Rat King
Willard Martyr
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2022
- Messages
- 334
- Thread Author
- #1
“You’ve gotta help me! It wasn’t my idea, it was-” The boy sobbed, heaved into his sleeve, his voice breaking and croaking from the strain of constantly shouting back at officer after officer. The rotting damp and blood curdled together in the air to form an awful miasma that only those unfortunate enough to be unmasked here could smell. XRAY-06’s featureless face peered down, inspecting him while his gloved hands began to lay out evidence onto the table. The boy’s smooth, oily features were plump and freshly shaved, his hair neatly styled as if he had just gotten out of the local collaborator barber. On the interrogation table between them sat a military grade gas-mask with newly manufactured combine filters, and several tall speckled canisters of tear gas which had crumpled once emptied.Nothing emerged from either of them for a little while longer. Then, an electronic click. The officer had begun speaking, and moments later his speech was relayed through speakers on the front of his mask, sanitized of any accent or dialect.
<::I brought you something else, since I noticed you barely touched that Bank Lite in the holding cells. ::> XRAY-06 couldn’t blame him, either. The aspartame syrup that little goblin peddled in his vending machines made his stomach turn too. Instead of pulling out an article from the scene of the crime, this time the gloved hand stretched around a yellow can branded ‘>B’ Another click.
<:: What’s your name? ::>
“Desmond Williams.” Desmond reached out his bound hands to grasp the drink, but nearly dropped it as the zipties interfered with his dexterity. XRAY-06 retrieved a pocket knife from his utility belt, and began to saw through the thick orange plastic until it came apart with a quick snap, leaving exposed pink ditches around his wrists where the arresting officer had bound him tightly enough to mark the flesh, Desmond sighed with relief at the feeling of freedom, rubbing his limbs, though all too quickly his tranquil expression returned to one of paranoia. He shakily gripped the can of Dr. Breen’s Premium, wetting his cracked lips.
“I’ve been trying to tell you-”
<:: That it wasn’t your idea. I’m not ignoring you, Desmond. ::>
This prompted a confused look from Desmond, like he couldn’t understand why he wasn’t being let go with the officer comprehending the situation.
<:: If it wasn’t your idea to set these off in the ration terminal, whose was it? ::> X-06 asked, gesturing to the canisters. Desmond’s lip trembled. His eyes glanced up from XRAY-06 to the other unit that stood in the corner of the room, silent up until now. XRAY-06 spoke.
<::55, could I have the room?::>
<:: Sure, I need to piss anyways.::>
The other functionary pushed off the wall he was leaning on and strode out of the room, there were two digital trills as the biolock was deactivated and reactivated. The moment the room was absent, confessions begin to spill from his mouth like water through a dam, each one slipping faster than the last with only XRAY-06 to guide the current.
“It was the man.”
<:: Who’s the man. ::>
“The man isn’t stupid enough to tell me his name. He can’t be, if he works for them.”
<:: Why would you do what he wanted when you didn’t even know his name? ::>
“ They promised I would be promoted.. Tier 5! And my family - Oh! My family would have been given a better life...”
<::Sounds like the man had friends in high places.. Probably told you it’d spoil the deal if you went to-::>
“A deal?” that incredulous look returned to his face. “You think someone like me had a choice in this? I was groomed into doing what they wanted, and if I refused..” he returned to looking around, nervous.
<:: They’d kill them instead. ::> He finished his sentence for him.
Then, Desmond gestured for the enforcer to come closer with a few fingers, as if he wanted to drop down to a whisper. The man in the mask stared a little longer, and then reached down. He grabbed the electrified stunstick off his belt and flicked it on to medium voltage. He had already broken so much protocol, what was the harm in going all the way? He leant over, bringing his masked head flush with Desmond’s. His hand reached up, adjusting the volume in his voice modulator.
<:: what ::> XRAY-06 whispered.
“He visited me. In the cells.”
<:: you saw him? ::> XRAY-06 asked in the modulated whisper, incredulity slipping through unsanitized. It wouldn’t be the first time he had heard of an intruder in the NEXUS, but it was still rare.
“Well… No. I only heard him. But it was the man. I recognised his voice.”
There was a glitch as 06 exhaled through his nostrils, causing the vocoder to trill as if speech were about to occur, only to cut off short.
<:: ::>
After the disappointment wore off, something more.
<:: You’re Desmond Williams, right? What’re your numbers? ::> XRAY-06’s tone returned to normal volume, though Desmond’s didn’t.
“I uh… I dunno. I’ve never been searched in my life..” It wouldn’t be a problem, though. Desmond watched with childlike curiosity as 06’s gloved fingers grabbed his pda and brought it inbetween them. He started a search.
C24 D9 // ‘Desmond Williams’
There was an electronic trill as nothing returned. Desmond spoke up a little. “Oh, uh..” he struggled to read the contents of the PDA screen upside down. “N-Not district 9.. Try District 1..”
06 froze. Central? There were only two types of people he ever saw coming out of central: High-class collaborators inside of the party and corpses. He complied with the man’s suggestion.
C24 D1 // ‘Desmond Williams’.
A single entry, 06’s heart jumped. He tilted the pda up so that Desmond could no longer observe the interface, beginning to hurriedly scroll through.
It wasn’t over yet. XRAY-06 typed something new into his PDA as he glanced between the long list of redacted entries.
11703 // Family Cohesion Prescription
“I’m nuh-not lying to you, officer. I’d never..-”
<:: I believe you. ::> 06 interjected before Desmond could continue. He looked up, bringing a hand to his radio “<:: 05, special assignment. Report to the cell blocks. ::>”
Desmond glanced nervously to the door as it opened up once more.
<:: Take Desmond, place him in Block A. Stay on the desk and watch him. Don’t let anyone access his cell without XRAY permission, okay? ::> 06 said as he pushed past 05, exiting out with his PDA in arm.
He practically jogged up the steps, following the digital blue ‘XRAY-0’ outline visible on his Visual Uplink. His boss was in their office, it looked like
*Knock Knock*
<:: Mmpth. ::>
06 grabbed the door handle and pushed it open. His hand on his PDA as he pushed it into hers,
<:: Look. ::>
0’s silence was pointed as she pulled out her own PDA and ran the same search. The same list of restricted entries appeared on hers too, only seeming to thicken the tension in the atmosphere. 06 began to explain the situation in a hushed tone while 0’s finger slid across her own device, scrolling down the long list of redacted entries
<::Mmpth.. Who have you told about this... ::>
<:: Nobody. ::> 06 responded quickly.
<:: You may go. Do as you see is best with the man they set up but when you file your report, you will not file it publicly. Give it directly to me. ::>
<::Alright. See you, rankleader. ::> 06 stepped out of the door, he wasn’t going to argue. This was something bigger than the both of them..
An hour later, Desmond was tied and bagged, wings clipped and in the custody of his interrogator. 06 had authorised the transfer to the recusatory, and all that awaited Desmond now was a bus piloted by Overwatch soldiers, headed for a most unpleasant terminus
<:: It’ll be 5 minutes now. Des. ::>
“Keep an eye on the rooftops. You never know where they are.”
<:: Oh, trust me. I’m used to checking sightlines- ::>
“Not like this.” Desmond insisted quickly. “Those were rebels. Insurgents, loosely trained terrorists. These- *They* are something else entirely.”
This gave 06 pause. He tilted his head up to the rooftops like a wary predator. The prison bus’ sputtering began to echo like a death knell down the abandoned streets of Pen Station. Desmond leant over, and whispered something else.
“Officer?”
<:: Yes? ::>
“I’d.. I’d be careful. They aren’t stupid. And now they know who you are. They’re not just in the administration. They have people everywhere and-”
The loud creak of the handbrake snapped both functionary and prisoner’s attention back to the moment. Out of the doors of the prison bus stepped a grunt gripping a combine-issued assault weapon tightly. He took one step out of the bus and one to the side. 06 made no hesitation of roughly shoving Desmond over the precipice of the curb. The boy stumbled, and then clambered up onto the bus before the grunt had opportunity to physically ‘encourage’ him. The grunt stepped back onto the bus, turning to face the new prisoner as the doors slid shut.
06 stepped back onto the sidewalk, glancing over his shoulder furtively as he headed back towards the NEXUS.
<:: Attention all ground protection teams; Judgement Waiver is now in effect. Capital prosecution is discretionary- ::>
<:: 11-99! 11-99! ::>
<:: VU uploaded! ::>
The barrel of a fully loaded M4 splattered a volley of rounds towards the group of functionaries with a series of ear ringing pops. 06 felt five impacts land across his chest, each pushing deep, some causing the site of impact to grow warm and wet. 06 instinctively pulled the trigger of his SMG, returning fire, but within a couple of seconds his grip became loose, and he fell into the arms of one of his comrades. As his perception grew fuzzy, he listened to the panicked radio calls.
<:: 06 is hit! We need HELIX! ::>
<:: Just hold on, man. Help me get his legs!! ::>
And then darkness. A thick dark shroud that smothered all perception in a comfort he could never attain in his waking hours. He couldn’t feel his shredded organs throbbing as they tried in vain to function while riddled in holes. He couldn’t hear the droning voice of an AI inspecting his every move and issuing commands. He couldn’t think of abi, nor his parents who might as well have been across the world. For 06, It could have been seconds or hours. But when he came to, it was with him staring down the four equidistant lights of a surgery lamp. He could hear the familiar beeping of a heart-rate monitor in his right ear..
<:: Fuck, whatever, we just need to start! What’d you say you were called again, Doc? ::>
“Me? Redman.”
06’s heart pulsed. It was a coincidence, wasn’t it? It had to be. He attempted to look up, though the vertebrae responsible for carrying such signals had already been shredded. Panic seeped in to the immobilised officer’s mind as the surgery began.
<:: Are you sure you don’t need help? This looks like a two man job - ::>
“Then help me. He needs blood..”
<:: Is there none in the fridge? ::>
Redman shook his head.
<:: F-fuck.. ::>
“Try that cabinet. The red one.” Redman pointed towards a red cabinet labelled ‘FIRST AID’.
The functionary turned around, and began to root around in the cupboard. 06 could feel his perception growing hazy. He so badly wanted to return to that dark, comfortable space. And then he heard the sudden crunch of voltage being sent through a stunstick.
06 could see through the reflection of the lamp. The nurse stepped over to the busy officer, raised the baton and shoved the electrified coils down the back of the unit’s neck. He seized, a loud crack indicating maximum discharge had been applied, and the unit went down like a sack of potatoes.
06 whimpered, strained to speak into his earpiece as Redman deliberately, carefully crouched down and unstrapped the unit’s holster.
<:: H- ::>
*CRACK*
Muhammad’s mask shattered as a single round was fired from a standard issue Five-Seven directly into the immobilised man’s head. The flimsy mask of the enforcer broke into brittle pieces that clattered around.
*CRACK*
A second shot caved in what used to be Muhammad’s cranium. The exit trajectory of the bullet skidded along the red wallpaper nearby, sending chunks of gooey brain matter splattering, congealing onto the paper, as his heart-rate monitor flatlined, a similar tone was broadcast throughout every civil protection suit in the district.
<:: UNIT DESERVICED XRAY 06. REMAINING UNITS CONTAIN. ::> the sterile voice of Overwatch blared through the corpses radio.
In Memoriam....
Another Faceless, Nameless Traitor To His Species.
Another Faceless, Nameless Traitor To His Species.
ENTRY ONE - ' HOLE IN THE WALL '
ENTRY TWO - ' RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC '
ENTRY THREE - ' AMBUSHED '
ENTRY FOUR - ' CLEMENTINE '
ENTRY TWO - ' RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC '
ENTRY THREE - ' AMBUSHED '
ENTRY FOUR - ' CLEMENTINE '
XRAY-0: My current boss. Seems nice! Also seems to *love* narcotics. I don't blame her, if I was in her position I'd be head deep in happy pie on my off time too. She's tried to get to know me, but I know you'd never like that side if you saw it.
JUDGE-2: My old boss (Supervisor?) She's been good to me. Taught me the bag trick, which has helped in a lot of my arrests. I've incorporated it into my routine. Don't know why people insist on being shitty to her. Got slightly stricter after her promotion, but that's probably not her fault.
JUDGE-61: One of the only humans on the force. As in, you show emotion and thoughts outside the need to inflict violence and that is something I have come to appreciate.
STICK-1/XRAY-55: I forgive you for getting me 1/3 of the way to being shot in the head. To be fair, it was really funny watching that guy eat concrete. Plus, you're one of the only other surviving auxes, so I gotta have a little solidarity.
HELIX-0: You're lucky to have HELIX-16, treat him well.
HELIX-60: You saved me, apparently! I was too delusional from blood loss to notice at the time, but Lysa told me you helped before she went. Thanks. I owe you. Need to stop getting my ass saved... I'm a little jealous of how competent you seem to be.
PATROL-03/HERO-31: I don't know why you were so eager to get your memories replaced, the prospect of somebody interfering with my brain is a scary one. Maybe you have something you'd rather be forgetting? Either way, I'm sorry for what you felt was necessary
That New Captain: I should not be surprised that the commanding officer of the intergalactic alien fascists is kind of a prick, but collective punishment is plain lazy. Good thing I clued in to the fact you'd be holding an inspection before I got on duty. You represent the authority I have come to despise.
JUDGE-0: You threatened to kill Lysa over her shotgun, and reportedly you made somebody choose a family member to be killed over nothing. I'm glad I don't have to work directly under you like the people in JUDGE will, every unit seems petrified of you and those that aren't are either stupid or trying to get on a 'good side' that I think died long ago
JUDGE-2: My old boss (Supervisor?) She's been good to me. Taught me the bag trick, which has helped in a lot of my arrests. I've incorporated it into my routine. Don't know why people insist on being shitty to her. Got slightly stricter after her promotion, but that's probably not her fault.
JUDGE-61: One of the only humans on the force. As in, you show emotion and thoughts outside the need to inflict violence and that is something I have come to appreciate.
STICK-1/XRAY-55: I forgive you for getting me 1/3 of the way to being shot in the head. To be fair, it was really funny watching that guy eat concrete. Plus, you're one of the only other surviving auxes, so I gotta have a little solidarity.
HELIX-0: You're lucky to have HELIX-16, treat him well.
HELIX-60: You saved me, apparently! I was too delusional from blood loss to notice at the time, but Lysa told me you helped before she went. Thanks. I owe you. Need to stop getting my ass saved... I'm a little jealous of how competent you seem to be.
PATROL-03/HERO-31: I don't know why you were so eager to get your memories replaced, the prospect of somebody interfering with my brain is a scary one. Maybe you have something you'd rather be forgetting? Either way, I'm sorry for what you felt was necessary
That New Captain: I should not be surprised that the commanding officer of the intergalactic alien fascists is kind of a prick, but collective punishment is plain lazy. Good thing I clued in to the fact you'd be holding an inspection before I got on duty. You represent the authority I have come to despise.
JUDGE-0: You threatened to kill Lysa over her shotgun, and reportedly you made somebody choose a family member to be killed over nothing. I'm glad I don't have to work directly under you like the people in JUDGE will, every unit seems petrified of you and those that aren't are either stupid or trying to get on a 'good side' that I think died long ago
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