office.
What she didn’t realize was that she was doing that virtually imperceptible bouncing on her toes thing she did when she was excited...
Collectively, perhaps it was.
She had already made it aboard the ship she had obsessed over throughout her childhood - that was by far the most incredible, unexpected aspect of the strange new life that Riley Miles had entered into. But there was so much more than that. She had a friend now - more than a friend, though she couldn’t quite describe what it was - but it was special.
And now she had essentially saved the day. Just like when she had first wandered these ancient halls in a daze, wondering if it was all just a dream - now, too, seemed dreamlike. There was an unreality to it all. It was hard to believe.
This was exactly the kind of thing she had dreamed of doing for years. For as long as she could remember. Since growing up as a tiny, useless little runt she had imagined lofty aspirations of being a marine, a soldier - of really proving herself useful in a capacity that could truly be appreciated. Of being a hero, like Cairo. How she had fought for his admiration, his approval - he had always meant so well. He had been good to her, but Riley had always known that he saw her as but a helpless child.
What would he say if he could see her now, receiving commendations from the captain of a legendary starship for having turned the tide of a key battle all on her own?
This moment should have been explosive for Riley.
And yes, it felt good. If teld damned good.
But all of the different replies she had dreamed up in her fantasies were escaping her. She had not quite frozen up - just sort of ’paused’. Riley blinked, silently bewildered at it all, still trying to come to terms with everything. That was not to say she wasn’t still overcome with pride.
Meeting the celestial gaze of that ancient entity known as Kato sent a shiver down Riley’s spine. Having those eyes focused actually focused on her was in itself surreal.
The fact was that little Riley did not actually know what the heck to do. Salute? Somehow that seemed wrong. Say something? Stupidly, she had to force herself not to just blurt out an emphatic string of ‘thank yous’. The knowledge of Ike being right there pricked at the back of her head as a persistent anxiety - not overwhelming, but enough to throw her off balance. She couldn’t make herself look dumb in front of him now, not now.
But at the bottom of it, nothing was going to ruin this moment of achievement and recognition. Even when, at a loss for what to say or how to say it, the best thing she could muster was a vaguely distracted sounding ”Jus’ doin’ m’job, Cap’.” as she forced her face to be as stoic as possible, resisting with all her might the urge to burst out into nervous giggles and a beaming smile. She put her hands behind her back and stood up a little straighter, then worried that she might look too uptight and so slackened her posture and adopted a more casual stance - that had happened two or three times since entering the office.
What she didn’t realize was that she was doing that virtually imperceptible bouncing on her toes thing she did when she was excited...
Kato stared at her for a few seconds, his facial expression remaining as outwardly imperceptible as ever, studying the little runt as she received the praise. It warmed his heart, if just for a few seconds to see that he was able to bring joy to one person at least, not that the voices within his head would let him ever rest on those few moments of happiness forever. Yet in these few moments, he could enjoy a few seconds of quiet.
Her attempts to try to find the most dignified, yet relaxed way of accepting the praise and dealing with it amused him, it reminded him of all the other young officers and crew he'd seen years before. Oh, what it was like to be young and receive praise from a hero. That was something he enjoyed giving, that moment of sheer joy, even if he did think anything they thought of him was undeserved.
"A lot of people owe you their lives Riley, you're a good person and a great engineer."
Kato meant it, he really did, yet the words, which would sound so honest and thankful to the outside world tasted hollow and bitter in his own mouth. How many engineers had he spoken to and thanked? How many were still standing in front of him today?
Not that he allowed himself to dwell on that now for long, the voices would be there to remind him afterward.
Outwardly a slow smile crept across the old soldiers face as he studied Riley. Then slowly he turned and picked up something, a tiny ball which looked like an ancient holographic projector. Moments later he was tossing the very same object towards Riley.
"A little something to show my gratitude, I hope you enjoy it ... oh and if you do see Robert wandering around at all, do tell him to come down here for a drink, it's been too long since we shared one."
With everything said that he felt needed to be said Kato gave the pair one last grin before sinking down into a chair, still watching the two of them until they left.
She may not have realised that she was bouncing, but one person in the room had, that person being none other than the Synth standing directly behind her. While he could never be as excited about this moment as Riley was, he was doing his best to get as close to her level as he could.
His eyes sparkled as they watched his hero, who was now receiving praise from Kato and that meant they were a certified hero, right?
Gently and while doing his very best to be subtle he'd reach a hand forward to grasp one of Riley's in her many position shifts and squeeze it encouragingly. This was her big moment and he wanted to let her know how much he appreciated her too.
Of course, he'd wait until they were out of the room before giving her a full-blown hug, he knew enough about her to know that she'd much prefer it when it was the two by themselves. That could wait for now though, as right this second, they were safe, they were together and most importantly Riley was happy.
Even for Ike who wasn't experiancing the praise, he was glowing with pride and joy on her behalf.
Her attempts to try to find the most dignified, yet relaxed way of accepting the praise and dealing with it amused him, it reminded him of all the other young officers and crew he'd seen years before. Oh, what it was like to be young and receive praise from a hero. That was something he enjoyed giving, that moment of sheer joy, even if he did think anything they thought of him was undeserved.
"A lot of people owe you their lives Riley, you're a good person and a great engineer."
Kato meant it, he really did, yet the words, which would sound so honest and thankful to the outside world tasted hollow and bitter in his own mouth. How many engineers had he spoken to and thanked? How many were still standing in front of him today?
Not that he allowed himself to dwell on that now for long, the voices would be there to remind him afterward.
Outwardly a slow smile crept across the old soldiers face as he studied Riley. Then slowly he turned and picked up something, a tiny ball which looked like an ancient holographic projector. Moments later he was tossing the very same object towards Riley.
"A little something to show my gratitude, I hope you enjoy it ... oh and if you do see Robert wandering around at all, do tell him to come down here for a drink, it's been too long since we shared one."
With everything said that he felt needed to be said Kato gave the pair one last grin before sinking down into a chair, still watching the two of them until they left.
She may not have realised that she was bouncing, but one person in the room had, that person being none other than the Synth standing directly behind her. While he could never be as excited about this moment as Riley was, he was doing his best to get as close to her level as he could.
His eyes sparkled as they watched his hero, who was now receiving praise from Kato and that meant they were a certified hero, right?
Gently and while doing his very best to be subtle he'd reach a hand forward to grasp one of Riley's in her many position shifts and squeeze it encouragingly. This was her big moment and he wanted to let her know how much he appreciated her too.
Of course, he'd wait until they were out of the room before giving her a full-blown hug, he knew enough about her to know that she'd much prefer it when it was the two by themselves. That could wait for now though, as right this second, they were safe, they were together and most importantly Riley was happy.
Even for Ike who wasn't experiancing the praise, he was glowing with pride and joy on her behalf.
There was something about the ancient man that made Riley intrinsically see past the bitterness in his voice. Perhaps it was simply the overwhelming desire for this recognition she was now receiving, or merely an unspoken familiarity with the nature of not properly projecting the intended message.
She wasn’t sure what to think of the smile. Wasn’t sure what to think of anything. Her whole brain was just fried, or so it felt. Not that she was incoherent - it was simply overwhelming, perhaps subconsciously so.
Blinking, Riley fumbled to catch the little orb, nearly dropping it even after she had caught it in a brief bout of severe clumsiness. Once that was over, she held it between two fingers, holding it up close and going momentarily cross-eyed as she examined it. It was old, but that did not offend a girl who had been working with, indeed specializing in outdated technology since before she could remember.
Refocusing on Kato, she spent two or so seconds trying to make words happen. Usually, in her usual, all-encompassing state of asinine abrasiveness, she would have asked what it was in an unintentionally disdainful-sounding manner. But this time all she could manage was a small, but sincere;
”Uh, thanks.”
Which, admittedly, might not have sounded all that sincere. Or even remotely so. But the two of them did share a curse…
The Captain sat then, and it took several more seconds for Riley to take the cue...Then several more seconds to figure out the proper manner of making an exit, in the same obsessive and jumpy manner as deciding on the balance of casual and formal. In the end, she just sort of...left. Awkwardly. With a nearly inaudible mumble about ‘getting back to work’ or something, she wasn’t even sure. A decidedly anticlimactic conclusion to a hilariously bumbling little ceremony. Later, she would doubtless lie awake blushing angrily and obsessing over how much better she could have done, how she had taken a great moment and ruined it by proving herself a hapless mess - but it could wait.
Presently she was too busy being zapped out of her stupor by the sudden and urgent need to glance frantically around and make sure that nobody was watching. It gave the impression of struggling to get away from Ike’s hug at first - but satisfying herself that they were alone, she settled into it, leaned in, and let the little orb rest snugly in her palm as she again gave the synth’s shirt a little tug. Her weird, inexplicable stand-in for actually returning a hug.
Only when the lift doors at the opposite end of the short corridor chimed and began to slide open did Riley wrench herself free from Ike’s grip and try - quite unconvincingly - to come off as if nothing ‘weird’ was going on. The seemed no less inwardly satisfied - but a little more down-to-earth. (That was a strange and archaic expression, wasn’t it?)
The lift doors opened to reveal a solitary figure - an old woman with a shock of brilliant white hair, dark, ashy skin, and a pair of brightly glowing interface glasses. Riley was pretty sure she had seen the old lady before, in passing - one of the exo-suit pilots, if she recalled correctly. Even though the woman’s eyes were obscured, it was immediately apparent that something had her seriously distressed. There was a paleness to the ashy skin that did not seem like it belonged. It was as though something terrible had happened. She brushed wordlessly past the two, slipping unannounced into the captain’s office.
But it was none of Riley’s business. If it mattered, she figured, she would find out later.
Giving the orb one more look-over, she deposited it into one of her many pockets, then proceeded back toward the lift as if she had something she really needed to take care of. She had little to say as they returned to the engineering deck - not that there was anything wrong, but she did seem to have something on her mind.
As soon as they arrived, once more in the solitude of that previously abandoned place, Riley halted, turned, and again grabbed Ike’s hand without a care for propriety or notions of ‘personal space’. She held it up and looked over it with a furrowed brow.
”A’ight. What’s’e deal.” She prompted - already quite aware that there was something going on there - whether it be a malfunction...or a feature.
She wasn’t sure what to think of the smile. Wasn’t sure what to think of anything. Her whole brain was just fried, or so it felt. Not that she was incoherent - it was simply overwhelming, perhaps subconsciously so.
Blinking, Riley fumbled to catch the little orb, nearly dropping it even after she had caught it in a brief bout of severe clumsiness. Once that was over, she held it between two fingers, holding it up close and going momentarily cross-eyed as she examined it. It was old, but that did not offend a girl who had been working with, indeed specializing in outdated technology since before she could remember.
Refocusing on Kato, she spent two or so seconds trying to make words happen. Usually, in her usual, all-encompassing state of asinine abrasiveness, she would have asked what it was in an unintentionally disdainful-sounding manner. But this time all she could manage was a small, but sincere;
”Uh, thanks.”
Which, admittedly, might not have sounded all that sincere. Or even remotely so. But the two of them did share a curse…
The Captain sat then, and it took several more seconds for Riley to take the cue...Then several more seconds to figure out the proper manner of making an exit, in the same obsessive and jumpy manner as deciding on the balance of casual and formal. In the end, she just sort of...left. Awkwardly. With a nearly inaudible mumble about ‘getting back to work’ or something, she wasn’t even sure. A decidedly anticlimactic conclusion to a hilariously bumbling little ceremony. Later, she would doubtless lie awake blushing angrily and obsessing over how much better she could have done, how she had taken a great moment and ruined it by proving herself a hapless mess - but it could wait.
Presently she was too busy being zapped out of her stupor by the sudden and urgent need to glance frantically around and make sure that nobody was watching. It gave the impression of struggling to get away from Ike’s hug at first - but satisfying herself that they were alone, she settled into it, leaned in, and let the little orb rest snugly in her palm as she again gave the synth’s shirt a little tug. Her weird, inexplicable stand-in for actually returning a hug.
Only when the lift doors at the opposite end of the short corridor chimed and began to slide open did Riley wrench herself free from Ike’s grip and try - quite unconvincingly - to come off as if nothing ‘weird’ was going on. The seemed no less inwardly satisfied - but a little more down-to-earth. (That was a strange and archaic expression, wasn’t it?)
The lift doors opened to reveal a solitary figure - an old woman with a shock of brilliant white hair, dark, ashy skin, and a pair of brightly glowing interface glasses. Riley was pretty sure she had seen the old lady before, in passing - one of the exo-suit pilots, if she recalled correctly. Even though the woman’s eyes were obscured, it was immediately apparent that something had her seriously distressed. There was a paleness to the ashy skin that did not seem like it belonged. It was as though something terrible had happened. She brushed wordlessly past the two, slipping unannounced into the captain’s office.
But it was none of Riley’s business. If it mattered, she figured, she would find out later.
Giving the orb one more look-over, she deposited it into one of her many pockets, then proceeded back toward the lift as if she had something she really needed to take care of. She had little to say as they returned to the engineering deck - not that there was anything wrong, but she did seem to have something on her mind.
As soon as they arrived, once more in the solitude of that previously abandoned place, Riley halted, turned, and again grabbed Ike’s hand without a care for propriety or notions of ‘personal space’. She held it up and looked over it with a furrowed brow.
”A’ight. What’s’e deal.” She prompted - already quite aware that there was something going on there - whether it be a malfunction...or a feature.
To say, Ike watched Riley with hero worship would have been a severe understatement, regardless of how weird or disjointed the whole ceremony had been to the two involved in it, the single onlooker had been gazing between the two with his own little brand of amazement and admiration. Each moment that the little engineer received praise he felt his heart do another lap of joy for her.
She really is amazing isn't she?
His thoughts were rarely organised at the best of times, yet for the moment that had a fixed coherence to them: gratitude. In all of his life, he'd never even considered that someone could be as utterly astounding as the light streaming of a planet as its sun rose behind it. Yet it seemed that to the Synth there was one like that and out of all the people in the whole of the ringworld they'd ended up on the ship together.
It had been such a short time since he'd discovered the reasoning behind why he had such a love for space, the endless swarm of stars and the supposed beasts that inhabited it and yet now he didn't even really care. He may have just entered this ship as a federal spy drone with a personality attached, but now he was free and he had something to thank for it, he'd found Riley.
What a lucky Synth you really are Ike
For his part when they actually left the room, he made sure to keep the initial hug very open, giving Riley the same she needed to check around for anyone else before drawing her in slowly into a much tighter embrace. Each of his fingers slowly curling around her back in a small but loving imitation of the way she clung to the front of his shirt.
Of course, as he did so small lovehearts began to appear in his eyes once more, here in a moment where the two were entwined in each other's arms was one that he was going to entomb forever within his memory. Even though he couldn't clearly see her face he still marveled at how her hair seemed to shine brighter than any of those stars which once filled the universe with so much light.
Only when the doors opened and what he knew would happen, but had been sincerely hoping against came to pass, happened. As Riley moved to extract herself from his grip, he made sure to let go, knowing that it would never do to try and hold the hug for any length longer. Then again she'd willingly cuddled up - in her own unique way and that was what really mattered, her way of grasping onto and claiming him as hers, something he was more than willing to allow.
This new figure, however, was someone he completely failed to recognise, although that could be due to the fact that the Synth was better acquainted with the med-bay than anywhere else on the ship and had spent a significant portion of that time unconscious after receiving heavy damage. If he'd have wanted to, or more rather had the choice he should have been able to recognise her, but as it was she ended up being a passing figure to him, someone else hurring to see the captain of an ancient warship after a battle, presumably to celebrate, he didn't really know, but then again he was with Riley, he didn't need to know.
The journey back started blissfully for Ike, they were together and Riley was still talking to him, although it did take a few minutes to register that he seemed to be doing a good majority of their back and forth. Even as that thought was just waking up and giving itself some room for Ike to properly explore it, another was pushing it out of the way.
She knows something's up, look at her, she's clever enough to have noticed too, she's going to be angry.
No, she wouldn't be angry at him for this, she couldn't be. Furrowing his brows he pushed that thought to the back of his mind, sealing it away with walls and forts to keep it from troubling him, he would tell her and she would understand the whole thing ... Wouldn't she?
He knew it was coming, his body tensing up as they reached the lift down to the engineering decks, preparing for something, anything to happen. Not that if she was actually angry at him any sort of preparations would weather a strike from her. It was rather amazing should he have thought about it, for all his sophisticated technology, the pinnacle of engineering, she held within just her voice the power to completely annihilate him.
As she grabbed his hand he already knew what she was asking, yet he held his tongue for a few seconds, the words gathering like a storm behind it, yet unable to find a way to escape.
What if she rejects me for this?
He didn't believe it, didn't want to believe it, after how bad could her views of him become if she was to discover he was a war-machine designed to infiltrate this ship, with a personality that had only recently "set itself free". Would she even believe him about this?
What if she ...
No! He had to tell her, she deserved to know and in that split second he knew this was the right choice to make. He believed in her judgment, after all in his eyes Riley was the most amazing thing to exist and whatever she did afterward must he the right thing to do.
Slowly he would withdraw his hand from her grip before looking at her with eyes that looked somehow different, gone were the little hearts or sparkles, instead, they'd been replaced by little targeting reticules. One by one his fingers would begin to break apart, sliding outwards and pulling back around to touch his wrist, exposing in the center of each palm a large ARC- cannon. Little plates in his shoulders too began to slide back, revealing small coils which gently pushed their way outwards, each of them prepared for venting excess heat at a moments notice.
"I'm a war-machine Riley, I was built by Federal officials to be disguised as a regular synth, something they hid even from me, created to be a perfect infiltration unit, there are others of my type out there, each going their own ways, I was built to end up here."
He stopped, unable to go on for a few seconds, on the one hand, it felt so reliving to be finally speaking about it, but on the other he was still so full of tense energy, waiting for a reprimand he was praying was not coming.
"A few days ago I found out about this, that there was an override within my head designed to erase me, that everything about me was not my choice, but pre-planned from the start. I crushed that backup alongside their control chip, but as you can see I still have all the weapons within me, I can only just about control these, but I don't know anything else about me, I'm a walking hazard Riley..."
And there he stood, tensed against a blow that could shatter him, with eyes that looked straight at the small engineer and asked, or more rather pleaded for help. Yet even that wasn't what he was really wanting or asking for, he just wanted her acceptance, for them to still be Riley and Ike, the small best friends living down on the engineering deck.
Surely the universe could grant him that wish at least?
She really is amazing isn't she?
His thoughts were rarely organised at the best of times, yet for the moment that had a fixed coherence to them: gratitude. In all of his life, he'd never even considered that someone could be as utterly astounding as the light streaming of a planet as its sun rose behind it. Yet it seemed that to the Synth there was one like that and out of all the people in the whole of the ringworld they'd ended up on the ship together.
It had been such a short time since he'd discovered the reasoning behind why he had such a love for space, the endless swarm of stars and the supposed beasts that inhabited it and yet now he didn't even really care. He may have just entered this ship as a federal spy drone with a personality attached, but now he was free and he had something to thank for it, he'd found Riley.
What a lucky Synth you really are Ike
For his part when they actually left the room, he made sure to keep the initial hug very open, giving Riley the same she needed to check around for anyone else before drawing her in slowly into a much tighter embrace. Each of his fingers slowly curling around her back in a small but loving imitation of the way she clung to the front of his shirt.
Of course, as he did so small lovehearts began to appear in his eyes once more, here in a moment where the two were entwined in each other's arms was one that he was going to entomb forever within his memory. Even though he couldn't clearly see her face he still marveled at how her hair seemed to shine brighter than any of those stars which once filled the universe with so much light.
Only when the doors opened and what he knew would happen, but had been sincerely hoping against came to pass, happened. As Riley moved to extract herself from his grip, he made sure to let go, knowing that it would never do to try and hold the hug for any length longer. Then again she'd willingly cuddled up - in her own unique way and that was what really mattered, her way of grasping onto and claiming him as hers, something he was more than willing to allow.
This new figure, however, was someone he completely failed to recognise, although that could be due to the fact that the Synth was better acquainted with the med-bay than anywhere else on the ship and had spent a significant portion of that time unconscious after receiving heavy damage. If he'd have wanted to, or more rather had the choice he should have been able to recognise her, but as it was she ended up being a passing figure to him, someone else hurring to see the captain of an ancient warship after a battle, presumably to celebrate, he didn't really know, but then again he was with Riley, he didn't need to know.
The journey back started blissfully for Ike, they were together and Riley was still talking to him, although it did take a few minutes to register that he seemed to be doing a good majority of their back and forth. Even as that thought was just waking up and giving itself some room for Ike to properly explore it, another was pushing it out of the way.
She knows something's up, look at her, she's clever enough to have noticed too, she's going to be angry.
♫
No, she wouldn't be angry at him for this, she couldn't be. Furrowing his brows he pushed that thought to the back of his mind, sealing it away with walls and forts to keep it from troubling him, he would tell her and she would understand the whole thing ... Wouldn't she?
He knew it was coming, his body tensing up as they reached the lift down to the engineering decks, preparing for something, anything to happen. Not that if she was actually angry at him any sort of preparations would weather a strike from her. It was rather amazing should he have thought about it, for all his sophisticated technology, the pinnacle of engineering, she held within just her voice the power to completely annihilate him.
As she grabbed his hand he already knew what she was asking, yet he held his tongue for a few seconds, the words gathering like a storm behind it, yet unable to find a way to escape.
What if she rejects me for this?
He didn't believe it, didn't want to believe it, after how bad could her views of him become if she was to discover he was a war-machine designed to infiltrate this ship, with a personality that had only recently "set itself free". Would she even believe him about this?
What if she ...
No! He had to tell her, she deserved to know and in that split second he knew this was the right choice to make. He believed in her judgment, after all in his eyes Riley was the most amazing thing to exist and whatever she did afterward must he the right thing to do.
Slowly he would withdraw his hand from her grip before looking at her with eyes that looked somehow different, gone were the little hearts or sparkles, instead, they'd been replaced by little targeting reticules. One by one his fingers would begin to break apart, sliding outwards and pulling back around to touch his wrist, exposing in the center of each palm a large ARC- cannon. Little plates in his shoulders too began to slide back, revealing small coils which gently pushed their way outwards, each of them prepared for venting excess heat at a moments notice.
"I'm a war-machine Riley, I was built by Federal officials to be disguised as a regular synth, something they hid even from me, created to be a perfect infiltration unit, there are others of my type out there, each going their own ways, I was built to end up here."
He stopped, unable to go on for a few seconds, on the one hand, it felt so reliving to be finally speaking about it, but on the other he was still so full of tense energy, waiting for a reprimand he was praying was not coming.
"A few days ago I found out about this, that there was an override within my head designed to erase me, that everything about me was not my choice, but pre-planned from the start. I crushed that backup alongside their control chip, but as you can see I still have all the weapons within me, I can only just about control these, but I don't know anything else about me, I'm a walking hazard Riley..."
And there he stood, tensed against a blow that could shatter him, with eyes that looked straight at the small engineer and asked, or more rather pleaded for help. Yet even that wasn't what he was really wanting or asking for, he just wanted her acceptance, for them to still be Riley and Ike, the small best friends living down on the engineering deck.
Surely the universe could grant him that wish at least?
Riley blinked as Ike’s hand began to transform, seeming to peel apart into segmented pieces as they revealed their hidden function. It did seem to startle her at first, given that save for the little lines Ike’s hand looked perfectly human, and it was a sight both unnatural and surreal to see the fingers moving like that. But her disquiet over this strangeness was short lived as she leaned in closer to get a better look at the technological marvel literally unfolding before her eyes. This sort of thing may or may not have been common among the more advanced sections of the Ringworld, but it was all quite new to Riley.
As such, she naturally wanted to figure out how it all worked - and so for at least the first part of Ike’s explanation she appeared to not be listening at all. She was listening, of course - but admittedly not very carefully.
But even as thick-skulled as Rile Miles was, the girl was not entirely oblivious to the nature of her friend’s words - it was his long, meaningful pause that dawdled her attention away from the ARC-hands, only now noticing the targeting reticles in his eyes. That seemed to unnerve her just a bit - but only because it gave the vague impression that he somehow had her ‘in his sights’. Not that she imagined even for a fraction of an instant that he might have any ill intent - she knew and trusted Ike more than enough for that - it just felt like looking down the barrel of an un-loaded gun.
Unfortunately for Ike, by the time he was finished speaking and staring desperately into Riley’s stony eyes for some sign of acceptance or validation ot something, Riley did not have anything encouraging to say. In fact, she didn’t have much of anything to say at all. Her expression was all but blank, with the faintest hints of uncertainty and...What, some breed of awkwardness?
With Ike having poured his mechanical art out to her, having told her these secrets that he alone knew - surely she should have had something to say. Was she stunned into silence? Shocked and awed and revolted to the point of virtual paralysis? Was she silently deeming him a heinous monster worthy only of the scrapyards floating far out in the black sky?
Riley blinked.
She side-eyed to the right, then the left, almost as if uncertain of how she should proceed…
So that was it then. She was scared of him, and didn’t know how to react in a manner that wouldn’t get her splattered all over the- ”Okay.”
It was spoken with the breed of hesitation that accompanied the knowledge that she was supposed to take some cue, but wasn’t sure what it was. Like she was aware that she was missing the point, but didn’t want to say it outright.
Or maybe all of this really didn’t bother her? Maybe she didn’t care that Ike was actually a killer robot?
”So like, uh...” She continued, clearly not sure what she was supposed to say. The words were accompanied by a little shrug. It was as if she had no idea why she was being told all of this. No clue as to what she should do with the new information. Not a scrap of urgency - just a curiosity over why these things mattered.
”Don’t...shoot...people…?” It was the best she could come up with. She was not even under the pretense that he might actually consider doing anyone harm - it just seemed like the closest thing she could muster to advice’ on a situation of which the relevance was lost on her.
Surely she had not grasped the severity of this situation. Surely that was the only reason why she was not rejecting him for the soulless, pre-programmed death machine he truly was.
Another moment of silence passed, Riley just looking at Ike with no idea what she was supposed to do or say - before giving up, adopting a more blatantly confused look and giving a little huff.
”Okay, so’ye got literal ‘and cannons. Wass’e problem?”
Could it really be that this devastating new reality check had no effect on her…?
As such, she naturally wanted to figure out how it all worked - and so for at least the first part of Ike’s explanation she appeared to not be listening at all. She was listening, of course - but admittedly not very carefully.
But even as thick-skulled as Rile Miles was, the girl was not entirely oblivious to the nature of her friend’s words - it was his long, meaningful pause that dawdled her attention away from the ARC-hands, only now noticing the targeting reticles in his eyes. That seemed to unnerve her just a bit - but only because it gave the vague impression that he somehow had her ‘in his sights’. Not that she imagined even for a fraction of an instant that he might have any ill intent - she knew and trusted Ike more than enough for that - it just felt like looking down the barrel of an un-loaded gun.
Unfortunately for Ike, by the time he was finished speaking and staring desperately into Riley’s stony eyes for some sign of acceptance or validation ot something, Riley did not have anything encouraging to say. In fact, she didn’t have much of anything to say at all. Her expression was all but blank, with the faintest hints of uncertainty and...What, some breed of awkwardness?
With Ike having poured his mechanical art out to her, having told her these secrets that he alone knew - surely she should have had something to say. Was she stunned into silence? Shocked and awed and revolted to the point of virtual paralysis? Was she silently deeming him a heinous monster worthy only of the scrapyards floating far out in the black sky?
Riley blinked.
She side-eyed to the right, then the left, almost as if uncertain of how she should proceed…
So that was it then. She was scared of him, and didn’t know how to react in a manner that wouldn’t get her splattered all over the- ”Okay.”
It was spoken with the breed of hesitation that accompanied the knowledge that she was supposed to take some cue, but wasn’t sure what it was. Like she was aware that she was missing the point, but didn’t want to say it outright.
Or maybe all of this really didn’t bother her? Maybe she didn’t care that Ike was actually a killer robot?
”So like, uh...” She continued, clearly not sure what she was supposed to say. The words were accompanied by a little shrug. It was as if she had no idea why she was being told all of this. No clue as to what she should do with the new information. Not a scrap of urgency - just a curiosity over why these things mattered.
”Don’t...shoot...people…?” It was the best she could come up with. She was not even under the pretense that he might actually consider doing anyone harm - it just seemed like the closest thing she could muster to advice’ on a situation of which the relevance was lost on her.
Surely she had not grasped the severity of this situation. Surely that was the only reason why she was not rejecting him for the soulless, pre-programmed death machine he truly was.
Another moment of silence passed, Riley just looking at Ike with no idea what she was supposed to do or say - before giving up, adopting a more blatantly confused look and giving a little huff.
”Okay, so’ye got literal ‘and cannons. Wass’e problem?”
Could it really be that this devastating new reality check had no effect on her…?
As time went on and the seconds ticked on by with no response, the heart of the little Synth began to sink further and further. Had he control over his fingers they would have been frantically entwining with each other in some attempt to keep them busy, something, anything to distract from the knawing uncertainties that were devouring his insides like some parasite trying to take control.
Still, he refused to look at her.
Was she angry? Scared? Completely blown away by this news?
He didn't know and in fact that scared him even more than any outburst could have done, at least then he'd have known where she stood, could have prepared himself for a life without her. Yet still she said nothing, it seemed almost cruel in a twisted way, neither confirming or denying his desperate plea for help and reassurance. Instead seeming content to let him wallow in insecurities longer, drawing the pain out for each agonising second.
It was only a few moments later when he finally allowed himself to meet her gaze with his own, it seemed far longer to the lost, lonely Synth, but then in this situation, anything would have felt like an eternity as he waited for an answer from her.
What he saw made him almost want to look away within moments, that stoney-eyed impassivity was one of, if not the scariest thing he'd seen in his entire life, he simply could not decipher its meaning. Did she hate the idea that he had been created by the Federals so much that she couldn't speak to him?
Maybe she'll leave you now?
No, she couldn't! Or at least she wouldn't he was sure of that, or at least as sure as someone having an existential crisis can be when trying to confront it. Yet that blink, followed by the sidewards glances which to the already paranoid glance of the little machine was interpreted in a hundred different ways, each just as bad as the others, horrifying depictions of Riley turning away and leaving him, the sad, pathetic machine that he was. Perhaps she'd -
Huh?
For a second even the clamoring mental thoughts, which before had seemed that if they wanted any more to fit within those circuits he called a brain they would have needed to start queuing fell silent. Was that all she was going to say? Was that really all she thought on the matter?
He repeated the phrase, but out loud this time, "huh?"
There was at least some comfort in saying that, it was some small way in which he could express the sudden twisting and turning mess of emotions which flitted about his artificial brain, a brain programmed initially not to create a unique personality for him, not for him to feel human, but one to subtly move him towards taking this ship and entering it 'of his own free will'.
In the end, there was some weird if twisted comfort to be had from her seeming almost complete lack of understanding of the situation or the things he said, even if he didn't quite believe it. Wether it was due to his understanding of how good she was with mechanics or the simple fact that he believed completely and utterly in her abilities he wasn't quite sure that this was all she was letting on.
He also knew her well enough to know that now his brain had calmed down for a few seconds and more rational thoughts were beginning to muscle their way to the front that she was honest enough that should something be horrendously wrong she would have said something.
He truly believed in her, completely and wholeheartedly
"I .... I just ... spent my entire life believing that I had been given a personality, that I had a choice over my life ... that this is what I wanted to do... He paused gulping down a breath to gain those precious bits of air needed to continue. "And yet ... it turns out my creation ... every decision that I thought was my own was being influenced, changed to make sure I got on this ship ... I know its gone now ... but how can I be sure that anything in the past that I did was me?"
There was a long guttural gasp for breath, "Can I even be sure that the me now was the same as me before, the same me when I was created? How many times have they simply erased by memories, pulled a factory reset on me? Was there some other life created for me out there, goals I achieved and was wiped for doing so?"
In one motion he seemed to fold up at the knees, crumbling down into a little weaponised heap on the ground and as he fell a few small drops of liquid began to swell up and drop from Ike's distraught eyes. "Who am I, Riley? If I was built to fulfill a single purpose and have now destroyed that ... who am I?"
"Who am I?"
Still, he refused to look at her.
Was she angry? Scared? Completely blown away by this news?
He didn't know and in fact that scared him even more than any outburst could have done, at least then he'd have known where she stood, could have prepared himself for a life without her. Yet still she said nothing, it seemed almost cruel in a twisted way, neither confirming or denying his desperate plea for help and reassurance. Instead seeming content to let him wallow in insecurities longer, drawing the pain out for each agonising second.
It was only a few moments later when he finally allowed himself to meet her gaze with his own, it seemed far longer to the lost, lonely Synth, but then in this situation, anything would have felt like an eternity as he waited for an answer from her.
What he saw made him almost want to look away within moments, that stoney-eyed impassivity was one of, if not the scariest thing he'd seen in his entire life, he simply could not decipher its meaning. Did she hate the idea that he had been created by the Federals so much that she couldn't speak to him?
Maybe she'll leave you now?
No, she couldn't! Or at least she wouldn't he was sure of that, or at least as sure as someone having an existential crisis can be when trying to confront it. Yet that blink, followed by the sidewards glances which to the already paranoid glance of the little machine was interpreted in a hundred different ways, each just as bad as the others, horrifying depictions of Riley turning away and leaving him, the sad, pathetic machine that he was. Perhaps she'd -
Huh?
For a second even the clamoring mental thoughts, which before had seemed that if they wanted any more to fit within those circuits he called a brain they would have needed to start queuing fell silent. Was that all she was going to say? Was that really all she thought on the matter?
He repeated the phrase, but out loud this time, "huh?"
There was at least some comfort in saying that, it was some small way in which he could express the sudden twisting and turning mess of emotions which flitted about his artificial brain, a brain programmed initially not to create a unique personality for him, not for him to feel human, but one to subtly move him towards taking this ship and entering it 'of his own free will'.
In the end, there was some weird if twisted comfort to be had from her seeming almost complete lack of understanding of the situation or the things he said, even if he didn't quite believe it. Wether it was due to his understanding of how good she was with mechanics or the simple fact that he believed completely and utterly in her abilities he wasn't quite sure that this was all she was letting on.
He also knew her well enough to know that now his brain had calmed down for a few seconds and more rational thoughts were beginning to muscle their way to the front that she was honest enough that should something be horrendously wrong she would have said something.
He truly believed in her, completely and wholeheartedly
"I .... I just ... spent my entire life believing that I had been given a personality, that I had a choice over my life ... that this is what I wanted to do... He paused gulping down a breath to gain those precious bits of air needed to continue. "And yet ... it turns out my creation ... every decision that I thought was my own was being influenced, changed to make sure I got on this ship ... I know its gone now ... but how can I be sure that anything in the past that I did was me?"
There was a long guttural gasp for breath, "Can I even be sure that the me now was the same as me before, the same me when I was created? How many times have they simply erased by memories, pulled a factory reset on me? Was there some other life created for me out there, goals I achieved and was wiped for doing so?"
In one motion he seemed to fold up at the knees, crumbling down into a little weaponised heap on the ground and as he fell a few small drops of liquid began to swell up and drop from Ike's distraught eyes. "Who am I, Riley? If I was built to fulfill a single purpose and have now destroyed that ... who am I?"
"Who am I?"
After everyone left him alone, he headed back the laser burned hangar, going against Riley, “the medbay was probably full anyways” he thought to himself, as he moved through the rubble and fire, looking for bodies and/or survivors, until he found one of the big guys, dead, with Mackie, or more correctly half of her, under neath, he froze on the spot, staring down at her, everything blurring around him, just staring at his friends corpse, with a blank expression, he checked her pulse, finding none, and then picking her up with both arms, carrying her through it all, his arms shaking from both pain and emotions, going to Danesh, as he wasn’t good when it came to dead bodies, saying with an auditory quiver, “hey Danesh, can you make sure this ones not dead?”
”Danesh. Get the @#$% over here right. Now.”
Of all the people Robert could have run into, Jack “Hawk” Vox was about the worst. Robyn “Honey Badger” had been hot on his tail as the old mech pilots came barreling around the corner, skidding to a dramatic stop when they saw a shape blocking their path to the place they had only just learned was to be the location of a particular battle.
His voice had come through the EXO-suit’s speakers as he contacted the robotic medic, who had immediately dropped what he was doing to go racing to the scene.
Jack exited the armor, stumbling - goggled eyes locked on the small, frail object cradled within the Corpral’s arms. His hands, usually steady as steel, were trembling visibly as Robyn stepped to the side, dismounting her suit and standing back.
”What...the @#$%.” His gravelly voice was virtually inaudible. Barely a hoarse whisper as he approached. He sounded almost accusatory, but he was known well enough to mean nothing by it as a man who seemed in a constant state of harsh disgruntlement.
Reaching them, one worn, old hand reached up to softly touch the young woman’s mop of blonde dreads, now a matted mess of blood and soot.
”...No.”
Robyn had never heard him like that. Not in half a millennia.
It was then that the siren came within hearing range, and only seconds later that the rusty contraption appeared at the end of the corridor, twiggy limbs pumping as though it were Ringworld itself he was coming to rescue. Following closely behind him was another, slightly less rusty medical robot that screamed along on one thickly treadded wheel, blasting past the scene and proceeding to where the battle itself had gone down.
Looming over the pair, Danesh wasted no time. Looking down on the body, the robot’s huge, dimly glowing eye lenses adjusted slightly as a small protuberance extended from one multi-fingered hand, hovering carefully over the left side of the woman’s chest. Seconds passed. The rumbling of his body quieted to a much more subtle rumble as he shifted most of his functions away from the physical, focusing on the inner software that could properly diagnose the situation.
The seconds dragged on. The device held above the body’s chest shifted, got closer, until it was contacting the bloody black hoodie. The silence lingered. The bot’s head shifted.
”...Dead.”
It was the first time the old robot had been heard speaking in such a curt and somber tone. It was almost robotic. Speechless, even Jack had nothing to say - his worn face a mask of silent rage and despair.
”....Wait.”
The apertures of the bot’s eye lenses narrowed into tiny slits - another ‘expression’ that was quite new. The head, barely bobbing at all, tilted slightly as if listening for some subtle sound.
Slowly, carefully, the device slid to the left, until it was on the opposite side of her chest that a human heart should be.
He blinked.
”Not dead.”
Instantly perking up, several other appendages burst forth from the complex hand and prodded various solutions into Mackie that would help keep her ‘not dead’ for at least as far as the operating room.
From behind, a second and third little bot came screaming around the corner on its one rugged tire, holding between them the emergency transport - a far more sophisticated version of the robot’s usual, ridiculously old fashioned stretcher. They came to a stop close enough and the tube flung open, leaving a slightly padded place for Robbie to lay her down on.
”Go. Put in. “ Danesh quacked, but having suppressed all non-primary functions, including those that dictated his unique speech pattern - only the slight accent was notable.
Once Mackie was sealed in the tube, the two bots holding her between them sped off to the medical bay with Danesh wordlessly sprinting after them. Seconds later the third bot returned from the site of the battle, incongruously carrying a vacuum-sealed, nitrogen-cooled severed leg. It frantically pointed to Robert, then back to where Mackie had been found. All it barked out to indicate what it wanted was ”Other human get.” Having already determined that the other leg was crushed beyond any hope of use, it was referring to the unconscious Annag.
Jack was already gone, having ditched his suit to go speeding after Danesh. Still standing there and looking deathly grim, the ash-black skinned woman looked paler than usual. ”Bring the girl to the medbay Robbie. I’m gonna’ go talk to Kato.” She said softly, making it a request rather than an order. She, too left her suit abandoned in the narrow corridor, hands in pockets as she walked off to inform the captain. He deserved to know.
It was as Ike began his explanation that understanding dawned in tandem. Riley blinked, the light of comprehension in her eyes a small thing. Not so bright, but brightness was not intrinsic to thoughts such as these.
The girl’s shoulders seemed to sag, as if a great weight had been lifting. A breath she had been holding for a thousand years and never known. She looked almost relieved at the exposition Ike was giving. Yet too, an anxiety lingered.
Was she only now understanding the nature of her friend’s pre-programmed personality? His utter lack of a soul brought about by an unnatural birth?
His artificial existence, imposed upon him by a higher power that intended to overthrow the dead gods themselves?
Riley listened in utter silence - and as he went on, did something shift inside her. Indeed, the faintest hint of a sad smile faded onto her lips. She was bemused, a depth in her stare that spoke of fears and memories.
Ike collapsed in a heap, and Riley followed shortly behind him, seating herself down lazily so that she sat cross-legged before him, hands in her lap.
For a long, long time, she seemed uncertain as to whether she should speak at all. Whether she wanted to. With the relief borne of Ike’s words, so came the inner turmoil that always accompanied thoughts of the past. She licked her lips uncertainty, opened her mouth to speak, closed it again. Several more false starts later, she managed a word.
”...Ike.”
But with his full attention presumably on her, it took more time still for her to form the words, calculate how to say them. Outwardly it would be difficult to tell whether she was at a loss for words, or had something to say but didn’t know how. It could have been anything.
In the end, she decided that maybe the best place to start was at the beginning. Instead of starting with a word, Riley twisted slightly to the side, hooking fingers in the collar of her coat and tugging it aside so that her neck could be more easily seen. The black tattoo, several bars of varying widths lined up vertically into a larger, rectangular shape, with no pattern evident in the design.
”Know what this is?” She asked softly, rubbing it with her thumb, letting Ike get a good look before releasing the collar of her jacket. It stayed halfway, leaving the image only partially obscured.
”’At’s called a ‘bar-code’. A sorta’ old-fashioned ID tag.”
Averting her eyes, Riley looked away from Ike at the floor to their side, taking a deep breath.
”I… I was born with it. That’s...me.”
It was hard to say - but she knew why she was saying it - her averted gaze seemed less out of humiliation or despair than simply willing herself to continue. No. This was not something she would be ashamed of.
”Where I come from, most folk ain’t proper born’like. Come from th’GMF’like. Genetic Management Facility. That code’s what told’em I’mma be an engineer. Told’em t’make me good at it, make me like doin’ it. S’why I’m...why I'm...small. S’a tradeoff.”
Riley had come to terms with the artificial nature of her own existence long ago, and somewhere in her voice and her eyes, that showed. But too, it was a secret thing now that M’Draan was gone. A thing that was hard to let out, hard to expose to others who might not accept it as she did. Riley knew there was no reason to fear that Ike would reject her for this - but it was still an admission.
”That code’s...instructions on how’te grow a Rilynne Miles.” She said that with a little exhale that might have constituted a wan chuckle. It was the first time Ike had heard her full first name as well - she didn’t even notice. ”S’everythin’, right down’a last lil’ detail. Even right up’a how Is raised. How I’s supposed’a think an’ act like. Whole personality’like. I like t’think I’m…me, but I ain’t. I’m that.” She pointed loosely up at the black bars, dropping her hand back into her lap with a puff.
”Really, I don’t know how much’a me is me, an’ow much is that. Dunno’ f’I’m goin’ against th’programmin’ or not. Maybe I’m…’xactly what they wan’ed me’a be. Maybe not. Ain’t neve’ gonna’ know.” Riley shrugged faintly. ”All I know’s I like doin’ wha’I do, yeh? An’ I’mma keep doin’ it. Cause I wanna’. Don’t matter why wanna’. Jus’ do.”
Riley paused then, absently tugging the collar of her jacket so that it fully covered the barcode that had instructed the M’Draani genetic engineers to make an extremely talented, hot-headed engineer whose proficiency would be at the cost of her physical strength. The barcode that had been on the neck of an infant handed over to the Facility Nursery that explained to the caretakers exactly how to begin raising her for tenacity at the cost of oppositional defiance, toughness at the cost of insecurity.
The barcode that had informed Facility trainers of just how RBM-E/M-13 would be made into the ideal soldier to serve the endless war effort.
”I mean, I know it ain’t ‘xactly th’same an’ all but I think...” She went on, only then lifting those steely eyes to meet the lavender gaze of her distraught friend. It was not the same strength he would see there now as he had when their lives had been in peril. They were not mountains of steel now - but mountains of stone. Sturdy granite that refused to wear down with time. The honest mountains, which stood proudly and strong, and promised a breathtaking view from their majestic peaks. Her smile, faint and mildly uncertain, was nonetheless warm and earnest.
”I think if I'm still Riley then...You's still Ike.”
Of all the people Robert could have run into, Jack “Hawk” Vox was about the worst. Robyn “Honey Badger” had been hot on his tail as the old mech pilots came barreling around the corner, skidding to a dramatic stop when they saw a shape blocking their path to the place they had only just learned was to be the location of a particular battle.
His voice had come through the EXO-suit’s speakers as he contacted the robotic medic, who had immediately dropped what he was doing to go racing to the scene.
Jack exited the armor, stumbling - goggled eyes locked on the small, frail object cradled within the Corpral’s arms. His hands, usually steady as steel, were trembling visibly as Robyn stepped to the side, dismounting her suit and standing back.
”What...the @#$%.” His gravelly voice was virtually inaudible. Barely a hoarse whisper as he approached. He sounded almost accusatory, but he was known well enough to mean nothing by it as a man who seemed in a constant state of harsh disgruntlement.
Reaching them, one worn, old hand reached up to softly touch the young woman’s mop of blonde dreads, now a matted mess of blood and soot.
”...No.”
Robyn had never heard him like that. Not in half a millennia.
It was then that the siren came within hearing range, and only seconds later that the rusty contraption appeared at the end of the corridor, twiggy limbs pumping as though it were Ringworld itself he was coming to rescue. Following closely behind him was another, slightly less rusty medical robot that screamed along on one thickly treadded wheel, blasting past the scene and proceeding to where the battle itself had gone down.
Looming over the pair, Danesh wasted no time. Looking down on the body, the robot’s huge, dimly glowing eye lenses adjusted slightly as a small protuberance extended from one multi-fingered hand, hovering carefully over the left side of the woman’s chest. Seconds passed. The rumbling of his body quieted to a much more subtle rumble as he shifted most of his functions away from the physical, focusing on the inner software that could properly diagnose the situation.
The seconds dragged on. The device held above the body’s chest shifted, got closer, until it was contacting the bloody black hoodie. The silence lingered. The bot’s head shifted.
”...Dead.”
It was the first time the old robot had been heard speaking in such a curt and somber tone. It was almost robotic. Speechless, even Jack had nothing to say - his worn face a mask of silent rage and despair.
”....Wait.”
The apertures of the bot’s eye lenses narrowed into tiny slits - another ‘expression’ that was quite new. The head, barely bobbing at all, tilted slightly as if listening for some subtle sound.
Slowly, carefully, the device slid to the left, until it was on the opposite side of her chest that a human heart should be.
He blinked.
”Not dead.”
Instantly perking up, several other appendages burst forth from the complex hand and prodded various solutions into Mackie that would help keep her ‘not dead’ for at least as far as the operating room.
From behind, a second and third little bot came screaming around the corner on its one rugged tire, holding between them the emergency transport - a far more sophisticated version of the robot’s usual, ridiculously old fashioned stretcher. They came to a stop close enough and the tube flung open, leaving a slightly padded place for Robbie to lay her down on.
”Go. Put in. “ Danesh quacked, but having suppressed all non-primary functions, including those that dictated his unique speech pattern - only the slight accent was notable.
Once Mackie was sealed in the tube, the two bots holding her between them sped off to the medical bay with Danesh wordlessly sprinting after them. Seconds later the third bot returned from the site of the battle, incongruously carrying a vacuum-sealed, nitrogen-cooled severed leg. It frantically pointed to Robert, then back to where Mackie had been found. All it barked out to indicate what it wanted was ”Other human get.” Having already determined that the other leg was crushed beyond any hope of use, it was referring to the unconscious Annag.
Jack was already gone, having ditched his suit to go speeding after Danesh. Still standing there and looking deathly grim, the ash-black skinned woman looked paler than usual. ”Bring the girl to the medbay Robbie. I’m gonna’ go talk to Kato.” She said softly, making it a request rather than an order. She, too left her suit abandoned in the narrow corridor, hands in pockets as she walked off to inform the captain. He deserved to know.
It was as Ike began his explanation that understanding dawned in tandem. Riley blinked, the light of comprehension in her eyes a small thing. Not so bright, but brightness was not intrinsic to thoughts such as these.
The girl’s shoulders seemed to sag, as if a great weight had been lifting. A breath she had been holding for a thousand years and never known. She looked almost relieved at the exposition Ike was giving. Yet too, an anxiety lingered.
Was she only now understanding the nature of her friend’s pre-programmed personality? His utter lack of a soul brought about by an unnatural birth?
His artificial existence, imposed upon him by a higher power that intended to overthrow the dead gods themselves?
Riley listened in utter silence - and as he went on, did something shift inside her. Indeed, the faintest hint of a sad smile faded onto her lips. She was bemused, a depth in her stare that spoke of fears and memories.
Ike collapsed in a heap, and Riley followed shortly behind him, seating herself down lazily so that she sat cross-legged before him, hands in her lap.
For a long, long time, she seemed uncertain as to whether she should speak at all. Whether she wanted to. With the relief borne of Ike’s words, so came the inner turmoil that always accompanied thoughts of the past. She licked her lips uncertainty, opened her mouth to speak, closed it again. Several more false starts later, she managed a word.
”...Ike.”
♫
But with his full attention presumably on her, it took more time still for her to form the words, calculate how to say them. Outwardly it would be difficult to tell whether she was at a loss for words, or had something to say but didn’t know how. It could have been anything.
In the end, she decided that maybe the best place to start was at the beginning. Instead of starting with a word, Riley twisted slightly to the side, hooking fingers in the collar of her coat and tugging it aside so that her neck could be more easily seen. The black tattoo, several bars of varying widths lined up vertically into a larger, rectangular shape, with no pattern evident in the design.
”Know what this is?” She asked softly, rubbing it with her thumb, letting Ike get a good look before releasing the collar of her jacket. It stayed halfway, leaving the image only partially obscured.
”’At’s called a ‘bar-code’. A sorta’ old-fashioned ID tag.”
Averting her eyes, Riley looked away from Ike at the floor to their side, taking a deep breath.
”I… I was born with it. That’s...me.”
It was hard to say - but she knew why she was saying it - her averted gaze seemed less out of humiliation or despair than simply willing herself to continue. No. This was not something she would be ashamed of.
”Where I come from, most folk ain’t proper born’like. Come from th’GMF’like. Genetic Management Facility. That code’s what told’em I’mma be an engineer. Told’em t’make me good at it, make me like doin’ it. S’why I’m...why I'm...small. S’a tradeoff.”
Riley had come to terms with the artificial nature of her own existence long ago, and somewhere in her voice and her eyes, that showed. But too, it was a secret thing now that M’Draan was gone. A thing that was hard to let out, hard to expose to others who might not accept it as she did. Riley knew there was no reason to fear that Ike would reject her for this - but it was still an admission.
”That code’s...instructions on how’te grow a Rilynne Miles.” She said that with a little exhale that might have constituted a wan chuckle. It was the first time Ike had heard her full first name as well - she didn’t even notice. ”S’everythin’, right down’a last lil’ detail. Even right up’a how Is raised. How I’s supposed’a think an’ act like. Whole personality’like. I like t’think I’m…me, but I ain’t. I’m that.” She pointed loosely up at the black bars, dropping her hand back into her lap with a puff.
”Really, I don’t know how much’a me is me, an’ow much is that. Dunno’ f’I’m goin’ against th’programmin’ or not. Maybe I’m…’xactly what they wan’ed me’a be. Maybe not. Ain’t neve’ gonna’ know.” Riley shrugged faintly. ”All I know’s I like doin’ wha’I do, yeh? An’ I’mma keep doin’ it. Cause I wanna’. Don’t matter why wanna’. Jus’ do.”
Riley paused then, absently tugging the collar of her jacket so that it fully covered the barcode that had instructed the M’Draani genetic engineers to make an extremely talented, hot-headed engineer whose proficiency would be at the cost of her physical strength. The barcode that had been on the neck of an infant handed over to the Facility Nursery that explained to the caretakers exactly how to begin raising her for tenacity at the cost of oppositional defiance, toughness at the cost of insecurity.
The barcode that had informed Facility trainers of just how RBM-E/M-13 would be made into the ideal soldier to serve the endless war effort.
”I mean, I know it ain’t ‘xactly th’same an’ all but I think...” She went on, only then lifting those steely eyes to meet the lavender gaze of her distraught friend. It was not the same strength he would see there now as he had when their lives had been in peril. They were not mountains of steel now - but mountains of stone. Sturdy granite that refused to wear down with time. The honest mountains, which stood proudly and strong, and promised a breathtaking view from their majestic peaks. Her smile, faint and mildly uncertain, was nonetheless warm and earnest.
”I think if I'm still Riley then...You's still Ike.”
♫
The little Synth sitting crumpled up infront of her upon hearing his name turned the small targeting reticules to face her, not that he was taking in any of the information from them. Even to the distressed circuity that was pretending it was a brain hidden away within his head, that was something he could never do, to even consider putting Riley in his sights was ... well, it was just something his programming rebelled at.
In a small way, before she could even say anything more, he took comfort in that, that no matter what else had been jammed into his head, what unknown horrors lay beneath his artificial skin, that none of it could hurt Riley. She was something that was just overpowered his systems, burning away at that hidden killer instinct. Whatever he felt for her it seemed to be stronger than all the rest of his programming.
So, with tears trickling down his cheeks the Synth sat there and listened, drinking in the words of his best and only friend.
His little cameras took in each second of the way she hooked back her collar to reveal - that tattoo. He'd seen glimpses of it before, but he'd never thought much of it, never actually scanned it, why should he?
He knew now at least, knew that in some way, while the method arrived at was a totally different one, that his friend was just as artificial as he was. In some small way the thought made him want to laugh, not that he was capable of doing anything else but allowing more tears to gush forth as he gazed upon her.
She's a bio-modded version of you, designed to fill a single purpose wonderfully.
Somewhere under those tears, the merest hints of a smile emerged for just a few seconds, the idea of being so alike the person he most idolised, the person he loved made his heart soar with joy.
Ike blinked slightly and while the tears still flowed, the targeting reticules had vanished from his eyes, banished away to a small part of his brain that no longer had any need for guns or weapons, it only had room for two things at the moment, how utterly amazing Riley was and how lucky he was.
This wasn't to say that the nature of her existence wasn't a shock to him, it most certainly was, but it was not a horrific shock or one that would cause him to call into question anything they'd gone through. No this was the pleasant shock of suddenly running into an old friend you'd once thought had disappeared from your life forever, that thrill of remembrance, that warming sensation that things were right once more.
Even as these calming thoughts and feelings began to seep into his cybernetic bones another change came about, his fingers, like a corpse being given life reanimated themselves and swung back into position, covering up the cannons and hiding them away where they should be.
I'm not alone....
"Riles .... " His voice was hollow, almost as broken as it had been before when he'd almost killed himself.
I don't need to be scared anyone...
Their eyes would meet and in that moment through the rivers obscuring much of their path, those twin dots of lavender would be able to convey all that his voice could not. Intense and overflowing relief that he was no longer alone, that this burden was one he could share out with someone he trusted beyond anything else in the whole dead universe. Those mountain peaks, the same ones here eyes stood at would be reflected in the glow of hope and joy from having finally made it there, the sudden breathtaking view of the world, stretched out beneath you and of course, the new perspective on how small the world really was from up there, how all his troubles seemed to fade away near her.
I have someone now ...
For anyone who knew Ike well enough the next move would be easy to predict, it was almost his natural reflex in times like this, but now it wasn't just as a drowning sailor reaching out desperately for something to cling to, no this was the grasp of someone who'd found something to treasure beyond anything else and wanted to hold it close.
Someone like me ...
Ike would shuffle up slowly to Riley, his feet inching him closer to that shining treasure, the muddy red streaks of hair holding far more worth than any bar of gold ever could. Once close enough he'd throw himself towards her, arms outstretched to try and wrap them around her.
I'm not alone!
Yet there was a subtle difference about this attempted hug compared to the others, while once more his fingers would attempt to curl possessively around her, this time it would be her sleeves, fingers that if they were able to connect would attempt faintly to pull her arms around his, in one movement, both claiming her and also quite freely allowing himself to be claimed.
I'M NOT ALONE!
"You're right Riley ..." The voice was barely audible through the ball he'd practically curled up in, but audible nonetheless. "I am Ike and I'm yours."
There was, as always, that instant of resistance that seemed intrinsic to her person. She had fully expected to be tackled and clung to, and even then she still would have done it - but it was more pronounced this time. For half a second the girl’s eyes widened, startled and perhaps even a twinge frightened. She pulled back on her arms, but Ike’s frantic enthusiasm overcame her still meager resistance easily and before she even really knew what was happening, she…
She had her arms wrapped - somewhat awkwardly - around Ike.
Instantly her whole body went stiff - as if a wasp had landed on her. Her hands in loose fists, she did not squeeze him - but did not pull away, either. She just held them there, stiffly. Her heart rate increased, mouth going dry. Suddenly she wanted little more than to be able to yank herself away and pull her arms in close. This didn’t feel right. Him clinging bodily to her was something she was perfectly accustomed to - even fond of, in a way - but this was something else. Something that was somehow wrong.
Yet despite the bodily urge to pull herself away to some position where she didn’t feel so dreadfully exposed, Riley remained. Stiff, awkward and uncomfortable - but not upset. Like being forced to hug a distant, newly introduced relative. She could deal with this. And she did.
”You sure do cry a lot.” She said softly, but in obvious, gentle good humor. Avoiding the topic, of course, but who could expect anything less? At least it could be determined from the tone that she was smiling softly as she said it.
Uncomfortable as Riles was, it was not enough to make her pull away. Not enough to make it intolerable. Certainly not enough to make her deck him in the face like she would have literally anyone left alive on all of Ringworld. She could put up with it. For him. It wasn’t so bad. Hard. But not so bad.
It didn’t take long for her arms to get tired, stiff as she was, and not simply letting them rest snug against him. But she could deal with tired arms. She could deal with just about anything. For him.
And so would Riley remain in that very position as long as Ike needed - never complaining, never tugging away.
It wasn’t perfect. A moment like this should have been fully reciprocated. Her reluctance and awkwardness tainted this moment in time. They should have both been clinging to each other with all their might - and yet while it was not entirely one-sided, the embrace was not quite complete.
But it was progress.
She had her arms wrapped - somewhat awkwardly - around Ike.
Instantly her whole body went stiff - as if a wasp had landed on her. Her hands in loose fists, she did not squeeze him - but did not pull away, either. She just held them there, stiffly. Her heart rate increased, mouth going dry. Suddenly she wanted little more than to be able to yank herself away and pull her arms in close. This didn’t feel right. Him clinging bodily to her was something she was perfectly accustomed to - even fond of, in a way - but this was something else. Something that was somehow wrong.
Yet despite the bodily urge to pull herself away to some position where she didn’t feel so dreadfully exposed, Riley remained. Stiff, awkward and uncomfortable - but not upset. Like being forced to hug a distant, newly introduced relative. She could deal with this. And she did.
”You sure do cry a lot.” She said softly, but in obvious, gentle good humor. Avoiding the topic, of course, but who could expect anything less? At least it could be determined from the tone that she was smiling softly as she said it.
Uncomfortable as Riles was, it was not enough to make her pull away. Not enough to make it intolerable. Certainly not enough to make her deck him in the face like she would have literally anyone left alive on all of Ringworld. She could put up with it. For him. It wasn’t so bad. Hard. But not so bad.
It didn’t take long for her arms to get tired, stiff as she was, and not simply letting them rest snug against him. But she could deal with tired arms. She could deal with just about anything. For him.
And so would Riley remain in that very position as long as Ike needed - never complaining, never tugging away.
It wasn’t perfect. A moment like this should have been fully reciprocated. Her reluctance and awkwardness tainted this moment in time. They should have both been clinging to each other with all their might - and yet while it was not entirely one-sided, the embrace was not quite complete.
But it was progress.
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