"You've brought this upon yourself, Dynamo," the voice of that blurred angel bounced within the walls of his head eternally. Always and ever it replayed the same with the grand one he couldn't fully comprehend and the dozens of factory-made faces. He had no say in the matter. Usually, at this moment the vision would loop. Rain's fall being the only concise factor through each vision...but something was different this time. In the least expected of times, a subtlety presented itself. Another face.
The machine closest to him. His face was imprinted unto the glow of that black glass face. That eye shattered his vision. Orange and red of the figure that slept beside him, walked in front of him, ate next to him, and faced the pinnacle of power of the dragon country. He was active, "Proton," their name escaped Dynamo's lips before he knew it. A change brought halt. His eyes opened bringing him from that prison to the real world. Hours felt like minutes when in that zone. Memories replayed in the most perfect of qualities...but nobody truly understood the hell.
Dynamo's day of rest came to an end. The pod had his arm prepared with a new layer of skin printed and ready. Exhaustedly, Dynamo removed his clothing and peeled off the skin stuck to steel; everywhere except his neck up remained. Once you saw him like this, the inequities between his upper and lower body became more apparent. Colorless body with human features even without skin. Rounded arms thin and composed of several smaller parts for that full range of motion; almost resembling a reptile's scales to some degree. Long skeletal digits were his fingers, very similar to the almost spinal form that supported his head and neck; extremely thick. Rounded ligaments for shoulders and a thinning torso that shrunk near the waist. Dynamo's head was also quite unique.
Modern mechanics typically designed heads to be human, however, covered up with several features. Dynamo's was the same, but his neck supported far more weight. His hair laid upon thicker shields covering rubber tubes that spiraled down his neck and to their incendiary engine. Zion of the Zenith could relate to Dynamo because without his skin they both looked like two machines jammed together. Even Dynamo marveled at their similarities before going upstairs to fetch beer from the fridge.
The television was off and a note was left on the fridge.
I see that you're inactive right now. Writing this because I don't want your neauragear to ping you awake. Heading back to my place for some rest give me more details on the job later.
The notice left none other by his guest. Long gone he hoped that she didn't get into some altercation with the block again. Tomorrow was his time, but for now, he reclined on his sofa to the sounds of filler content on the television. Next to the classified information on his neuragear and searches for a way to smuggle a Thermal bike into his country was a document. He read through it a few times already, the document of Lena Buakham, "Ah…" Dyson was a scary family to cross. Every major action and decision of her life were in this. Parents and bonds, all her schools and locations they lived, "Man….she moved a lot," Dynamo cringed at the number, "Transferred schools six times too…" all of her expulsions were due to attitude and other issues.
"Stabbing student with screwdriver….destroying classrooms…..cooking the class pet?" the list was a wild one to behold every time he read it. Though the act of Mandaly U was the one that cemented her ways of life. The first semester of their first year where they perform the trials of fire. Those few minutes after she got her flame were why the military wanted her so badly and why Rote needed to restrict her to simple creation of bolts. "This woman is a pyromaniac without the fire...makes her even better to keep around."
A chuckle echoed through the room and to the streets. The very streets Lena had walked on her way back home. Cold winds like these could strip the flesh off your bones if you weren't careful. Colder were the eyes of machines. Swarm knights were the most typical thing in every district of the country...but now they were far more populated. Where one was perched now rested two with firepower to match. Eyes facing every corner. Mics listening to every individual. Somehow Rote managed to steal more privacy. Looking upon his city now, she was afraid of seeing her home.
Towers of stone and iron with holes guarded by glass. Neons lights replaced the stars and vehicles replaced the animals. Bullets were bugs and the wind was gone. That was Giganto, "Christ...this place is getting worse by the day," no shock that the defenses placed had the opposite effect to what Rote wished. Lena walked with her weapon at the ready all the way back to her apartment. The clock struck eight. "Goddamnit."
On their door was a digital sign that glowed every time the landlord had changed something. Rent went up since last time. Lena kicked the wall in futility before going inside, "Two hundred a month for this shit is pushing it as is," she bickered to herself. Tossing her coat to the side, "Gotta pay water bills and power, now this faceless cunt wants a shiv in their skull- woah where did that come from," she made herself wince with her words. "Damn..getting angry again."
To calm down before heating to an unbearable level, Lena often burnt incense in the corner of her bathroom during her cold shower. It quenched the steams as she dried off ready to sleep again. She hardly did anything today, noting that most of her interviews were pushed off for a few weeks. Aid from her uncle would come soon as well. Worries were far, for now. A good night's rest was at hand until Dynamo gave the word. "Yep...any minute now."
She laid tossing and turning in every position craving the release of sleep, "Uhuh…" her fidgeting and checking the time every five minutes didn't aid either. It was almost ten when a knock on the door interrupted slumber. Her hair frizzed with a growl accompanying, "Christ let me sleep already," in pajamas, Lena went to open the door with enough force to tear it off the hinges. This was enough to startle the neighbor on the other end.
"So...just came to check-in, you know, as a good neighbor does," Strider looked away. He was still in his button-up after a shift in the bar. Bruises against his body lightened, being but a memory, "Got Zeze locking up, needed to rest a bit," he noted, taking a step back to relax against the railings. "How you holding up? Did some digging into Black Lang and heard some bad stuff."
"Dude just...don't bring them up again," Lena let escape, "Please, almost got involved with that and it still pisses me off I was that stupid."
"Well yeah, you should feel stupid for not doing research," Strider whistled, "We all got moments of weakness, just don't forget about it next time," he sounded like a teacher to a delinquent, "But I didn't mean that. Their spot in the red light is gone- wiped. Chalk lines and everything in the building," his eyes shifted around the corners while his tone hushed. "Swarm found a body in there. That 'boss' of yours got found beaten to a pulp too, too afraid to say who did it."
"Oh damn," she was too tired to fake suspense, "How unfortunate," hints of sarcasm escaped. Strider clicked his teeth before entering the abode. The look in his eyes was the look of an experienced man. He knew about Lena from his stay in Mandaly as well, "Seriously, what went on in there? You're being the pyromaniac of Mandaly U again," his arms gripped her shoulders and shook. It didn't hesitate her in the slightest, "This is what? The third time!?"
"Just relax, I didn't do anything alright?" she sighed, removing his arms, "And second because they didn't confirm anything," she whistled, "I just...scratched his neck and helped Ailyah after she tripped. And maybe left her a note to send to that Lang about wanting to force me into a-" she sensed the anger rising within and took a deep breath. "Yeah, nothing more there."
Strider was a professional at dirty work, making himself invisible from everything. Just your humble bar owner, and only a bar owner. This woman….she made him shiver to his core, "You know if you're ever in Himmel and need money, hit up a guy named Daza- looking for people who can dirty their hands like you," he gave some advice after the fact. "And I thought I was a monster."
Lena had already known of his augmentations, he was at ease to remove the confines of his shirt and reveal his chest. After being around drunks all day you'd go clean off the stuff, "Say, I wanted to ask you a couple things from last night," sleep wasn't in the cards, but coffee was in the cupboards to help keep them both up. The coffee press did the job and in minutes both had a drink, "You said that some accident happened in Brecknock right? For you to get that chest?"
Strider nodded, "Mhm, used to run with some bad crowds. One day I got crossed and the next thing I know there's a shotgun on my chest. I thought that was it but I woke up hours later with doctors cutting me up and making me part machine," the tale became casual for Strider, "Had it since I was twenty, the damn thing grows with me." the burden of iron. "I had to get a new line of work though because you know….one misfire of an EMP and-" his finger dragged across his throat.
"Shit, that sounds awful," Lena sipped the hot drink. Bitter was the scent and smooth was it down the throat, though still harsh to the lips, "Guessing that's why you pimped out the arms too? Keeping up with the hustle?"
Strider nodded, "Didn't even plan for that to happen, my arms went necrotic and they had to be hacked off. Funny enough though this company approached me, offered a replacement mixed with sweet nothings and I got to work with them," he got too indulgent into his past. An air of resentment hovered over him, "But those days are just another story, too late to share."
The past would remain there, undisturbed with the ones who belonged there. Night moved on as the moon watched over the gods with a silver eye and a sleeping beast. Tick was the beat of the clock where the duo would part ways after hours of leisure for some rest. If any. But hardly any would realize what was destined to come next. In a world where everyone slept, few stood proud on their rooftops. Eyes on the demon which they couldn't see. Next in store for the rogue unit, Mandaly. The city of the Blue Maiden.