Silhouette

When the lady from the Shadow Commando directed Adam to what was supposedly Techlord's current project - after leaving a note in the bedroom to tell the Doc where he was going, of course - he had expected a workshop, maybe some defenses. He knew that Ivan was here to upheave the former orphanage, but surely if Techlord was working here it was because he was busy doing something. From what the Doc had said he was vaguely aware that the young tinkerer was at his best when doing gadgets, hence why he had thought he would walk in on the man fiddling with something. Well, he was, in a roundabout way, but, well, he was picturing someone assembling a gun or investigating a small device with a screwdriver, not...

"Is... Is that a mech?"

There was no other way to describe the mechanical contraption before him, unfinished though it seemed. The most obvious part had to be the central one, an elongated trapezoid of silvery metal with black glass panels in the front, clearly a cockpit. Attached atop it was a cannon, a piece of artillery that was as long as Adam was tall, its barrel angled up. The young man was no engineer himself but the bulky contraption at the base likely was a way for the weapon to turn and change its aim. Upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't merely one weapon - for circling the main barrel were a dozen smaller ones, blending in with the width of the first so that they were unnoticeable without facing the openings.

The second thing that revealed its nature was the pair of legs beneath. Well, "legs" was a generous term. The bulky metal bits were incredibly thick, and for a moment Adam struggled to tell if those were meant to have joints or not. Yet, from the gigantic footsteps in the ground around the mech, they could walk, visible joints or not. Speaking of, the feet seemed to be circular things with four toes positioned in a cross pattern around that base, though the circular shape seemed oddly hollow from the traces on the ground.

Of course, while the mech was the most eye-catching thing around, that didn't mean it was the only thing of note. The pair working on it weren't average people either, even in the depths of the Sunken City, though they shared the predominantly black color scheme the rest of Silhouette's people used.

The first figure, the larger one, likely was this Techlord Junior Adam had heard about given context clues. They were on the ground, pushing bits and pieces whose purpose was unknown to Adam into one of the legs. The towering armored being admittedly looked quite intimidating, somehow being one of the few people taller than Adam in his new cyborg body. The armor itself was quite the massive thing, composed entirely of large metal parts not unlike an old diver's suit. The main difference was that the headpiece, rather than a diving helmet, was the same sort of faceless humanoid mask the members of the Shadow Commando wore, though admittedly this one seemed wider than the rest and lacked the small contraptions on the side those of the Commando had. To compensate, quite a few gadgets were attached to the arms and legs, and there was even a suspicious metallic bundle attached to the front of the chest piece. And yet, despite the number of gadgets, they all looked somewhat... Rudimentary...

The second figure, the smaller one, was in all likelihood the infamous Techlord Senior the Doc had been complaining about. He was currently kneeling atop the cockpit, more specifically leaning over the edge to work on one of the holes that would likely host an arm in the future. It was harder to distinguish the specifics of his suit in this position, but he was clearly the smallest and leanest of the people working for Silhouette the cyborg had seen so far. Interestingly, if Junior had a basic suit with various bulky contraptions on top, then Techlord Senior had a complex suit from the get-go, composed of numerous small parts and little bits, and it lacked the clearly identifiable gadgets of Junior's suit, though the way some parts of it were bulkier than others left no doubt that it was just as resourceful, simply more subtle.

The woman who brought Adam here cleared her throat before speaking aloud, louder than was necessary frankly but Adam knew what dealing with someone who preferred their workshop to the world was like.

"Techlord sir, I brought Doctor Decanov's assistant here to make introductions. His name is Adam."

Techlord grunted at her words - a familiar experience for Adam, despite the Doc's best efforts - finished finagling with whatever was the subject of his attention in his machine before looking up, his face hidden by the usual faceless mask - though this one had a lot more thigamajigs on the sides than the ones from the Shadow Commando. Only now did Adam notice tools jutting out his wristguards, the tools quickly going back in as they were no longer necessary. The armored man hummed before letting himself fall off the cockpit, promptly falling to the ground where he proceeded to roll forward and stand in the blink of an eye, rolling his neck as he stepped up to Adam and his guide. The size difference between him and the woman was quite striking now that he was no longer elevated, which made him look even smaller compared to Adam's oversized cybernetic body.

"Hm. Silhouette did mention the pompous bot bringing a plus one. Didn't think he'd bring a bodybuilder though. If he wanted muscles, mechanical or not, we already have you guys and the new arrivals for that. Right, the boss said you weren't really part of the crew, so although you signed the magical NDA we should avoid sharing too much with you. Keep you from getting traumatized."

"I, uh, already saw one of the Patchees. They were helping with our luggage. I really appreciate what Silhouette is doing for them, by the way."

"Ah, you sure can. He put a lot of effort and money into this. Well, mostly the nuns' effort, but the money's his. But alright, you know about his latest pet project. You didn't answer the question though, why did the big bad bot bring you down here? Plenty of folks to carry stuff around in these parts. Right, Junior?"

The voice that came out of the taller entity was... Well, Adam didn't want to be mean, but he was grateful that whatever speaker system was included in his gear produced radio garble loud enough to cover the voice's natural secondary noises for the most part. How could something sound wet on one syllable and dry on the next...?

"Origin!"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Right. See?"

"Well... The Doc didn't want me to leave me behind and alone, so he asked Silhouette if I could come with him."

"..."

"..."

"That's it? That heartless machine brought you here because for once he felt sentimental for some strange reason?"

"Hey! Don't say that bout the Doc! He may be a robot, but he's just as live as you and me!"

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't being robotophobic. I don't hate him because he's a machine, I hate him because he's a-"

"ORIGIN!"

"Right, right, sorry Junior, no swearing."

"If I may, sir? Insulting your colleague like that in front of his assistant might not be a great idea. And I don't think Silhouette would approve."

The teen sighed.

"Alright. Sorry, kid-"

"Boss I'm pretty sure you're younger than him-"

"As I was saying, sorry kid, but your boss gets on my nerves. A lot. I won't deny he's clever, the jerk's far from stupid, but he has more ego than smarts."

"Origin."

"And I apologize for saying mean stuff about him. Even if he deserves it."

"Origin!"

"Anyway, as I said earlier, I'm not one of those idiots who think robots don't deserve rights. Even before Junior showed up. I grew up in the slums, and back there the only rights you have are from the mercy of whatever the local top dog is."

"Don't worry, I heard a bit about you from Miss... I didn't catch your name?"

The woman perked up before promptly running away without even saying goodbye.

"Uh... I'm guessing she had somewhere to be?"

"Yes. As far away from me as possible. She probably hopes I won't recognize her the next time I see her. Pitiful fool, I know there's only one woman in the Commando."

"Really?"

"I think. There was only one when Silhouette recruited them the first time around, but then again I think their numbers doubled since then somehow. It's not like we're actively hiring for the Commando, I don't know where they come from."

"Ok... So... I'm guessing she shared too much?"

"I don't care about who hears my story, what I care about is that you weren't supposed to hear anything beyond what Decanov needs you to know for your job. No offense, but you're a temporary intern, not a permanent member."

"Oh? What makes you think I won't stay?"

"If the bucket of bolts cares as much about you as you think, then he knows better than to have you join the crew."

"I thought Silhouette was a good boss?"

"He is, no doubt about it. The problem is the people coming after him. Contrary to what stories tell, people aren't fond of a rising underdog. Not when he threatens their market. That cannon on the Tech Mech isn't here just to impress. That thing already fired a few shots on the field, and the mech isn't ready yet."

"The... Tech... Mech?"

"Well, Tech Mech Mk2. Number one got Sunburn'd. I got over it. I'm still planning to melt that cyborg for scraps one day, but it gave me Junior so I can't complain too much."

"Didn't you just get mad at her for oversharing?"

"... I hate it when I fall into the same traps they do."

"Happens often?"

"Too often to my liking. So. Introductions are done. Anything else you need or can I go back to preparing that bad boy for a walk? Because I really want to get that thing back into gear, now that I have a budget. A proper cockpit instead of recycled car parts makes a world of difference. Next time that drunk Draskian shows up, I'm going to punch him through a wall."

"You're that confident in that thing?"

"Not the Mk2, but in a few iterations, perhaps. The tricky part is..."

"Origin!"

"Right, secrets, secrets. Thanks, Junior."

The towering armored being nodded in response, only for a familiar Draskian voice to echo around them as another figure approached.

"So, this is what you've been working on when not busy for Silhouette's schemes. I shouldn't be surprised you'd build such an impractical thing."

All turned to watch Doctor Decanov arrive, his arms crossed behind his back as his imperious and dismissive gaze stayed locked on the unfinished mecha. Techlord's twitching fingers at the remark revealed an urge to commit violence, though the young man managed to keep it in check.

"Decanov. I shouldn't be surprised you'd fail to see the utility in a machine that can do more than repeat the same task endlessly."

"Hmph. Your attempt at repartee is futile, brat. I do not disagree with the notion of armored weapon-carrying vehicles, I'm merely saying that a humanoid body plan like this is a nonsensical waste of resources."

"Tanks aren't anywhere near as useful in urban environments. Namely, in urban environments you can't destroy all willy-nilly. Like, say, Zalcien. A mech is much better for city interventions than whatever tank you're trying to sell me."

"You're the one who brought up tanks. I was thinking something closer to a helicopter."

"Right, as if those weren't a waste. They're the worst flying vehicles."

"Can't your silly suit fly? Then it deserves that title."

"My suit can propel itself, but it'd be stupid to make it flight-capable. That'd take a lot of space for something almost impossible to control."

"Impossible to control for one with such poor skills, surely."

"I beat a master of illusions with a barely finished previous version of this armor. This baby has been able to deal with any problem that came our way this far. I heard a lizard had sneaked past your systems up there. Who's the one with poor skills, now?"

"That was a human error and you know it."

"I have to deal with the Shadow Commando down here. I have plenty of human error to predict, and I have yet to have any problem. You can't say the same. Are you sure your security is as effective as you claim? Maybe I should call the boss and have him hire Musaraigne instead."

"That poor half-baked excuse of a cyborg? Please. I trust the beast more than her to operate any sort of machinery."

While the two geniuses argued like teen girls bickering over romance, their respective assistants put some distance between them and the duo of metal-covered men whose voices slowly grew louder and louder. The quieter pair exchanged a look before heading back inside, trusting their respective engineer to come to fetch them when they got tired of fighting.

"So... Your name's Techlord Junior, right?"

"Origin."

"Right. They did mention you had trouble speaking."

"Origin..."

"Oh, no, don't worry! I... I know what it's like, to experience a new body for the first time, to feel alien in your skin. Or, well, metal."

"Origin?"

"I... I used to be a regular human. But there was an accident, and... Well, the Doc did his best to save me, and it meant putting what was left of my fleshy bits in... This."

"Origin..."

"It's... It's easier now, but... Yeah, it was hard at first. Feeling like your body wasn't your own, having to fight to force it to do certain things or stop it from doing others. Man, I can't remember how many screwdrivers I ruined because I got distracted..."

"Origin!"

"Yeah, I had a feeling you'd get it. You know what it's like to be a complete alien in a world meant for normal people."

"Origin..."

"Say, do you... Well, I don't know much about you beyond the bare minimum, but I heard a bit about what you look like under the armor and... Do you ever feel... Itchy, in the parts where the flesh and metal meet?"

"Origin!"

"Ah! I knew it wasn't just a me thing!"

Adam chuckled at Junior's enthusiastic nodding, his gaze drifting back to the still-arguing pair he could spot through a window to the orphanage's inner courtyard.

"Say, wanna hang out with the ghost kids until they're done?"

"Origin!"

Adam smiled as Junior led the way, happy to have finally found someone who could empathize with being stuck between flesh and metal.