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Prototypes

There was a loud hissing noise as a pressurized compound was released into the air. People in stark white lab coats were scrambling about a stark white room shouting to each other. In the center of this room was a lone tube filled with a clear liquid and contained the nake body of a girl in her early 20's. Her hair was platinum white which was long due to being uncut for years. Her hair flowed peacefully around her body as she slept inside the tube. The hissing sound slowly died only to be replaced with a gurgling bubbling sound as the water inside the tube began to drain. The girl slowly sank down with the water level, still unaware and unmoving, even as the tube began to descend into the floor to release her.


The men and women who were in the room moved her onto a gurney and removed the mask from the girl's nose and mouth quickly. One of the women injected a syrenge full of a strange black liquid into the girl's arm and within moments, the girl's eyes shot open, revealing nothing but pitch black eyes.


"Subject 09, do you understand me?" one of the lab technicians asked.


"Yes," she replied softly. The sound was unfamliar since she had never spoken before. The light hurt her eyes and the sounds made her ears ring. Her sensitive senses were overloaded after never being exposed this type of stimulus before.


"It will take you a moment to adjust to your new envoriment, but the strange sensations should pass."


Days later, she was no longer bothered by her surroundings. While she had been developing in the tube, they had been inputting various information into her brain for when she would be finally released. They were wasting no time in getting her ready for her first assignment, which was also a compeition.


She was led into a conference room where she was to meet her competition. Nothing else had been explained to her beyond her purpose, her name, and that she was meeting another product.


-


The day of the conference was one highly anticipated by the contractor who had the privilege of working with the military for the past ten years, their cybernetics technology not only making a difference in the lives of the wounded, but also a difference between a crushing blow upon the enemy or a pyrrhic victory. The secret: full-blown combat cyborgs, most of which were KIA soldiers whom were deemed valuable and proper candidates to be reanimated in bodies that only provided for their mental health and whatever organs that they could salvage, in accordance to ethical laws for cyborg rights.


One of the newest soldiers in their program was on his way to a conference that would introduce him to a competing project that had gained interest from several military officers, a narrow voting session granting the company a chance to prove that they had something that could compete with the cyborgs, and possibly give a solution for human health that they could have never imagined would be possible in their lifetimes. A pair of Humvees was approaching the company’s property, the soldier resting in the back of the transport, dressed in his unit’s signature black and grey fatigues. He looked rather young, a grenadier’s cap covering his face and eyes, his synthetic black-brown hair a neat and tidy fo-hawk. Despite an average-looking frame, his body was over ninety percent artificial, the only things remaining from his actual body besides his brain being most of his spine and ribcage, both of which have been reinforced and painstakingly preserved and enhanced to work with the rest of his body, the newest generation of technology they had developed for the military. Most of his organs were damaged in the incident of his death, but what did survive; they kept in cryogenic storage for possible revival in a organic body, provided that they could get their hands on that kind of tech for themselves. “Jason, wake up, were here.”


His eyes immediately opened, pure-white sclera’s with camera-like irises glowing red for a moment, before returning to a color most similar to what they were in flesh, a mute, grey blue that almost complimented the faint seam lines that were running down his cheeks and any other areas of his new body that could be opened or separated for maintenance or replacement. He moved his cap up to see the back door open, representative’s ready and waiting to guide them to the conference room where he would meet the product of the company’s research. “Were you dreaming about something or what? I though you iron-men didn’t need sleep” his handler quizzed, the cyborg shrugging in response. That question bothered him as they were lead to the conference room, his short nap filled with flickers of memory from before whatever happened to him, but mostly, they were filled with the day he had been activated and re-habilitated to understanding what they had made him into now, after all… he had only been resurrected six days prior to the conference.


-


She sat down as she had been instructed by her handler - a woman named Becky. Becky treated her differently than the others that were in facility. Those not involved directly with the program and unfamiliar with her gave off signals of a primal fear. She didn't know what fear felt like. She could define what the word meant and identify it in others, but was simply unable to understand it.


She was in a simple outfit made of a special material that acted like a second skin with camouflage capabilities. She had chopped off her own hair during an examination which left it looking short and messy. As she sat there in the conference room, she studied the others who had escorted her. Her handler Becky was sitting next to her reading over files on a sheer glass tablet and muttering to herself about strange anomalies.


Two guards stood inside the room at the doors to the conference room. Every time their eyes scanned the room, they would linger on her for a moment before looking away. They had obviously been enhanced, but they had been born human, unlike herself.


At the head of the conference table was a man in his late 30's, which she could easily identify as her master superior; any command he gave her, she was to follow over all other orders. His name was Craig Kurk and was the man in charge of the entire program that resulted in her being created. He was casually leaning against the large floor the ceiling window sipping coffee with some phrase that was supposed to be humorous. Becky had tried to explain why the phrase was "funny" but she didn't understand. Kurk wasn't bothered by her lack of emotions like Becky was.


"I still think it would be interesting if we just had her attack the competition product the moment it walks in."


"Mr. Kurk, you know that isn't permitted. The conference room would also be severely damaged and someone human could be injured. That isn't the best way to enter into a contract with a government. Besides, we need some initial comparison tests.," Becky replied.


-


 “Whatever you say, as long as it gets us in with the big boys,” Kurk replied as the doors of the conference room opened up, the director sitting up in his seat as the group from the military base made its way into the room. First to enter was the security detail, two soldiers armed with SMGs, then came a high ranking officer, her award patches and rank clearly visible on her fatigues.


“Good Morning, Director Kurk.” Commander Jennings said in a calm and clear voice, a smug smile on the man’s face as he gestured for the group to take a seat. “Same to you, Commander. Please, have a seat, we have much to talk about.” Jennings nodded, the woman moving to the side to allow several other officers to enter, but what Kurk was waiting for was his competition, the product of the company he saw as nothing more than a road-block in his way of his rise to dominance in the market. A minute or so passed before another man entered the room, whispering into the ear of the commander before she said something back, the other nodding as he dashed out again. Before he could ask what was the hold up, the commander spoke, deciding to make small talk while the handler made sure Jason was comfortable and collected before entering the room. “I assume that the young lady sitting next to you is what you have to show us today, correct?”


-


"Yes, this is Subject 09," Kurk replied somewhat cockily. He gave her a command to stand up and stand next to him. She did so without question. She said nothing and didn't look at anything in particular, there were no direct threats of harm to herself or to those of this facility. Becky cleared her throat, appearing somewhat nervous now that everyone was in the conference room.


"Don't let her appearance fool you. I assure you she is quite capable despite her appearance and demeanor. But where is your project? Surely you didn't forget to bring it," Kurk smirked. He knew they brought the machine, but part of this was a game of confidence. He could always pretend to be worried after seeing what their product was to make them feel confident and then would be all the more delighted when his own product proved the better choice.


Becky frowned at Kurk, but said nothing. She placed the glass tablet onto the table and crossed her arms over her chest. Kurk wanted to make a huge fuss over presenting Subject 09. He was also probably going to try and push some buttons to try and get someone to react aggressively so that 09 would react and have a justified cause.


-


Agent Frank arrived late, the other handler having called him in after Jason entered a restroom, the young man getting cold feet just before his commanding officer could present him to Kurk and Subject 09. “You owe twenty on that bet you made with me before you climbed into the Humvee, Sergeant.” The older man said, the other nodding as he guided him to the restroom where they found Jason staring into the mirror, water running, a blank stare returning the gaze. “Jason, snap out of it,” Frank commanded in a clear voice, snapping his fingers, the cyborg flinching as he snapped back to reality, quickly looking to his side to see the one person that could hold a straight conversation with him since he was revived. He looked at him for a moment, before looking away, slightly embarrassed that he had to come here just to get him refocused. “I…I apologize for the delay. I forgot to take the tablets this morning, we were in a rush,” his voice quiet, yet shaky, a reflection how young he was, the faintly digitized overtones of his speech a dead giveaway to how nervous he was at the moment. Frank shook his head, a caring expression on his face as he pulled out a tiny flip-top container, opening it and dumping the tablets into Jason’s hand, the soldier immediately swallowing them dry, the embarrassed expression still molded to his face. “You can’t keep forgetting to do this, kid. The doc told you, every morning on the dot for the next month. Sure, you made of metal and plastic, but that doesn’t mean were going to make everything you need to do automatic.” He placed a hand on Jason’s shoulder, smiling as he looked out the door, a soldier checking in on them, tapping his watch. They needed to go.


“But hey, at least this proves that you not the complete terminator all the regulars think you are. Let’s go, your representing Golem Company. Make it count.”Jason looked at him, the flickers of memory and mental fuzz he was under disappearing quickly as the pills took effect, a smile slowly appearing on his face.“Yes sir.” He said with a much more confident tone as the two headed out toward the conference room, Jennings looking around to see them come in, a smile on her face as she made the introduction for their pride and joy.


“Of course not, Kurk. This is Master Sergeant Jason Larson, Golem Company’s latest addition. He is one of the latest combat cyborgs Vector Industries has built for us as some of the older soldiers of the unit prepare for their retirement and transition out of the military and back into society.” She gestured simply toward him, his queue to speak and be seated. “Good morning, sir.” He said calm and clear, his gaze going toward the girl who was standing up next to him, her pure black eyes telling him that she was the one he was to be working with for the time being. He sat down next to Jennings, the conference officially in session.


-


"Glad to see he has finally arrived," Kurk replied cheerfully. He motioned to Becky before moving to sit down at the head of the conference table, his elbows resting against the table and his hands clasped together leisurely.


Becky cleared her throat before picking up her tablet device and waking it from it's sleep mode. After a few finger touches and slides, the conference table lit up, loading the files they decided to their competition review. It wasn't anything special, the files just went on about the ease of unit creation, training, and so on.


"Our project can create units quickly and efficiently with custom tailored programming from our massive digital library. Subject 09 is trained in a variety of weapons, languages, combat techniques, martial arts and other various things, the list is too long for us to go over today. The applications that units like 09 are endless. Though obviously a government contract is why we are all here today."


Becky tapped at the tablet a few times and the files vanished, leaving the table looking plain once more. Becky stood up and went over to stand where Subject 09 was.


"She has been genetically engineered and may appear human, but is far above human imperfections. She's unbiased and programmed to follow commands even if it results in ending her life functions. Unlike wires and metal, which can lead to computers and machines, even cyborgs to glitch, she is 100% organic. If she fails at a task, she can be replaced with another unit very easily."


-


Jennings took note of everything the scientist said about their project and what they can do, but the only part that her superiors were interested in was the genetic engineering itself, not so much the soldiers they could make… after all, the ethical mess they could get into was weighed in heavily in the deal she was in charge of.


“Contradictory to what you might assume of cyborgs such as Jason here, Vector has been perfecting their tech for the past twenty years. All of their cybernetics are built to enhance neural function and interface with their prosthetics, nothing more than that. Except the specialized CPU that soldiers in the unit have installed exclusively for their operating conditions, they still require all of the basic needs human soldiers need on a daily basis, and then some. Would you care to explain that, Sergeant?” Jason nodded, reciting the lines he was given to say, the words coming out naturally as if he had thought of them himself.


“I was only recently activated, but even though most of my physical being isn’t flesh and blood anymore, I feel no different than before I was revived. I feel pain to an extent, and I do require sleep and food in order to perform at my best, along with daily check-ups on my body’s internal power, physical condition, and my organic health in general.”


Jennings looked at the other officers for confirmation to show the deal they had in mind, all of them chatting for a moment for giving her the signal, in which she then pulled out her own tablet, connecting to the conference room’s wireless network before the table showed various files and conditions that they had set forth for Kurk’s project. “Despite the many capabilities that your project has for us, the idea of artificially manufactured super-humans is an ethical question that we would rather not get dragged down with. We do care about our soldiers, cyborg or not, but that doesn't mean we don’t want to see just how capable 09 compared to Jason, Nor does it mean that we will walk out of here without striking a deal.”


Jennings pulled up the contract and all of its conditions for Kurk to read, but she spoke once more, making the military’s desires very clear to him and his company.


“Our medical wing is highly interested in the genetics research that your company has under its belt, and we want to give you a contract that would provide you the funds you require in order to further such research in order to improve the health and lives of our wounded soldiers and the millions of sick and ill civilians caught in the wave of war for the past three years. In addition to that, we would also like to recruit 09 into the Intelligence Agency’s Special Activities Division, of which Jason is a member of in addition to his responsibilities with Golem Company. Her skill-set is in dire need after the loss of several agents in a botched assassination plot.”


-


Becky took the contract over to Kurk for him to review, but he didn't even bother touching it after it was set down before him. His eyes gazed over the words before looking directly at Jennings with a serious expression. He remained silent for a long period of time before letting out a long exasperated sigh.


"So, you view creating a being superior to ourselves as some ethical bomb, but isn't that exactly what you have done with your cyborgs? You've taken humans and changed them, improved upon them, you just used a different method. Where we start from scratch, you start from - no offense Jason - scraps. There is a risk, a great risk, you take in using the brains of soldiers because of the trauma, things like PTSD can occur and you could lose control. Could you guarantee that Jason here wouldn't suddenly lose connected with reality due to these memories? 09, asses Mr. Jason and tell me what you see."


(change of viewpoint X3)


She looked over at Jason with her pitch black eyes. There were obvious differences between Jason and those who escorted him. She hadn't been asked for a specific assessment, such as a weakness or flaw, but overall what kind of threat Jason was.


"Damage to the internal organs would be difficult due to the protective outer casing of metal materials, but not impossible. The easiest way to disarm threat would be to damage the host brain through either physical damage or destroying the circuitry. The eyes are a possible weakness and may give access to the host brain."


"09 return to your handler," Kurk commanded. She complied without question and returned to sit next to Becky, who was giving off signals of agitation and nervousness. Becky glanced over at her then back to Jennings. "Do you know how many people are interested in our genetics technology? As for what you ask, sharing this research, isn't something that would greatly benefit our company. We're a private company, we sell products that create a profit for our company. We already create vaccines for terribly illnesses and our prosthetic division help wounded military already. The only way I would even consider fully reading a contract offered by you for our genetics research is if you honestly reveal the applications you want them for. Now, as for 09 participating in your special activities division, I'll consider it if you would allow us to conduct a small comparison test between Jason and 09."


-


“Cybernetics was already a ethical bomb to begin with when Vector accepted our contract thirty years ago, but since then it’s become generally accepted by the public since their technology is used in almost every walk of life. I do recall that your company has previously used their prosthetics technology under license in designing the civilian line-up, correct?” Jennings replied quickly, a set of documents being sent to Becky’s tablet, her eyes however quickly going toward Jason, who remained stead-fast, despite the comment made toward him. “The documents I gave you are all the documents pertaining to the medical wing’s needs and their interest in your research. We have no plans of sharing your research; on the contrary, we consider the research your company has done to be of up-most importance, the risk of what you have done here leaking into the wrong hands could mean serve consequences for everyone.”


(and flip!)


Jason merely looked at Kurk for a spilt-second upon the mention of his name and the insult coming after that, but he could care less if the man called him the tin-man from Oz, his attention being drawn by the woman whom they had come to recruit for the S.A.D. Upon her assessment of his potential weaknesses, he waited until she sat down again before a diagram of Vector’s cybernetics tech for the military was shown, detailing the research and constant improvement they have driven to through feedback and testing over several decades.


“Vector addresses many of the weaknesses she stated through design improvements and standard procedures that make sure that soldiers like me cannot be targeted by such straight-forward means. My handler will explain some of it, since we expected that there would be testing between myself and 09.”


He looked to Frank after speaking, the other nodding as a suitcase was pulled out, containing a familiar sight for those who have seen the Golems in action: a slightly stylized combat face plate, smoothed and contoured, four tiny dots and two jacks in the place of the eyes, four large holes representing passages for liquid nutrition, breathing filters and a breech for a built-in loudspeaker.


“Jason’s skull is for the most part, impenetrable, the input and outputs for hearing, visuals and also nutrition have been simplified into small, auto-closing ports that reduce the chance of penetration to nearly nothing. To showcase this, I will be assisting him in a swap.”


Jason stood up on Frank’s command, his expression becoming neutral as his eyes flicked for a moment, going yellow then off, a T-shaped section of his face slightly rising out along a section of his chin, in which then Frank carefully pulls away, revealing a solid, precisely shaped head-case behind that section of his head. Frank carefully laid the normal face into the suitcase before lifting the combat plate out and replacing it into Jason’s head, the unit being sucked in before two LEDs lit up, going from a steady yellow blink to a flash of green, in which then they held a steady white-blue light, and indicator of mood for the moment. “In addition to being highly intimidating toward enemy combatants, my combat face-plate allows for additional optics or helmet-mounted gear to interface directly with my brain without risk for breeching my brain-case. On the other hand, no soldier in our unit has any kind of organic organs inside our bodies, and on missions, interval oxygen tanks, first aid packs, ammunition replace the higher-end civilian organ units that provide for our brains, that being replaced by nutrient packs that can either be injected through the port in my face or through a feeder system that the organ unit exchanges place with.”


“In short, Director… they have thought of most everything.” Jennings said, finishing for him as she gave him a look, knowing just how much he wanted to make them go, but even more so, get this contract.


“Jason is ready whenever you want to test him against 09, Professor. Maybe seeing these two in action might give you time to make a decision, hmm?”


-


Kurk's expression remained neutral as they revealed more information about Jason. He didn't speak and only glanced over to Becky once during their small demonstration of the face plate. Becky returned the glance and nodded to him before tapping away on her table device. 09 Did not understand the meaning behind the exchange, but there was an unspoken communication between the two of them.


09 Didn't pay much attention to the others in the room. Her directive was to respond when commanded for this meeting. She knew that she would be combating against the cyborg in front of Kurk and Jennings and needed to succeed in displaying her capabilities or she would be "retired."


"We wanted to do some basics comparison tests first. Strength, stamina, endurance, to see if one has a clear advantage over the other. If there is, obviously combat between Jason and 09 may not be needed. She is only the 9th subject to be created and tested so our program is still working on ways to improve on our product, which these tests may reveal. We do have a non-disclosure agreement for you to sign as well as a waiver stating that is Jason is destroyed during the test that our facility will not be held resposible since - if he has free will - knows the danger of entering into a combat situation. We've already already signed such an agreement for 09," Becky used the tablet to display the contracts on the conference table.


"You can use your hand print to sign and agree to the contract. Once all the legal matters are finished with, we can enter the the playground for the comparisons test and live combat between Jason and 09. 09, you may go ahead and head to the playground first while we settle things here," Becky commanded.


<CHANGE>


She stood up and went to exit the conference room without a word. The playground was really a large auditorium underground that was used for training exercises. Different divisions called the auditorium different things; such as the graveyard or death trap. She had already used the equipment there before as soon as her body was stable enough to begin testing.


Becky had commented earlier that using the playground might provide an unfair advantage, but Kurk had decided that would be where they would compete first. Other equipment she was unfamiliar with had been brought in order to do simple comparison tests.


<Back to you Kurk>


"So, Jason, what are your opinions about 09? You do still have enough free will to have opinions don't you?" Kurk asked with a friendly tone. Becky glowered at the obviously rude question but remained silent.d with a friendly tone. Becky glowered at the obviously rude question but remained silent.


-


Jennings nodded in reply to the scientist’s conditions and contract that had been placed in front of her, her hand print sealing Jason’s destiny as they all got up got to head on deeper into the facility to the training zone that their soldier would be tested in against 09 as a comparison. Jason walked with her, the commander giving the soldier’s face a good look, the two LEDs still glowing white-blue for the time being, but upon Kurk’s question, both of them went off, which represented the color black.


“Hey,” Frank said as he put a firm grip on Kurk’s shoulder, stopping him. He looked to the group, gesturing for them to move on as he handed the suitcase off to Jennings, pulling the smart-aleck to the side to give him a piece of his mind. “I don’t care that your some CEO, director head of a company, but what I do care about is your mouth and how you seem to be unable to keep it shut.” Frank said, pointing a finger into Kurt’s face.


“How about you try and save a commanding officer and die doing it, a nice bullet right through the chest and torso, bleeding out until you can’t feel anything but yourself. The kid’s only been alive again for less than a week, and you better consider yourself lucky that they didn’t send a veteran soldier of the unit to test against your project, otherwise she would be mincemeat.”


Frank sighed, shaking his head as he turned around to see one of the escorts and a security guard for the company standing in watch, both worried he might get physical.


“Let’s go, jackass. I don’t care whether or not your project proves herself stronger or weaker than Jason, but I want to hear a damn apology come out of you to him before I leave, got it?”


(Meanwhile,)


By now, Jason and his commander had arrived to the playground, the testing grounds not unlike the grounds he trained in the day prior… except that his training was an entire month’s worth compressed into a mere 4 hours thanks to simulation technology. “Here’s the suitcase, Jason. Everything you need for before and after the testing session is in here.” Jennings said, the soldier looking to her, a simple nod coming out of him as he took it, the other looking back to the scientist as she gave a good look around of where the testing was to be done. “Is there someplace were Jason can get prepared for the testing session, Doctor?”


-


Kurk kept a smooth smile on his face as Frank, Jason's handler, finally snapped at him. He didn't show any signs of being intimidated by Frank and made a small motion for the security to not drag Frank off of him.


"Frank, everything is a test, if you cannot understand that, perhaps Jason needs a new handler," Kurk commented cooly.


"As for an apology, when there is proof that the man in the machine acts entirely of his free will, he will receive one, until then, hold your breath." With that comment, Kurk shrugged the hand off his shoulder and proceeded to head to the playground.


The playground itself didn't appear like anything too special. 09 was already getting her vitals recorded before they would begin testing. Becky tapped her foot impatiently and kept looking back at the entrance into the large auditorium.


"There is a locker room over there that he can use," Becky informed Jennings before turning back to look at 09.


"You are not to kill the competition but you can harm him as long as it does not result in a fatality. We don't know if he has weaponry built into his body, so he may have an unfair advantage," Becky warned her.


Becky then took a silver choker and clasped it around her neck with a small buzz and a click. A small blue light flashed before fading out.


"You remember the collar's purpose. Do not try to remove the collar. Do not tamper with the collar. If Jason tries to damage the collar, it will react as though you are trying to damage it. Do you understand 09?"


"Yes, I understand"


Kurk entered the playground then, looking as smug as ever. He announced that all normal people should follow him to the observation deck or risk being injured by what was to possibly come.


-


Jennings headed up to the observation area with everyone else, Frank arriving as 09 took her place on the training ground floor, waiting for the cyborg to arrive for the test.


“Do you think he’s going to okay?” Jennings asked the agent, the man nodding simply as one of the doors leading into the floor opened.


“Jason’s a tough S.O.B, he will be fine…” he said, his voice trailing off slightly as the soldier walked through the doors, all readied up for the combat to come. His head was now covered by a battle-worn balaclava, his ‘eyes’ now covered by a sleek, visor like attachment, complete with a head-set to match. He was no longer wearing the jacket of his combat fatigues, his elbows and knees covered by SWAT-pads, his hands gloved up. He tapped his headset, activating it, the visor initializing, his vision becoming augmented with a HUD, the training ground around him becoming active. It was time.


-


She stood in the middle of the room in a completely relaxed stance. As soon as everyone had been verified to be safely in the observation deck, there was a loud blare of a siren announcing for the combat to begin.


She turned toward Jason then and crouched down low to the ground, her black eyes staring at him intently. A second siren sounded and she launched herself forward directly at him. Just as she was about to collide into him, she slid under him and between his legs, now behind him.


She needed to know how the body would affect his fighting, did the weight of the metal make him slower, how much energy was needed to effectively allow the body movement, what was the weakest point of the body.


She swiveled her body to face his back, crouching once again, but not moving to attack, she was simply waiting.


-


Jason widened his stance, the siren wailing, the battle initiated. He held his ground as she charged at her, his visor analyzing her body composition, a complete report instantaneously being transmitted not only to his mind, but to Jennings’s tablet, the commander keeping an eye on his vitals and physical condition as she watched 09 slide under him, moving into a crouched position in an attempt to bait him into attacking. He stood there, thinking about what he should do, the combat CPU already working out possible moves, the girl’s abilities already in mind. Before another second could pass, he turned right around, charging toward her with a viscous dive, slamming himself onto her. His left elbow slammed into her rib-cage, his right arm immediately slamming into her head, both arms finally pinning her under her, all of this happening in mere seconds.


-


09 didn't even bother trying to dive out of the way by let her body go lax to let the energy of the attack more easily go through rather than fight against it and risk severe injury. She felt the pain of his elbow slamming into her ribs, effectively bruising them, but it would bother her in a few moments anyway.


She consciously turned her head so that when his right arm struck, the collar would be completely unharmed. A normal human would have probably blacked out, but the most she suffered was from a large gash across her forehead which dripped dark red blood.


When he pinned her she used her legs to push his heavy metal body up and over so that he would be forced to either fall onto his back to keep hold of her, or release her to not leave himself open to attack.


-


Frank’s eyes widened when the soldier he was in charge of made his move, but he was also fairly impressed by the punishment 09 took, taking note of how she moved to try and flip him over and off of her.


“Damn, she took that pretty well… considering I’ve never seen Jason move that quickly in close quarters.”


Jennings nodded silently as she kept her eyes on Jason, the soldier feeling 09’s legs beginning to lift him up, her strategy already assumed in mind, his next move taking advantage of his new mobility and heavier weight.


He allowed her to lift him, but before she could send him over her head herself, he gripped her arms and shifted his weight, causing him to move faster than she could anticipate. He pulled her along for the ride, dragging her into the air and with a flick of his arms, he sent her flying several feet away from him, allowing him time to get back on his feet and into stance. “Come at me… I’m already steps ahead of you.”


-


She crashed into the far wall, the impact causing the wall the crack and split from where her body slammed into it back first. 09 looked over at Jason, the gash on her forehead already starting to heal on its own. Her bruised ribs were already healed completely. He was much heavier than she was, but he wasn't faster.


She didn't charge up to him, she simply walked forward with determination. When she was only a few feet away, she dashed forward, flipped over him and in the process of going over top him, she pressed her thumbs into the eye lens of the face plate. Her fingers dug into the sides of the fate panel. Her fingers were injured, but with the combination of her using her body weight and grip, she managed to rip the face plate off.


When she landed on her feet, gripping the face plate in her left hand, she swiftly turned and used the face plate as a weapon, slamming the edge repeatedly into the spinal column of the cyborg's body. It was doing quite a bit of damage.


-


 Jennings remained unmoved as 09 suddenly turned the tables on her soldier, but a gulp came out of her as she began to strike him in the spine, the soldier basically blind at this point, Frank staring in shock at what could possibly be the end of the test, or so he thinks. He looked to his side to see not only Kurk’s stupid smirk growing wider, but Jennings tapping in several commands into the tablet, before changing the screen back to Jason’s vitals.


“Checkmate,” she muttered under her breath, Frank holding his breath upon hearing it.


For a brief moment, the cyborg’s vision went completely black, his pain sensors peaking to the point of shutting off, but within moments, he was staring at himself through the security feeds of the arena, his HUD re-visualizing through hybridized views of the closest cameras to his location, distance and area instantly calculated so that he could move accordingly. He was still standing, stumbling every time she struck him with the face-plate, a sensation completely unnerving to him, but he didn’t have time to be.


“understood,” he said as a turned around, the combat CPU highlighting 09 in red, recommended action coming up as one simple command: break and disable


“Sir, something’s hacked the security feeds…” said a technician, when suddenly the soldier made his move, charging the other at lightning speed, punching her several times in the chest before kicking her to the ground, but he didn’t stop there. He raised his leg, curb-stomping it several times into his opponent’s spine until he could hear it crack, in which then he stomped her shoulder-blades and her thighs, cracking them as well. He stomped his foot into her back once more before putting a hand to her collar, a forceful command coming out of him.


“Stand down… or the collar gets smashed. I can already assume what it might mean for you if I do.”


-


She loud out a gasp of pain as she was stomped on over and over again, bones cracking and fracturing under the impact of the legs of Jason's cyborg legs. She had sustained too much damage to continue combat at this point. It would take to long to heal and she would risk having a rib puncture her lung.


"Sir, I recommend we stop the match. 09 will be damaged beyond repair if she continues to fight. However, she won't stop until you give the command," Becky pleaded to Kurk.


Kurk was no longer amused. His face showed a serious expression and disappointment.


When Jason grabbed the collar, 09 instincts kicked in. The collar couldn't be tampered with. The collar couldn't be damaged. She was not to terminate the opponent no matter what. She could still move her arms. She used all her strength to shove Jason away from her, his grip on the collar causing it to creak and bend before the section his hand wrapped around snapped off, which allowed her to shove him as hard as he could.


Becky's scream could be heard from the observatory as she started to furiously tap on her tablet. Kurk's expression grew dark as he watched the scene. The collar that was left around her neck began to beep furiously.


09 closed her eyes as her body thudded onto the floor. One of her broken ribs has punctured her lungs in her effort to shove her opponent away causing her lungs to fill with blood. She coughed violently before spitting out a mouthful of blood.


The collar's beeping was almost a solid whine, but right before it detonated, the sound stopped and the red light that was flashing ceased. Becky let out a loud sigh of relief and ordered over the intercom for medics to enter the playground to check in 09's status.


Jason was completely ignored as a team of six men rushed out to where she was on the floor with a gurney in tow. They gently lifted her and placed her on the gurney before quickly rushing out of the area, leaving Jason alone in the playground.


-


Jason stood off when the sirens blared again, the combat had ended, and he was the victor… we he? At that moment, he didn't care, his view through the cameras seeing not only the girl being carried away, but he watched the scientist in charge of her panicking inside the observation room, her reaction and shock all caused by his actions.


He stood for a few moments more before turning around to see the face plate on the ground, but the optics package wasn’t what he was concerned about… it was his balaclava. He picked up his face, clicking it back in, his vision going again before the optics re-initialized, his vision still perfect, but the plate itself and the skin around it torn and bloodied, his skin as real and as organic as science could do with nanites and cellular manipulation. It didn’t take him long before he picked up the torn-up mask and left for the locker-room were a technician was waiting to access the damage to his back.


///////


From the observation deck, Frank stood here with a neutral expression on his face, the victory achieved here not enough to comfort the fact that he had just witnessed what cyberization had done to a young man he had the pleasure of knowing and serving with for the past six years.


“Goddamn… so that’s what checkmate means,” he muttered to himself as Jennings stood up, a contract pulled up on her tablet, the testing complete.


“She’s a tough fighter, didn’t expect her to do that,” she said to herself as she looked to Kurk, gesturing to the door back toward the conference room.


“Director Kurk, I think we have a contract to go over. 09’s performance was admirable, but her abilities in close quarters combat and her tactics is something we need more of in the years ahead.”


-


09 was unconscious ask they rushed her into the medical ward. Their only goal was to stabilize her so that her body could repair itself before her life functions ceased. They had to do this with earlier subjects when they began testing regeneration of cells but the damage had never been to this extent.


Becky would have been overseeing the surgery of 09, but she couldn't leave since there wasn't anything she could do personally for 09. Kurk also wouldn't permit her to leave since she had the most detailed information about 09. It was her job to know everything about the subject.


Kurk crossed his arms over his chest as his eyes slid over to Frank. He didn't say a thing about the obvious brutality they had all just witnessed. Kurk's eye said it all, he didn't view Jason as human in any way or form now. Jason was just another weapon.


"We're lucky I set a delay to the collar timer for the test. It is standard for the explosion to be immediate in case a specimen is compromised in some way. That was really stupid for him to grab it and she followed her commands; protect the collar and not to kill the opponent," Becky commented unhappily.


"It's obvious your cyborg has an advantage over 09. 09 is based around our own humanity and can only be developed to a certain extent before something monstrous is created. Jason has the advantage of the weight of that body, but he wouldn't be an ideal candidate for more covert operations. His only use would be on the front lines of combat, not in the shadows of spying or intel. We will loan you 09 to see if she is truly suitable to what your demands are, that is the only acceptable contract at this point. That is if she survives after being nearly crushed to death. She isn't immortal, bodily anyway," said Kurk.


-


 “Most members of his unit are front-line dedicated, shock troopers to be exact. They usually sent in first to make a hole in enemy territory or to eliminate an enemy position entirely, but that doesn’t mean they can’t excel at covert ops… that happens to be Jason’s specialty.” Jennings shook her head, having faith that 09 would make it through, considering the first blows her soldier made would have killed a mortal being right then and there, but 09… she would be surprised if she didn’t make it.


“If it hasn’t been stated clearly yet, I will repeat the fact that Jason has only been active for the past week, still adjusting to being alive again and adapting to his new body and what he can do with it. He’s still a human being, Kurk. He’s not going to walk away from this unchanged, I can promise you that. I’ve known him since the day he arrived at basic with his original unit.”


She moved and out with him, leaving Frank to walk away to find Jason in the lockers, a technician having him pull off the torn-up shirt to reveal his back, the skin torn up, his spine exposed, but he didn’t seem to be paying attention to that… instead, he was staring blankly into his torn-up balaclava, a memory sparked by its’ destruction.


///////


“Here, you’re going to need this were you’re going,” said the quarter-master as he handed a young soldier a grey-black balaclava, along with a set of high-impact goggles and a self-contained COM/HUD unit to attach to it.


“Always keep your face covered, the worst thing you can do out here is have an enemy memorize your face. Bad things have happened when someone goes hero out here in the wild.”


Jason snapped out of his daze when a cable was unplugged from a port behind his ear, the technician opening up the suitcase to pull out the normal face-plate for him.


“Here Jason, I’m going to need the combat-optics back from ya, Vector’s R&D is going to want to look into this.” He didn’t say anything in reply as he put the torn mask down on the bench next to him, removing the combat plate, handing it to the tech as he remained perfectly still, the other brushing a repair serum to the skin at the edges were 09’s fingers dug in and torn them up, the healing process almost instantaneous as he clicked in the young man’s real face back into place, the irises lighting up before the neutral expression changed to one of sadness, his vision coming back to see Frank standing nearby, concern written all over his.


“Are you okay?” he asked, Jason looking away for a moment before the tech handed him a new shirt, in which he shook his head before slipping it on, his voice coming out noticably digitized, his mind returning to a more urgent manner at hand.


“Where did they take 09 to?”


“She’s in the operating room in the medical ward down a couple of hallways from here. Why?” He looked at him, knowing what he was going to ask, but to him... it's a sign that he's still the young man he had taken under his wing all those years ago.


“I want to stay behind and make sure she’s okay… I underestimated just how much stronger I am now.”


Frank looked at him, his concern melting into a sad smile, nodding simply as he showed him where to go before going back to Jennings and Kurk. In the meantime, Jason had found himself in the waiting area outside the medical ward, seating himself as he waited for any chance to see that she was going to be okay after what he had done.


-


When she awoke, she was in the medical ward with an IV needle sticking out of her left arm. She experimentally wiggled her fingers and toes, then slowly stretched out her limbs to see if there was any pain. As she flexed and stretched, one of the medical team entered the room where she was being monitored.


"09, any report of pain or dizziness?" "No. This one has regenerated and recovered."


The doctor nodded and jotted down a few notes on his tablet with a stylus before motioning for her to follow after him. She was no longer wearing the combat uniform but instead was wearing a skin tight white body suit with her assigned identifier on the back, a small number on the front over her heard, and a number that match the location of her identifying tattoo on her arm.


She was lead to the waiting room where Becky soon entered in a rush to stand in front of her. Becky was panting and took a few moments to catch her breath before being able to speak.


"You were surgery for almost two hours due to the damage of the bones being shattered. We had to remove many bone fragments to speed up your healing . One of your fractured ribs punctured your one of your lungs. You are lucky it didn't puncture your heart," the doctor explained while in the presence of Becky.


"Was there any permanent damage?" Becky asked.


"She back to perfect health, it just took some time to allow her body to recover. She'll have to have an increase in nutrients to make up for the drain to do so, but she's fully recovered."


Becky let out a small sigh before turned to face Jason, who she had ignored when entering the room. She didn't give Jason a friendly look, before walking over to him. 09 followed after Becky obediently.


"Why are you still here?" Becky asked coldly.


-


Jason sat there, the morning slowly becoming afternoon, Frank messaging him to let him know that a soldier and transport is waiting for him whenever he is done with his visit. He didn’t check the message until the scientist that was 09’s handler approached him, her voice grabbing his attention. He stood up when he saw 09 behind her, a lump in his throat as he spoke up, trying his best to stay calm and allow his voice to sound as natural as possible.


“I…I wanted to make sure 09 was okay. I want apologize for the choices I made during the test, I… I’m still getting used to being mostly metal and plastic.” He looked away for a moment, doubtful of what the woman’s response would be, his mind processing the comments made by Kurk.


“I may not be flesh and bone anymore, but that doesn’t mean they took my soul from me… I’ve only been alive again for six days. I don’t remember much from before I died.”


He looked at the time on a clock behind Becky, the message sent to him by Frank stating he could return to base anytime, but his ride would leave in an hour or so if he doesn’t take it.


“…If you want me to leave, I understand and I will go. But again, I’m sorry mam for causing your stress and panic. I’m still trying to be me again.


-


09 observed Jason as he spoke. He was still identified as her opponent so she kept her guard up. He had damaged her greatly and she learned from the experience. Becky's entire being was giving of various signals of frustration and irritation and even fear. There was a slight tremble to her limbs which was was struggling at hiding. 09 knew Becky did not fear her but rather Jason.


Because Becky was her handler, she stepped in front of her in a protective way so that any harm that may come she would be able to allow Becky to escape unharmed. Her handler was important while in this facility.


Becky was still agitated even after Jason spoke, but she let out a long sigh afterwards and took a moment before she spoke.


"Look, you were human and now you're not, it's a change I can't exactly empathize with. But, you need to question who exactly controls your switch. Your mind may be yours, but your body is theirs. Did you ever wonder why exactly you don't remember things? Did you ever consider questioning how and why you died or why you were made into what you are? As far as apologizing, 09 doesn't understand those kind of concepts. Unlike you, everything she is is nothing but brilliant programming in an organic body, whereas you have your human mind in a substitute body. You will never be you again, you have to accept that. Now that you've verified 09 is still functioning, are you satisfied?"


-


Jason remained silent as Becky ridiculed his attempt to apologize to her and 09, his expression only becoming more hurt by her words, for the company that was responsible for him being alive right now wasn’t as clandestine as she assumes them to be, military be damned. He looked at 09, whom had stepped in front of her handler defensively, his eyes looking into hers, the bluer hues in his irises melting away, leaving them dull and grey.


“I know how I died… I know what being dead feels like,” he said before recounting the only clear memories he had of his former self:


He couldn’t breathe… but at this point, he had stopped caring too. He sat in this blackness, wondering if heaven was above him or hell was going to swallow him up, but no, he was stuck here, in the midst of this black plain, his entire being rotting away, by now, memories of who he once were all gone…everything but what got him here in this frozen place, a man’s voice screaming, gunfire, an explosion followed by pain that by now he had become numb to, his legs and left arm buzzing between extreme irritation and complete utter numbness. His name didn’t even matter anymore.


‘I want to die… is this death? It can’t be…’ he thought to himself, an infinity passing before the world around him began to thaw, but with it, the pain rising to whole new levels. He began to scream as he felt something inside his body cutting him up, but the worst was yet to come.


He clutched his head when a cutting sensation went around his temple and forehead, everything going black just before the pain could push him over the deep end.


What happened next was a blur to him, his senses coming back, the feeling of being submerged in water followed by a severe needle-like headache was followed by something surging through his head… blood, infused with nanites, had begun to flow again through his brain, the rest of his senses following, the pain slowly going mute as a voice called out to him from the distance, becoming louder and clearer with every call.


“Jason, can you hear me? Say anything, can you hear me?”


He thought for a moment before calling back, but nothing came out of his mouth. He tried again, pondering the name this voice called him by. Was that his? He continued to call out, his own voice slowly coming back, but it seemed off… grainy, digital even.


“Who are you? Where am I? I can’t see anything… help me!”


Just when it seemed hopeless, blackness became light; the world around him sterile and white, but the sudden overload didn’t hurt him like it should. When everything came into focus, he saw something lying on an assembly, a skull-like case lying there, attached to it an oddly-metallic spine and rib-cage, the bone still living to an extent as the rest of the body was built around it by a group of technicians. A woman appeared right in front of him, a smile on her face, his hearing clear as day when she spoke to him.


“Welcome back to the world, Mr. Larson. Are you okay?”


He took a deep breath upon finishing his recount, by now the doctor and a nurse who had operated on 09 standing the room, listening to the soldier’s experience, shocked by the vividness of it all. He looked at them for a moment before returning his gaze to Becky, his gaze wrought with feelings of misunderstanding and anger.


“You can assume everything of me all your want… I’m not brainwashed, the body they gave me is mine and no one else’s to puppeteer. If nothing is truly left of what I once was, then why did I choose to even come here to attempt a simple act of care and diplomacy?”


He began to walk away, but not before replying in kind to Becky’s statements comparing 09 to himself, not caring about the apology anymore… it didn’t seem to mean anything at this point.


“If she can’t understand human emotions beyond some definition you put into her head, then how can you have the right to call me a mindless weapon?” He finally walked away, not noticing Kurk walking down the hallway to the medical ward to check on 09, his ride waiting for him. He needed to rest. Her words meant nothing to him, but the girl… somewhere inside a silent wish had been spoken. He wished she wouldn’t see him as her enemy anymore. But in hindsight, his actions deserved her fear of him.


-


09 didn't pay much attention to Jason as he spoke about coming back from being terminated. He was showing signs of agitation and he could kill someone with his lack of strength control. She couldn't see Becky's expression, but based on Becky's breathing and pulse, she did not like the story coming from the cyborg.


"09 isn't mindless but simply a slave program and I did not call you mindless, I questioned how much you actually believed to be true about yourself. Eventually, you are going to need to question your existence. 09 knows her life purpose, whether some would consider it a fair fate or not is a matter to those with different ethics," Becky numbly replied.


She continued to watch 09 as he left before moving to stand to the side of Becky as Kurk went to stand before the two of them. His expression was friendly but his eyes showed anger.


"You're failing me, Becky. Subject 09 could have been destroyed by him if he persisted in smashing her body under foot. I warned you about making her too human. I will admit that the conditioning is perfect compared to the previous generations, however, she is much weaker as well. You can see how this is a concern for my plans," Kurk commented.


"09, return to your dorm until I come for you," Becky ordered.


She complied and left the two to speak to each other in privacy. Her dorm wasn't too far from the medical ward and was simply a small loft like room. When she reached her assigned dorm, she pressed her finger against a slim piece of glass to the side of the door which prompted for it to open.


Inside it was simply furnished. There was a small loft area where her bed was that could be reached from a metal ladder and under that was a small counter area with a desk and chair and the space under the ladder had a frosted glass wall for the privacy of bathing and using the bathroom.


She only needed to rest for 3 hours a day and her exhaustion was mostly caused by the energy from her body healing itself. Almost everything about her was organic except for the nano machines cursing in her veins along with her normal blood cells. They were used to exact punishments by sending volts of electricity throughout her body or to help her body heal abnormally fast.


She went over to the counter space and opened one of the doors to reveal a small fridge full of various vials of liquids and larger bottled liquids. She grabbed three of the larger bottles and one of the vials filled with a clear liquid. She casually drank the contents of them all before tossing the containers into a small chute in the wall for items that were to be recycled.


She did not know when she would be summoned from her dorm and chose to use the time she had at the desk where the glass monitor and keyboard lit up as soon as she sat down.


-


The ride home remained silent as Jason found himself once again sleeping in the back of the civilian vehicle that was left behind for him, Agent Frank having headed back to base in his place in the Humvees that got him here in the first place. His dreams were numb, faint memories and voices from times in his life that felt alien to him, as if they weren’t his memories anymore. “Soldier, wake up… were back on base, I’ll drop you off back to Golem Company’s barracks.” He opened his eyes, taking a deep breath again before looking at the driver, nodding as the car drove up the road to his unit’s barracks, the newest ones that ironically, in a sense, the farthest away from the base hospital, which had nothing to do with them. Anything they needed would have to be taken care of at Vector’s own facilities built outside the base in the nearby city’s industrial park.


He got out of the car, walking slowly with his head hung, heading back to his own dorm, his section being the sparsest in rank: the NCO’s hall. Out of the three-hundred something soldiers in the unit, only 10 NCOs filled in the ranks in between the lower ranked soldiers and the some 100 strong officer-ranked soldiers that served mainly as one-man armies, while the rest are sent out in squads to support, lead and train the regulars out in the field. He passed through the common area in between the different halls, the place a ghost-town for the time being while a good portion of the unit was out on a tour of duty in the hottest fronts, most of which being in South America and the Middle East. He finally got to his door, the sign on it newly placed, his name and rank etched in the usual name-tag font, a card-scan granting him access to the room he had barely been into since finishing his simulated training days before the conference.


The place was fairly spacious, the full-sized bed and closet to the immediate left of him, a counter separating the bed-room from the small kitchen that had nothing in it at the moment. the bathroom was located down the short hallway space formed by another separating wall of the kitchen. He looked to see a suitcase and two boxes sitting on his bed, all marked in one way or another with his name and an address that he most likely didn’t have any connection to anymore. Before he could look inside them however, a knock came on his door, a woman peering in… he had left it ajar.


“Jason?” called a female voice, the soldier looking around to see a female cyborg in civilian clothing, a dry cleaner’s bag with a dress uniform in it. It took him a moment to recognize who it was, his stance going to an immediate salute, his voice surprised by of all people, her intrusion. “Commander Kai,”


-


Kai entered the room and securely closed the door behind her.


"At ease. I've heard you had to deal with some attitude during the comparison test. You're going to get quite a bit from that from anyone who isn't directly involved with us."


She went over to the closet to hang up the dress uniform before turning to study the room and its contents. She gave a slight nod with a small upward tilt of her jaw over to the boxes that had been left for him to unpack.


"They didn't bring much back for you. The rest of your things are being stored for the small possible chance you ever regain your full memory. If that ever happened you'd be the first."


Kai walked past him them, giving his shoulder a small pat before exiting the room and leaving Jason alone.


<Scene Change: Derp>


Only a hour had passed before Becky entered the dorm. She stopped the work she was doing on the computer to go and stand before her handler. Becky's demeanor was now calm in comparison to before when dealing with Kurk and Jason. "09, you will no longer be housed with us. Kurk has accepted the contract for you to work with Jennings. He is curious about how well you will do with situations that are not controlled. It will also allow you to become more familiar with all those involved with our competitions program. You will be collared so that we can ensure you are acting within the allow parameters. Your things have already been packed and a car is waiting for you outside."


09 nodded to Becky to indicate she understood, but before she could leave the room, Becky whispered something in her ear. She should have been able to recall what was said in that moment with perfect clarity, however there was a memory gap of a few seconds. Before she could question the strange lapse of memory, Becky ordered her to leave the room without a word until she reached the destination.


The car ride was uneventful and 09 found her destination to be a type of barracks. The car stopped in front of base and the driver exited and then opened the passenger side door so that she would exit the vehicle. (Yes, this is the base where Jason lives :P PLOT TWIST)


-


Kai left the rookie’s quarters for her own a floor below his, but not before she noticed a janitorial crew cleaning up the room right next to him, a new name plaque already put up in the slot: Agent Lenore, S.A.D


She kept it mind as she went through her emails, finding one that explained the situation:


Dear Golem Commander, I’m am sending this note to inform you that due to the agreement that was signed this morning with (Kurks Company, whatever you want to call it :P ), their own soldier will be placed in the NCO’s dorm-hall next to MSG Larson. Despite some tensions, Kurk has decided that she will be partnered to him, since he is the only soldier who knows what we know from the conference. I expect that she will be treated with the up-most respect without discrimination, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be suscipious of her. If anything she does looks off or compromising, let me know personally.


Chief Commander Jennings


Kai sighed, but she couldn’t be frustrated about such petty things at the moment, there were more pressing issues, such as training the second new round of soldiers that will fill out their unit once the oldest soldiers are honorably discharged. She left the hall, the place going quiet once again, Jason having taken a long, warm shower before lying down in bed in a new set of fatigues and a thick t-shirt. His meager belongings were mostly unpacked, most of it being clothes and uniforms, but the one personal item, a laptop, appears not to have been touched or tampered with by those who moved his stuff. He left it on the counter before taking a nap, going deaf to the sounds of someone moving into the room next to him. What felt like an hour going by was only a few minutes when someone knocked on his door, waking him up from barely a deep sleep. He sat right up in bed, his expression groggy, looking to his door before getting up and out of the bed. “Who is it?”


-


09's room had already been prepared for her arrival. She did not understand the purpose of having to reside next to the cyborg, but just because she did not understand did not mean she would not obey. She checked her living quarters for bugs since it was fairly obvious that they planned to keep an eye on her for the duration of her stay. She found a few of them in various locations but left them there since removing them would only encourage them to be replaced.


She left her room then to go to the room next door - the one where Jason resided currently - and knocked. When he asked who it was, she decided to respond with her identifier since he did not know her by a civilian name.


"09," she replied simply.


She did not wait for him to permit her to enter his room and casually entered before closing the door behind her. Her black eyes scanned the room, lingering for a moment on the laptop and then the somewhat unpacked boxes. Her eyes then fell on Jason and she tilted her head to the side for a moment as she studied him. He had beaten her in their test, so any moment to learn something about his body was something she needed to use to her advantage if he decided to terminate her.


"This one now resides next door to you. This one has been assigned as your partner."


-


 Jason stood still when her voice rang through his ears, not moving when she entered his room, the door unlocked. Without elbow pads or an under-garment slim-suit covering up his arms, one could see noticeable seam lines and the joint-like nature of his hands, the lack of actual finger nails being one giveaway to his less than human nature.


“I’m your partner now?” he questioned, his expression one of slight dis-belief, her neutral expression making it hard for him to tell whether or not if she had any kind of feeling toward what he had done to her only hours ago.


“Do you have another name I can call you by? I don’t think calling you by your subject number constantly sits well with me… especially since I nearly killed you today.” He asked and then remarked with grimace, his eyes locking with hers for the moment.


-


She stood there silently as he spoke, her eyes never moving from his face, though in her mind she was already registering the seams that could lead to future attack points. The shock on his face was clear and he might even be displaying a bit of wariness. She also didn't trust him.


"My assigned civilian name is Lenore," she replied matter-of-factly.


She didn't react to his words about nearly killing her. She wasn't like a human and lacked the ability to hold resentment towards others. She walked closer to him stared at him intently for a moment. Without a word her hand darted out to pinch his cheek. She didn't have a chance earlier to do so and since her finger had been shredded in the process of tearing his face off, she was curious about the synthetic material it was made of. She also wanted to see how the nervous system would react. Did he have a numbed sense of pain or a normal sense of pain? Could he turn off that sense by will alone?


She released her grip on his cheek and tugged a bit on his hair to see if it was human hair, like some wigs those at the facility liked to wear some days, or plastic and not able to grow like normal human hair.


-


He froze up when she moved toward him, her inquisitive look putting him on edge before she suddenly pinched his cheek, reacting like any human would pain-wise, his expression cringing from the firm grab of his cheek, but he restrained himself from doing anything rash, considering the loss in strength control he had during the fight. His expression changed to one of non-amusement when he tugged his hair, the skin pulling up with it slightly.


“Yes, I can feel pain like anyone else, though I have the ability to turn off signal to the nervous system in my skin. My hair happens to be a mix of synthetic and organic fibers, of which were taken from my old... self.” He said trailing off before raising a hand to her face, his thumb and pointer fingers gently grasping her chin, stroking it gently, though the grip was firmer still than he perceived it.


“I had no reason to fight you, but that was the order given to me. Now that I have been assigned to you as your partner, the last thing you need to worry about is me trying to kill you, okay? “


He slowly let go of her face, hoping maybe she would stop fearing him inwardly like this; he didn't it from her right now. If she didn't trust him, then what would be the use of a partner to her?


-


She didn't flinch when he touched her chin, though the pressure he was applying was somewhat uncomfortable. She already knew their fight was on orders, what other reason is there to fight for. His comment about her not needing to worry about him killing her was filed under "not trust worthy" in her mind. Becky had made it clear that she was to be careful around him since he posed a credible threat to her life function.


She pulled out a small slip of paper and held it out for him so that she could read it. She didn't remember where the paper came from or who gave it to her, she only knew she was supposed to delivery it and not question about its existence. One the paper was a simple typed note stating various key phrases for his "safety" if she should somehow go berserk. She herself was unfamiliar with the phrases and reading them did nothing to her, so she assumed they were non-life threatening.


( OOC: The phrases are: "These silly shenanigans are playing a dangerous game." "This level is harder than Mordor." "Love is a lie." "Bingo wasn't a dog." "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." No, you don't get to know what the phrases do unless Jason says them. :P )


"You are free to ask me questions about myself, but not about Gensis in terms of employees, protocols, facilities, or anything that something you do not need to know. This was instructed to me so that you may better understand how I function so we may be an 'effective team'." (OOC: Yes, stole that from Oblivion, lulz.)


-


Jason watched her carefully as she pulled out a slip of paper, not saying a word as he read it over, memorizing the words and phrases, of which began to be processed into digital data thanks to an implant that is buried in the center of the only thing separating him from being classified as an android: his brain.


“The only thing I want to ask of you now is are you willing to learn everything I teach you, that is… if you can tell me exactly what am I supposed to teach you for the benefit of becoming a better ‘team’,” he said as he looked at her face, examining it.


A barely noticeable flicker of color in his irises was the only giveaway in his expression that something from the recesses of his mangled and enhanced grey matter had clashed with her image, but he blew it off, remembering the words of his commanding officer. He thought about how the scientists who had put him back together informed of how long his dying body was out in the battlefield before it was put into cryo, the damage done to his mind due to the lack of blood and oxygen leaning into more severe territory than most soldiers in the unit. Still, the scientist’s words from earlier in the day only bothered him on the level of what he had become, not who was truly in control.


“You can study my physical construction all you want, but as it is, it doesn't mean much when you make the wrong steps in combat…your CQC needs to be worked on.” He said, changing topics to the way Lenore had been scanning him. It was uncomfortable for him to know that it seemed to be the one and only thing she was intently focused on at the moment. To be able to tear him apart if other motives for her being in the base become clear.


-


She stood there silently as he spoke. She quickly replied to his inquiry and comment about teaching her to be a better part of their team and gave him the response he wanted, even if it was not her true directive or intention. Her missions were her own and she was required to lie when necessary.


"I said 'effective team' not 'better team'."


"It was suggested we do training exercises and combat scenarios until such time we decide we are able to work together efficiently. Definition of efficient being decided by your commanding officer and my producer agreeing we are ready to attempt a mission."


She noticed the change in iris color but remained silent. While at this time it made no logical sense for something like that to occur didn't mean it didn't have important later on. It could have been a simple defect or something like a mental twitch he had yet to understand himself. Whatever the case, she made a note to remember the even.


"I am not designed to combat machinations or I would have been designed in a similar manner as you, Jason. This unit is a prototype and our grouping is meant to 'stress test' this one to understand this one's limitations and weaknesses. You are my test."


-


“Same difference,” he said, becoming annoyed as she continued to speak, his mind drifting off slightly, the color of his irises becoming muted as he did, before intensifying when she finished speaking.


“Well, as your creator likes to put it, I’m a human in a tin can, and you’re supposed to be some kind of organic super-computer. If you want to see any improvement in our ability to work together, I’d suggest you first work on how to speak to other people in conversation. You sound more like a machine that doctor likes to think I've become.”


Jason looked at her again, her black stare evoking a brief flash of someone else’s face, a distant voice scolding him. He was still unaware of how his irises reacted to his inner thoughts, the color nearly disappearing from them before he blinked, taking a deep breath before gesturing to the door.


“You can go now. We can begin training tomorrow.”


When she finally left, he gritted his teeth, that flash bugging him more than it should. He went over to his laptop, booting it up, the password left on a sticky note attached to the monitor, a set of numbers he came to recognize as his birthday. When he logged in, everything seemed untouched. His background was the emblem of the unit he used to be a part of, all of his music and documents still there. He stared at the screen, unfamiliar with anything he was seeing: pictures of himself, old friends, even family. He cringed, shutting it down before lying down on his bed once again, hoping no one else would bother him for the evening. He wanted to be alone for the time being.


-


She turned her face towards something behind Jason in almost a blank stare. There wasn't anything of particular interest in this room. It was only for a moment that she did this before turning her gaze back to Jason, though with no discernible iris it would have been nearly impossible for anyone to truly tell where she was looking.


"I wasn't created to be human so there is no purpose to act as a human. Humans are an emotionally unstable species. When emotion is removed decisions are not made based on emotion but logic and reason. This is why this one doesn't understand why Jason's humanity was preserved if they removed the mortal shell. What you are contradicts logic."


She stated this mechanically as she watched the color of he iris's change with his unstable human emotions. The colors could have a distinct meaning for each emotion. While she could inform him of this "tell" it was currently to her advantage once she could decode the meanings of the change.


When he excused her, she nodded curtly and closed her eyes before turning and leaving the room without another word and not a sound. As she left she heard him typing on the laptop that she had spotted in his room.


She went to her own assigned living quarters. It was simple and practically empty. She had already inspected and located various bugs meant to monitor her, but they would be useless since they were meant to record conversations and video, nothing more.


There was a small table with a white laptop that was currently closed. Next to this table was the bed, or "rack" as they called it here. She sat down at the desk with the plain and worn chair and proceeded to log in. She quickly typed a simple coded report, encrypted the file, then sent the file to Becky. It was unwise to converse via video while being observed.


It wasn't long before she received a reply commanding to basically provoke emotional responses from Jason through various means. This would be an extremely difficult task since she was unfamiliar with emotions and therefore could only do things she has previously observed through interactions that had elicited an emotional response; one which seemed to be touch.


-


The next month would be nothing but training for Jason and Lenore, all of which took place at multiple facilities across the base, from firearms training to simulated missions of all kinds. Progress was slow, Lenore actively attempting to provoke Jason, to which he responded with merely ignoring her during their off-time. He didn’t feel comfortable around her, especially when she continued to touch him for no reason, along with arguing her logic versus his. This was something which the base commander did not see as productive in their partnership, her superiors questioning the grant they had given to the company.


Such concerns were brought to Kurt’s attention, and being the man that he was, he passed an order down to Becky, instructing her to ensure that her project would be cooperating with her new partner, not pushing him away.


“Unless you want to see me pull the plug on this entire thing, then make sure she’s working for us. We got our foot in the door, and I don’t want them to slam it on us. You got that?” he said in controlled frustration after receiving the call. “And you know, I honestly have to agree with the tin-can on a point about 09… she follows orders too well. Work on that for me, will ya?”


He returned to his own work, managing the massive cash-flows into the various divisions of his company, never once thinking that any of them could be plotting anything against not only him, but the world. He has a heart for his business, but that was it… business. If it didn’t make money, he didn’t want to put resources into it unless it was personal, and this… it was a matter of settling a score with his corporate rivals.


-


Becky slammed her fist onto her desk, a sharp crack resounding in her office as the glass crackled under the force of her fist. She didn’t like to be threatened by any one of these fools who weren’t even able to truly comprehend the genius of her projects. They had only seen a tip of the iceberg of what a subject like 09 could be capable of.


She had wanted to assign Lenore the task of running a sniffer program to rummage through Vector’s servers to pull up all their dirty little secrets. The program was still cautiously snooping around and replicating itself so that the oldest version would delete it’s presence to prevent detection and a newer more efficient version borne of the older programs exploration would make it harder to detect. It was a thinking sniffer that was learning and Becky was proud.


One file that was of interest was some information about the tin-can subject Jason. It didn’t reveal much about his former life but it did graphically display his condition and what they did to him to revive him. If he had any humanity like he claimed, then just viewing something like this would spark something, maybe even break his emotional control for a brief moment. Just one moment of a weakness, an unstable emotional control, a second of vulnerability or instability would be all she would need to prove her point - that shoving a human into a machine was a bad idea.


She uploaded the files to various servers around the world, each one contained encrypted and segmented files so that only the person with the thumb drive with the program to access and decrypt it could load it onto a computer. Once the files were downloaded to the local systems, all information from the various servers would be purged and fried.


“Let us play a game now Jason,” Becky commented to herself.


She would mail this little gift anonymously.


-


In another industrial complex in the city closest to the military base, an agent for Vector was checking the security of their servers, noticing an anomaly that hinted him to something was crawling its way through the servers, though following the trail of such a program was proving to be more annoying than usual, but per company policies, he didn’t pursue it. Instead, he reported such findings to his superior, a woman named Lareyne Dawning.


“Mam, I think we have some kind of new sniffer running around the less secure segments of the servers,” he started, the woman looking up from her work with a slight chuckle, the news nothing new to her.


“I can already guess who it might be from, but I don’t remember that man ever being the type to play cards on the table so quickly after getting a government contract.”


“Are you talking about Kurt?” Marcus Rubedo quizzed, surprised by such news.


“Yup. I heard about it from the commander of the military base when she came by to visit the other day.” She said her tone obviously not troubled by a mere sniffing program.


“Most likely he doesn’t know of such efforts, if he did it would be a lot more obvious…” Lareyne said as she came to her decision, tapping a few commands into her computer, shutting down its network connections and cutting off all connections to the servers that lay in a large room several stories underground. Even though she had recently been given the position of head researcher, Vector had been around long enough to have learned and to develop simple, but highly effective ways of protecting their data, even if it meant high-risk losses that would effectively put the governments around the world into trouble.


“Let the sniffer go around the public servers, there isn’t much for them to use that hasn’t already been found by nosy conspiracy theorists. The main servers are now in the preemptive security mode and the only connection to access them for authorized users has been shut down and secured. No one will be able to access the data unless they send in a request to receive access to the server computer lab.”


“Safety first as always,” Marcus chuckled, his watch bleeping. It was time for him to clock out the time for the day, but not before he forgot the other reason he had come to see his new boss.


“And before I go, did you say something about a training assignment?” he asked, Lareyne nodding as she pulled up a mission dozier to send to him via email, two profiles included.


“I can’t think of anyone else who has the same kind of experimental soldier training as you do. Golem Company has a new soldier that was assigned to be a combat partner for Kurt’s experimental soldier, from what we have been informed; it’s basically a genetically engineered super-computer that so far is not working too well with her partner. I think this sounds rather familiar to you, doesn’t it?”


Marcus nodded without question, reminded of events that had happened starting almost a decade earlier, the man now in his late thirties. Any traces of his previous occupations and missions classified in the CIA’s records, the only thing left for public knowledge being merely that he was the security aide of a former secretary of defense.


“I will be sure to assist the pair in any way I can.”


(Whew, did this under the duress of a headache and then some... just to keep it short, Vector purposely keeps a public server that is available for access for most of their employees as a front to feed false info to hackers of anykind, and no one outside of the company, even the military, about the true servers that the new character I introduced in my post has the only true "key" too. I hope that doesn't seem like a god-mod of the situation, but I wanted to make things alittle more interesting. Your post could start possibly with Leonre and Jason about to meet their new instructor.)


 
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