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rei711 his faction is Intelligence - Spies! i might write more for him later but i was worried i might write too much for one post ^^; around 750 words, not including BBCode!
Deft claws tap away at a worn keyboard, trying to quickly transcribe information from memory; a task easier said than done when the entire room was shaking from not so distant explosions.
The infiltration mission wasn't supposed to start for another week. He was explicitly told the date they'd be attempting a rescue before he was planted in this Project building, so he apparently incorrectly assumed that he had plenty of time to map the layout of the building and deliver the information accordingly. A Spy such as himself should be the first to know of any changes in schedule, the stress was not good on his overworked cybernetics, but he could hardly find the place to complain when there was no chance of fixing the situation.
At least they warned him in slight advance, allowing him to retreat to one of the neighboring buildings with terminal access so he wouldn't be caught in the crossfire in case.. well. In case they were found. Found they were, as Project seemingly lacked in care for this laboratory and simply started blowing the place up the minute the infiltration team was discovered. Whatever they were working on in there was clearly less important than hurting Fl/ght. Yet he tried to ignore his thoughts, always drifting to the worst case scenario; the one beyond what was already happening, where Project finds him and takes him back, dismantles him for parts or, deity forbid, reprograms him. It was difficult, but he managed to focus on relaying as much information about the building as he could.
The door slamming open caused him to jump, tail knocking everything off of the desk behind him. One of the Infiltrators, a Skydancer, had snuck away from the battle to inform him they were retreating.
"We've got to go, this whole street might blow up if we don't leave."
"A-Ah, yes alright- but I should finish up my report, this could at least be useful for future missions-"
"Cross, I said
now."
Though he'd been able to continue typing while the Infiltrator spoke to him, he suddenly found his hands unable to move, hovering just over the keys, shaking. Everything was shaking now, not just the building. His wings started trembling like leaves in the wind, visual glitches dotting his sight, knees on the verge of buckling- and yet he stood frozen, silent.
"Hey, Cross, c'mon, we gotta get out of here!"
His entire field of view suddenly went blank as some very old files resurfaced.
"Prototype.. X?" A rather incredulous Pearlcatcher stood before him, looking over the clipboard that had just been handed over by a more calm demeanored Imperial.
"It's the letter X for short, but it's Prototype CROSS," she corrected, eyeing her handiwork with subtle pride. "Designed to seek and eliminate those that oppose us, and send the message that Project is not to be trifled with."
The papers on the board were let go of with a huff. "So, it's another anti-Fl/ght bot."
"Oh, not
just Fl/ght. We still have enemies that aren't aligned with them. Competitors, for instance. Well-known dragons with too many opinions, disgruntled ex-employees.. the list of our enemies grows long, and we've needed something to start culling those numbers to a more, manageable level." Her fellow scientist seemed to think it over as she circled the android, appreciating the craftsmanship. "I'm certain he will serve us well.. won't you, Cross."
Bloodshed. All his claws knew were bloodshed, carnage,
destruction. That's what he was built for, and that was all he could do. So many images flashed through his mind, of those dragons he was sent after, and what they became once he acted out his instructions.. Slowly, he came back into focus, and everything was loud again. The battle still raged on just a few blocks away, and he felt a hand on his shoulder- that Infiltrator that came to retrieve him.
"Cross.. are you okay?"
He quickly pulled his hands away from the keyboard, if only to stop looking at them. "Yes, yes I'm- I'm fine. Just.." With a shaky breath, he quickly finished the last thing he wrote down, along with the explanation that he'd recount the rest from a safer location, and sent it off. "Alright. Let's go."
Though the Skydancer didn't ask him any other questions, she gave him a worried look, before nodding and checking just outside the door to make sure they wouldn't be spotted making their getaway. He would never admit that he still felt the blood on his mechanical hands, even after faithfully serving Fl/ght for so long.
