Deus Ex Machina (BlisteredBlood x darkangel76)

2020. Several years had passed since the second Cold War between the newly reformed Soviet Russia and the Empire of the United States had ended. Technology has advanced by astronomical leaps and bounds, giving soldiers of warfare a new look. For one such soldier, this prototype was the fusion of Russian genius and American ingenuity.

The subject that was used for this project was a former United States Marine Corps captain, William Belmont who served in Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991. One day, while on a routine patrol and talking with his comrades, he heard a loud whistling sound, coming closer and closer to them within each and every second. Something was headed their way, and it was coming quick. After shouting for everyone to get down, William was blown to pieces by what was considered to be a mortar shell, leaving only his upper body, his head and stumps where his arms and legs should have been and blood could be seen spurting out from those stumps.

By the time his fellow comrades tried to get to him however, they would soon find that William Belmont was dead from not only the severe blood loss, but also from the amount of fragmentation that had torn into his body in the first place.

It was from here that two doctors decided to put aside their differences and combine their creative talents to not only rebuild this soldier's remains, but also to restore him to his former glory, but also infuse into the deceased soldier's body something that had never been once done ever before: This being to restore William's body into a machine that would one day be the shining example of robotics.

He would have all the makings for expanding this sort of technology to others that have fallen in battle: A keen sense of combat, highly protective armor made from the highest grade of metals, and more than enough weaponry to settle a level 2 riot before it escalated any further. Even if it meant having to kill a few rioters in the process. All in all, this half man/half machine was supposed to be a counter-terrorism unit built for the sole purpose of protecting major areas and to safeguard the populace from further harm.

The weaponry he was fitted with consisted of KF-434 dual arm cannons that used rechargeable energy from a miniaturized nuclear reactor that was embedded in both gauntlets, thusly granting Deadman unlimited firepower. At will, he could charge this energy to unleash a tremendous blast from both arm cannons, obliterating anything that stood in his path. Scanning, although he could very much use his eyes, was done by a mobile radar system that could detect energy sources from as far as a 500 mile radius as well as heat signatures, incoming ballstics, night vision for dark places and detect hidded areas not visible to the naked eye. Mounted on his feet was a combination jet propulsion system and suspension system that could traverese over various terrain like smooth flat surfaces to rocky, crag filled areas such as mountain regions or caverns. Protection used for the entire body was also deemed necessary, so his entire body had to be encased in a strong enough metal that would be able to take the rigors of combat. The final decision was made to encase the soldier's body in a suit made entirely of an advanced but extremely expensive material known only as adamantium.

There was also one other factor in this program, hencely called, "The Kalishnikov/Freedman Project". This cybernetic humanoid was gifted with the ability to think for its own and feel the same emotions that a human could, courtesy of an advanced AI system known at the time as "FreeAI". In other words, it was a cyborg that could make its own choices and act accordingly. Not like your typical everyday android, mind you. But it wasn't exactly human, either. This design was somewhere in the middle. However, the whole thing could be entirely disabled through the use of the Master Control disc, enabling anyone to utilize him however they wished.

This was the final result. The price tag was just as unbelievably expensive as was all the research that went into this project. A whopping 750 trillion dollars.

Many chastised this project, claiming that this project was barbaric and inhumane. Many assumed that reanimating the dead was one step closer to opening Pandora's Box and destroying the entire concept of humanity. The cycle of life and death would no longer apply, they all said.

However, just before the final touches were completed on the prototype, Dr. Kalishnikov suffered a massive stroke, nearly dying on the spot. Unable to finish the work they begun, Dr. Freedman altered the programing of Deadman for it to finish itself then placed Deadman's finished design in a capsule where he had hoped that he would be operational within five years.

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January of 2041. In a new age of technology and cybernetic enhancements of all sorts, the Empire of the United States had held back numerous terrorist cells and even the outbreak of a civil war erupting within some of the major cities, such as Chicago, Denver, New York, Los Angeles, Omaha, Dallas and even the nation's capital, Washington DC. Every one of these cities endured the tests of time and has only grown more and more stronger, both governmentally and financially, thusly bringing a new confidence to the populace and a hope for a brighter day.

However, some nations didn't see it this way. Of these nations that saw the opposite of what the EUS had dreamed were the Soviet Empire of Russia and the Southern Abrabic Emirates. To attempt to counter the EUS's technological achievements, scientists from these two mega-countries have sought to steal any sort of technology from EUS, even going as far as to sneak a few of their own spies into the EUS to capture any technology lying around that was deemed useful. However, the SER had heard rumors about one particular project that had been long since abandoned and left in stasis for five decades. One of their own scientists was on that project, but died several years into the reconstruction of a cybernetic weapon of war. According to their belief, if they could find this cyborg, they feel that they could build an indestructible army of super soldiers capable of destroying the EUS and settle their Cold War rivalry once and for all.

The SAE, however, had a different agenda, but included the decimation of the EUS. They felt that with this technology, they could place hidden spies on different sections of a city's border and ultimately blow it off the map. They felt that with this extreme amount of force delivered in such a short amount of time, the EUS would have no choice but to bend to the SAE's will.

There was just one problem. The problem was that neither of these three mega-countries have found this soldier. However, the SER accused the EUS that they hid this cyborg somewhere, and they weren't fessing up. The EUS answered back that they also were never aware of this cyborg's existance up until the mentioning of the doctor's name. Upon the mentioning of the cyborg, the project and the two doctors that came together for this, the EUS went into a frenzy, trying to locate this soldier and maintain its secrecy as well as safeguard it from theft or destruction, even if they had to destroy it themselves.

Mara’s teeth chattered as she walked along the nearly desolate and deserted street. It was freezing outside, the air so cold and crisp that it made her nose burn, her lungs hurt as she breathed in and out… in and out. Pulling her coat more tightly about her body, she glanced around at everything, slowly taking in her surroundings. It was her first time ever visiting the Soviet Empire of Russia (SER) and she was more than nervous about it. Tensions between them and her home nation of the Empire of the United States (EUS) were rather strong, bordering on intense and becoming ever worse. Shivering, she looked up into the slightly darkening sky, the moon slowly rising overhead. The street lights were turning on, one by one, as the natural light began to change, casting an eerie bluish glow to everything and making her that much colder.

Mara had come to the SER for a few reasons. One a direct result of the recent information she’d dug up when doing research on a strange, yet intriguing mission that she’d been called upon to engage in. A newer member of the EUS’s resistance, having only been with them for two years since her eighteenth birthday, she’d been given information regarding a project that had long since been thought dead. Abandoned. She’d been given files on The Kalishnikov/Freedman Project and the name of it had more than intrigued her. Kalishnikov. She’d never been one for science and the like, but that name. It was so close to her own surname, Kalish, that she couldn’t help but wonder. As a result, she read up on the scientist, one of the SER’s most renowned and was shocked to learn about the things he’d been involved in, in the areas of cybernetic research, about the joint project creating the cyborg known as Deadman.

At first, Mara wasn’t sure what her thoughts were on the things the scientist known as Kalishnikov had been a part of. The original intentions had indeed seemed sound, humanitarian even. Humanitarian. That was something her father, Karl, had called her since a very young age. It was a title she bore proudly. Her curiosity still not satisfied, she eventually confronted her father. She’d moved out the day she’d turned eighteen, wanting to prove to herself and everyone that she could make it on her own, be independent and self reliant. The move had made her father proud, though he’d made sure she knew that if she’d ever needed help, he’d be there for her in an instant. A promise she knew full well he’d keep until he no longer had breath in his body. In the confrontation, she asked him about Kalishnikov and that was when she learned the full truth of her family’s origins and connections. Her father had left the SER the moment he’d been able, defecting to the EUS and making a new life for himself. One that left all ties to the SER behind. The Kalishnikov legacy. Everything. He changed his last name, shortening it and eventually met her mother, Elizabeth Anderson, a woman he’d die for, and married her.

Upon learning this information, Mara knew that she’d have to go to the SER to find out more about Kalishnikov and the project he’d been involved in so many decades ago. She needed to know about her grandfather, his infamy, his vision, his… creation. Something beckoned to her, something the little intelligence she’d received from the resistance couldn’t give her. It was personal and she knew damned well she’d have to quench that desire before she could put a full out hunt for the item they wanted. The item termed Deadman. She honestly couldn’t believe, once she’d fully understood the history, that she’d been the one asked to retrieve the cyborg. Deadman. Her grandfather’s greatest creation before he died suddenly of a stroke.

Suddenly, the wind blew and Mara felt the sting against the pale skin of her cheeks. Her blue eyes watered a little and she pulled her scarf up over her mouth. The warm, moist breath helped to heat her face a little, but only just. She didn’t know how long she’d been walking, but she figured she had to be somewhat near the place in which her grandfather had been reported to frequent before he died. Upon arriving in the SER, she’d had to locate old relatives to learn that much more about her grandfather, details that no one else would know. Not even the resistance.

Again the wind blew, harder, kicking up the whispy dusting of snow that littered the roads. Mara shivered and began to quicken her pace. She needed to get inside, if only just for a few moments to warm up. She could resume her search once she thawed out a little. Besides, she knew she was close. It was just a matter of finding the right building. The right warehouse. Setting her sights on the nearest unmarked warehouse, she headed toward it. As she moved, she did a quick check to make sure her gunblade revolver was accessible. Since joining the resistance, they’d taken it upon themselves to see that she was trained in combat and self-defense of some sort. She wasn’t the most skilled when it came to hand to hand, but she proved to not be half bad when it came to wielding a gunblade, an elegant weapon still in the beta stages, a gorgeous marriage of the sword and gun.

“Perfect,” Mara muttered as she neared the warehouse of choice.

Finally, upon reaching the door, Mara heaved all her weight against the door and began pushing against it. Being only 5’4” and weighing at 110 lbs, she was a lithe and willowy thing, but she pushed against that heavy door until it finally began to give way. Creaking, she opened it enough so that she could slip inside. The room was dark, the air cold, but not as biting as it was outside. Letting out an audible sigh, she began to feel along the walls for a switch, something to turn on the lights of the place. It didn’t take long, her delicate fingers eventually found the control panel. Smiling, she let them do their work and within seconds the room became illuminated. Pushing her dark hair out of her face, she let out another exhale and slowly turned around.

Sounds of computers began to kick on as the lights were turned on. On each monitor that turned on, little blips were seen blinking on and off rapidly, with each screen soon detailing different functions. On one such screen, it began to show the following, as indicated on the screen by both flashing text and a small meter which began to fill in small increments.

Initializing...

Beginning operation startup.exe... Successful.

Beginning secondary protocol, ID-308689.5... Successful.

Downloading schematics...
20%...
35%...
40%...
55%...
65%...
78%...
89%...
96%
100%... Done

Download successful.

Initializing sensors... Successful.

Operation system is 100% functional.

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CAUTION. MEMORY SYSTEMS NONOPERATIONAL AT THIS TIME. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING.

A letter to the viewer soon read out the following with a flashing red screen in the background.

Attention reader.

You have found the last great work of my cooperational effort with Dr. Scott Freedman, an American scientist. What you have found in question is a cyborg capable of either uniting the world with its technology or possibly destroying it with sheer and utter brute force. However you use this technology is entirely up to you, for this cyborg will obey each and every command you order it while no harm will come to you or who you're trying to protect. However, there is one thing you have to understand. Just because you can order this cyborg around doesn't mean that it will automatically follow your next direction. What this cyborg is capable of is free thinking, meaning that it has a will of its own without the master command disk. If your intention is to use this cyborg without it, you will run the potential of unleashing a force upon this world that you have never seen before in your time, whichever timeframe Deadman has now awakened in. It is unclear how functional he will be, as this will never be seen by my own eyes. Chances are, if you found this message, I have passed on and there is no one who will be able to continue the work I have begun.

As a result, this final product is as you found it. I can only hope your intention is for the right causes.

Sincerely,
Dr. Gerald Kalishnikov

September 22nd, 1990

Once the letter was shown, one supercomputer near a sealed, cobweb covered caspule began to kick on, releasing its CD tray. Under the letter from the doctor, was the next prompt.

Insert Master Command Disk...

Near the capsule, sat a CD in a thin jewel case. Apparently, this disk was something important. The question is, what was it for?

Mara slowly turned around as she tucked a stray dark strand behind an ear. Shivering involuntarily from the residual cold… and something more… she clasped her arms about herself, hugging her torso briefly, in order to give herself that extra bit of warmth her body suddenly craved. Finally releasing herself, she noticed a slight buzzing sound echoing from somewhere within the building.

“Odd,” Mara whispered to herself.

Narrowing her eyes a bit and arching a brow, Mara paused for a moment to try and determine where the buzzing was coming from. Biting down on her lip, she suddenly began to walk across the room. Her footsteps were light against the hard pavement of the floor, her breathing slightly uneven. As she moved, the buzzing sounds became louder and louder. And along with it she could also hear a series of beeps. A computer?

Just then, Mara let out a tiny gasp and she could feel her adrenaline begin to surge. Swallowing lightly, she continued to move toward the origin of the sounds, her curiosity piqued, her apprehension driving her ever forward. She hoped she wasn’t being stupid and following a trail that could lead to danger. Her training in the resistance had tried to drill it into her head that logic and caution had to prevail at all times and for all costs. It was a lesson she wasn’t very good at remembering. At all. So, as if her body was locked in some sort of hypnotic trance, she followed the sounds, her one hand moving to find the handle of her gunblade.

Mara walked several feet until she finally reached the back of the main room. Several doors lined the wall, but only one hid the sound that had lured her deeper into the building. Moving toward that door, she placed a hesitant hand on the handle and jiggled it, causing the it to creak open. On the other side, was another room filled with technological instruments and devices she’d never seen before. Most of them appeared to be older models of things she found to be somewhat recognizable, while others appeared to be more recent. Regardless, given the state of the place, it seemed as if that particular room hadn’t been graced with the presence of a living soul in quite some time. Years, maybe more, from what she could tell. Daring to enter, she walked past the doorway and into the room, which was already illuminated, obviously somehow connected to the switches she’d flipped when she’d first entered the warehouse.

Suddenly, Mara stopped dead in her tracks. In one of the darker corners of the back room, she could see a screen with flashing text. Eyebrow quirked in wonder, she quickly made her way toward it and read the message that appeared there.

Kalishnikov.

The message was from Mara’s grandfather. Her pink lips turned upward into a small smile at the name, her body flooded with emotions that caused her hands to shake. She couldn’t believe her luck. She hadn’t expected to find the place where her grandfather’s works had been stored so easily, so quickly. Yet here was the proof on the screen.

“Insert Master Command Disk…” Mara then read as the giddiness she felt subsided a bit and reality moved back to the forefront. Licking her lips, she re-read the message from her grandfather, debating on what she ought to do. “No,” she stated out loud as she reached for the dusty jewel case that held what she was sure was the so-called ‘master command disk’. Tucking it away on her person for safekeeping, she’d made her decision. If hidden somewhere in the room was indeed Deadman, she wasn’t about to take his free will away. From what she got out of the message he was a living and breathing creature, one capable to do for himself as anyone else could and would. He deserved the chance to live. It’s what her grandfather would have wanted, she was sure of it. Better to try first. She had the disk. She could use it later if needed… or so she hoped. Suddenly, at the moment, she felt a feeling of hesitation wash over her. “No Mara,” she then said to herself. “You wouldn’t want someone taking away your ability to choose. Don’t go there.”

At that, Mara’s final decision had been made. She hit the ‘enter’ button on the keyboard, her eyes fixed to the screen as they waited to read perhaps another message. Hoping she’d made the right choice, she suddenly heard a strange creaking sound fill the air. Backing away from the computer just a bit, she turned her head in the direction of the sound.

“I hope you didn’t do something stupid, Mara,” Mara then said to herself, her voice laced with slight worry. Taking a deep breath, she hoped with all her heart that when she awakened this Deadman that he could tell her about her family, her grandfather. And then, she hoped he’d not give her trouble when she informed him that she needed to bring him back to the EUS with her. After all, his life… or whatever one could call it… was on the line. And she was the one sent to help him.

As the CD tray was returned back in with nothing on it, the screen continued to display a series of information.

Master Command Disk not inserted... Mission directives not set... DISREGARDED

FreeAI system operational...

ATTENTION. CAPSULE DOOR OPENING IN FIVE MINUTES.
Final operations check commencing...

Generator output... Online
Activating energy source...
25%...
30%...
35%...
49%...
67%...
79%...
84%...
99%...
100%... Completed... Energy source online.

Radar functions... Online...
COMPASS map system... Online...
KF-434 arm cannon firing systems... Online
Secondary weapon (Ray-ZOR Longsword) recognized...
Firing safety protocol... Functional...
Data transfer systems... Engaged...
Motor functions... Operational...
Suspenion/Propulsion system "GK-965"... Operational

Life signal... Detected...

ATTENTION. CAPSULE DOOR WILL OPEN IN TWO MINUTES.

Visual systems... Initializing...

Tru-Sight2000 scanning system... Operational...
Heat-Sight F-385 scanning system... Operational...
Night-Sight KF-386 scanning system... Operational...

Visual system check OK

Internal systems check... Initializing...

Damage shock absorption systems... Online...
Damaged parts jettison operation... Functional...
Minimalization to damaged areas... Functional...
Self-destruction sequence... Functional...
Sleep mode... Operational...
Damage monitoring systems... Engaged...
Self-destruction override... Functional...
Energy recharge function... Online...

Internal systems check OK

ATTENTION. CAPSULE DOOR UNLOCKING... 3... 2... 1...

CAPSULE DOOR UNLOCKED.

Radar sweep initializing...

Nonthreatening life form detected.

CAPSULE DOOR OPENING IN

10...
9...
8...
7...
6...
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
0...

ATTENTION! CAPSULE DOOR OPEN!

Suddenly, a hiss of air began to be sucked through the opening capsule as it opened, the sound piercing through the mechanical beeping and computerized whirring, eventually revealing inside of it a mostly crimson colored humanoid cyborg, its head adorned with a sharply pointed helmet accented with a bright robin's egg colored crystal accenting it squarely in the middle of it. In back of the helmet was a truly remarkable sight, as a thick spray of blonde hair was seen jutting out the back of the cyborg's head, running down its back and nearly ending at his thighs. For the most part, the crimson cyborg laid there dormant, his eyes closed as if it was in a state of sleep. It would take about another several minutes of silence before his eyes opened slowly. With the same speed of eternity itself, Deadman now began to move, his first one being him slowly rising into a sitting position with a seemingly blank look on his face. There was an eerie silence in the room now that the cyborg had been freed as he would then aim his eyes of luminescent blue towards the person that freed him from his long "sleep".

No words were spoken from Deadman as he then moved out of the capsule's compartment, soon standing on his own two feet with his hands at his sides, standing at least a good foot and two inches taller than her rather easily. His attention now being drawn to seemingly nothing as he continued to stand there, the diamond shaped light at his helmet blinking on and off on occasion. A good several moments passed as he then turned his attention towards what appeared to be a handle of a sword that was mounted securely on a wall, but the blade was missing entirely. Narrowing his eyes at it, Deadman walked over to the handle and extended his right hand out to it, gripping his hand on the handle then slowly took it back then attached the blade to a compartment behind his left shoulder.

"So..." Deadman finally spoke, his head not turning in any direction for several moments, his voice coming out as clear as crystal. "Who are you?" He asked. Now looking over his shoulder and aiming a stern gaze at this particular woman who had now freed him from his seemingly eternal slumber.

Mara waited with bated breath as the capsule door creaked open. She could feel her entire body trembling as she read the screen and waited for her grandfather’s greatest creation to wake from its decades long sleep. It wouldn’t be long now, mere moments, before she was face to face with the being who’d known him personally.

Mara’s father never knew his own father, her grandfather, very well since he’d so very rarely seen him or spent time with him while he’d still been alive. Yes, her father recalled a few vague instances where they’d shared some fun times together as father and son, but he’d been so very young then. Due to the nature of her grandfather’s work and the ways in which the SER had run such things, especially back then, that were deemed high risk and high security, the man had been all but separated from his family entirely for the duration of most of her father’s life. It had saddened her to learn of such things, especially since something deep inside her told her that it had probably pained her grandfather to be away from his family all the time.

Just then, time seemed to slow down, almost go still. The capsule door had completely opened and Mara could easily see the cyborg that had been enclosed inside. Her pale eyes went wide as she took in the sight of him. ‘He knew my grandfather,’ she thought to herself. ‘He knew him.’ So many emotions ran through her at that moment, emotions that overwhelmed her and caused her eyes to tear a bit. Blinking several times, she wiped them away and continued to look upon this being her grandfather had helped create.

Not realizing it, Mara was letting her guard down, letting her feelings get in the way of the caution she should have been keeping. But honestly, she couldn’t help it. Her gunblade was forgotten, her eyes fixed upon the cyborg as he finally sat upright and looked at her. For a brief moment, his eyes locked onto hers. In that moment, she felt her heart stop. He was waking, he was… alive? She didn’t quite know what state he was in, but from her perspective he was indeed coming to life, taking in his surroundings, sizing everything up. She was in awe of the being she saw there before her for never had she ever seen anything like him.

Finally, the cyborg, Deadman, stood up and began to look about the room. Mara just continued to watch, her weapon and her mission both forgotten. So many questions ran through her mind and she hoped he’d be willing to talk with her. It would mean so much, more than he could ever know. Just then she wondered… could he feel? Was such a thing possible? She honestly didn’t know. Cybernetics wasn’t something she was well versed in at all. So she had no idea if even a supposedly free-thinking artificial intelligence could truly feel anything. She supposed time would tell and she found herself hoping that somewhere deep inside that cybernetic-human hybrid of a body was the original man who was at the cyborg’s core.

Deadman walked past Mara just then. She felt herself shrink back a little as he loomed past her, his height towering over her own. He found something resembling a handle and began working with it as if she wasn’t even in the room. Did he see her there? Did he care?

“So…”

Mara gasped. She hadn’t expected Deadman to speak for some reason, at least not in the manner in which he was. He seemed to have his attention occupied with the weapon he was creating, yet somehow he was engaging in conversation with her.

“Who are you?” Deadman asked.

Mara licked her lips, her mouth feeling dry. Brushing a hand through her dark hair she opened her mouth to speak. “I… I’m Mara Kalish,” she said, her voice soft and low. “I’m Dr. Kalishnikov’s granddaughter.”

Right when she said the words "Kalishnikov's granddaugher", the cyborg seemed to stand there, still as a statue as he aimed his eyes down at her with a bit of a perplexed look on his face. That same thought would soon enter his mind in the form of a search query, indicated by him lifting one of his hands up and rested it under his chin and closed his eyes in thought as he began to think about the name in question.

At first, he thought, the search would turn up nothing, but apparently there were a few articles that he had caught wind of that seemed to jostle his memory a bit before he popped open his eyes then turned his eyes towards her with a blank look, despite it seemed as though he was genuinely surprised. Odd, though. He didn't seem to recall much more information other than what he had found about him. Looking down to the right gauntlet after bringing it up, he operated the small keypad that was there and fiddled with it few a few moments before a holographic projection appeared, showing this "Mara" woman the item he had found using his "thought" search engine, showing her the article of her grandfather's death, dating back some time ago.

"Do you mean this man?" Deadman asked as he then held out the gauntlet so that his enclosed hand was near her so she could get a better look of the image all while keeping his eyes on her with the same otherworldly stare, one that seemed as though that while it was indeed capable of be tactful and considerate, the opposite was also true, for it also seemed as though this man-like machine could also be sent from the devil himself, imbued with weapons and equipment that could decimate all of mankind with just a few mere strokes of his hands.

But before she could answer the question he had posed to her, Deadman took his hand back from her then glanced around for a moment, narrowing his eyes as he lowered his hand down to his side. "Were you followed here?" He then asked sharply before flicking his eyes back over to her.

Mara just stood there silently as she watched Deadman go into what appeared to be a deep state of thought. She wondered what he was thinking, what memories he was trying to recall. As the moments passed, she felt herself becoming nervous, agitated. Did he not remember her grandfather? The man who helped create him? Her heart began to sink as she started to think the worst, that he didn’t recall one of his creators. Again, she felt her eyes prickle, but she blinked them several times before any damned tears could give away her frustrations, her disappointments.

Just then, Deadman looked at Mara. Her heart racing as she allowed hope to slowly ebb back within it. She watched him type on what appeared to be some sort of keypad attached to the gauntlet of his right hand when suddenly an image popped up for her see. Immediately, her eyes went wide. The hologram he showed her looked exactly like the man in the picture that her father had shown her back when she’d confronted him.

He remembered!

“Do you mean this man?” Deadman asked.

Mara’s mind had gone blank. Her eyes were fixed upon the image before her, the man she never knew and wished she did. For her father’s sake, for her own. She was sure that if she could learn things about the renowned scientist, it might soften her own father’s heart a little when it came to recalling his past. It made her sad to see her father get so cold and distant any time anything about his time before defecting to the EUS came to be a reality. Even her own mother had never been able to crack that shell he’d surrounded himself with when it came to those memories, memories he’d never shared and probably never would. Unless…

Shaking her head, her mind snapping back to reality, Mara looked at Deadman. She was about to answer him, let him know that he was indeed remembering the right man when she felt a strange shiver run along her spine. As she looked at the cyborg, took in his appearance, his gaze, everything, she found herself wondering just what it was she’d gotten herself into now. She’d awakened her grandfather’s greatest creation. A soldier. A weapon. A cybernetic life form with a mind of its own. Oh god! Her heart told her to trust her instincts on this, but her training with the resistance was starting to niggle the back of her brain. Swallowing, she wanted to reach for her gunblade. Just in case. But she wasn’t stupid. This man, this cybernetic intelligence would tear her apart if he’d had the notion. She just hoped he’d find her not worth it.

“Were you followed here?” Deadman then asked, his gaze still penetrating, cold, calculating.

Mara shook her head. “No. I was careful. No one saw me come to this section of town let alone enter this place. I…” her voice trailed and again she shivered. “Please,” she then said. “Do you remember my grandfather? He was one of the two men who created you?”

Mara knew she was being bold and possibly compromising her mission for the resistance. But she couldn’t help it. Before she could follow through on anything, she needed to know. Consequences be damned! She’d deal with the repercussions later. As she waited for Deadman to answer her, she bit down on her lower lip nervously. If he didn’t recall, she’d get over it. She’d have to. But if he did…? Oh it was a thought too good to be true.

Just then there was a loud rattling sound coming from outside the door of the back room that both Mara and Deadman were in. Immediately, her eyes went wide and her teeth began to chatter. “That’s impossible…” she mumbled aloud. “I was so careful.”

Deadman simply disregarded her question as he kept looking around from side to side with perhaps the most steely eyed look that any man - or machine, for that matter - could possibly give. There was an eerie quiet that hung in the air for maybe about a few moments or so as he stood there, each and every motor function within his cybernetic body coiled up like a spring and ready to unload everything in one leveling blow. He knew there was something that was amiss here, but what it was wasn't exactly known to him for the most part.

Soon enough, a section of a visor came down over his left eye, operating with it a targeting reticle as well as one of his various scanning functions, wondering if there was something that wasn't supposed to have been here. Soon enough though, this search would turn up nothing and with it, the targeting/scanning visor slid back up from his eye once more while his body began to relax from its tense state for now as he continued to look around from side to side even when asked more about this man that was called her grandfather.

"I'm afraid that is all I know for now. I will have to run another search for that man you requested at a later time." He answered simply before turning his bright bluish gaze back towards her, his eyes seeming as though they could pierce right into her soul without a second thought.

At the sound of a rattling, Deadman's right hand would soon alter itself as it receded back into the gauntlet, replaced by an arm cannon then aimed it towards the direction he heard the rattling come from and his eyes sharply narrowed all within one movement, his long flow of blonde swaying about for a moment once he was completely still.

Mara felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach as the little bit of hope she allowed herself to feel once again was completely dashed. Deadman didn’t remember anything. Not a thing. Nothing. Every ounce of him that had once been human was gone the moment he was fused to the circuits now holding him together and giving him life. It wasn’t easy to accept, but she really had no choice. She nodded at his answer, her body fighting off the frustration and sadness that threatened to consume her whole.

‘Not now, Mara. Not now. Focus. You have a mission now. Complete it, god damnit!’ Mara scolded herself.

But Mara’s thoughts were cut short at the rattling sounds from beyond the door. She’d been followed. Despite how careful she’d been, someone had followed her trail to where she currently was. She wondered if the person or persons had any idea that she’d found Deadman, that she’d awakened him. Were they even the enemy?

‘Shit!’

Mara felt like such an ass, like all the training she’d gone through over the past two years had been for nothing. She was a failure. Not just to the resistance, but to herself, her family. The Kalishnikov legacy. Angry at herself, she reached for her gunblade, readying it for who or whatever it was that was on the other side of the door. Deadman hadn’t wasted any time either and that came as no surprise. She saw his body shift and change as it prepared itself to engage an enemy.

Not wanting to risk Deadman, Mara let out a sharp exhale and moved swiftly to the door. She could hear voices. Three? Yes. Male. So she knew that there were three men on the otherside and she could tell that they were speaking Russian, a dialect she’d never heard before, probably from a region outside of the city. As she heard the men approaching the door, their footsteps loud and hard as they made their way closer and closer, she finally pushed open the door with a hard thrust.

The door itself slammed into one of the men, knocking him down onto the ground. He was hardly incapacitated, but the shock was enough to give her a slight advantage. Gunblade in hand, Mara eyed the other two men. SER intelligence. She was sure of it. They had to have been working for the faction that sought out Deadman, their largest enemy save the one of the SAE. The two men smirked and lunged at her, their hands going for their own concealed weapons. Without thought, she swung her gunblade at the nearest charging man. He anticipated her move and ducked, chuckling loudly as he did so.

Mara knew she was in for it. She was outnumbered and not the best of fighters even with her gunblade. Had it been a one on one, she’d have had a chance. But with three? There was no way. Ugh! She should’ve stayed hidden, not let her emotions and the personal feelings she had over her family’s connections to this mission get the best of her. Only now it was too late. The damage had been done and now both she and Deadman were at risk.

Mara’s gunblade finally struck the one man squarely on the side. She pulled the trigger sending a jolt through his body, knocking him over and causing him to slide along the pavement until he crashed into the opposite wall. Knowing that she’d barely put a dent in this small melee, she turned her attention to the other man. Only it was moments too late. He was up and charging, his face angry and red. He grabbed her arm and twisted her around. The man who’d been hit by the door was already up and moving toward his comrade and his new captor.

The man grinned evilly at Mara, making her blood curdle and turn to ice. She wanted to scream out, to tell Deadman to get out of there and find a place to remain hidden where no one would find him. But she’d already compromised too much. Her nation needed her, Deadman needed her. She couldn’t let them down. Not now. Wincing from the hold the one man had on her, she braced herself for what would happen next, her only thought being that somehow they didn’t find Deadman, that they didn’t know he’d been awakened from his slumber.

Deadman continued to leave his arm cannon outward, listening to the various noises that came from all around them now, almost as if he was expecting something - anything, for that matter - to come out from its hiding place and make itself known to him or else run the risk of getting atomized. But just where were the possibly enemies coming from and who were they? That was what he wanted to know. Soon enough, the same scanning visor came down over his eye once more, releasing with it an ultrasonic sonar ping. Soon enough, three enemies were approaching their location and they were coming in quick.

Dammit! Just under my nose! Deadman began to rationalize as he glared back at Mara. This was her fault, he thought before looking back at the door with an increased sense of aggravation on his face before he shook his head slowly. No, there was no time to pin the blame on anyone now. There was a time for pinning the blame on someone and there was a time for action. And right now, decisions had to be made. The exit. Where was the way out of this place, he wondered. God, this place was so run down, that he could barely even tell! If he had to, he could make his own way out with a charged blast to the walls, but he wasn't so sure. Besides, there was a great chance that he would wound up hurting Mara in the process! What was he to do?!

Then suddenly, a banging noise, followed by someone grunting out in pain! Someone broke through the door when he wasn't even paying attention! Shit, this was getting worse and worse by the second! Even moreso when a certain alarm went off on his visor, informing him of a potential threat was coming their way! At first, Deadman couldn't believe that she alone would try to have the audacity to charge into combat alone without any backup, but that fact remained the same. She was looking to get beaten down by those two if he didn't do something soon.

He could fire a warning shot and get them to back off, but that wouldn't do any good. No, he had to do something more drastic this time around. Something that would have to get their attention long enough for them to do exactly as he said without question.

It would be tricky, but Deadman had no other option. Soon enough, his arm cannon disengaged, allowing his right hand to pop back out then reach for the handle that was behind his left shoulder and held it out for a moment before pressing a button on it as a bright jade beam of energy had now sprung out from it, taking on the form of a longsword's length.

Without warning, Deadman would soon spring in the fray, charging at the two assailants from behind one of then then took a full swing at one from a diagonal angle, the energy blade easily cleaving through that man's armor and searing through flesh with equal ease before knocking him down to the ground with a well aimed backfist to that same soldier's head.

Once that soldier was out of the way, he extended the beam saber out towards the man that was holding her captive, his eyes of blue fixed upon him with a deathly glare. "Attention, assailant!" Deadman snarled out to him. "You have but five seconds to release your prisoner into my custody before I am forced to employ lethal force on you! Comply immediately!"

Mara knew what she’d done was stupid. But logic had all but flown out the window the moment those men’s voices carried to her ears. She had to make sure Deadman didn’t fall into their clutches. Whether they were good, bad or something else entirely was irrelevant. Deadman was a piece of her family’s history, her grandfather’s legacy. Even if he didn’t recall his creator, he was still his masterpiece. Nothing, not even something like amnesia, would change that. Besides, it was her mission as requested by the EUS resistance that she retrieve him and see that he stayed safely hidden from any and all possible enemies. If that meant risking her life and causing a diversion, then so be it. And from the look of things, that’s exactly what she’d ended up doing.

As the man held tightly onto Mara, his grip bruising her porcelain-colored flesh, she felt a surge of panic rise from within. She wasn’t ready to die, to be tortured. She just wasn’t. But now she’d gone and made a mess of things and had to deal with the repercussions. James, the one who’d seen to her various trainings once she’d joined the resistance, would’ve given her a firm slap for this behavior and she knew damned well she’d have deserved it. And then some. He’d always been telling her she thought too much with her heart and not her head and goddamn, he was right! But what was funny was that she knew if given the opportunity to do things differently just now, she wouldn’t have. These men were bad news, something deep inside told her this and she always trusted that instinct.

Wincing, holding back her shouts, Mara tried her best to brace herself for the worst. Being captured by what she was certain was the enemy, she knew bad things… very bad things… would ensue. Deadman had to leave her behind. It was a logical step. Who the hell was she to him anyway? He didn’t recall his creator for fuck’s sake! So he definitely didn’t understand the personal ties as she did. Plus, he wasn’t human. His core might be, but he was cybernetic now. Cool logic replacing heated emotion. It was in his best interest to leave her behind, let the mess take care of itself and get away undetected.

Suddenly, Deadman came from behind the door, fully revealing himself in all his glory to the men holding Mara captive. She felt herself gasp at the sight of the cyborg. He was magnificent, a true masterpiece of cybernetics. But he was also lethal and the most frightening thing she’d ever seen. What happened next was all but a blur. He charged into the room and easily took down one of the men, the one she’d struck earlier with her gunblade. He slumped down into a heaping pile of flesh and blood as he was finally thwacked against one of the walls.

The man that Mara had stunned by hitting him with the door was scrambling backwards on the floor, fear evident in his eyes. And her captor only held her more tightly, his nails digging into the flesh about her wrists causing them to sting as they broke the skin open. The tiniest of whimpers escaped her lips, but she would not cry out. Not even now.

“Attention assailant!” Deadman growled out. “You have but five seconds to release your prisoner into my custody before I am forced to employ lethal force on you! Comply immediately!”

Mara felt her body begin to shake. Would her captor listen? Would he kill her and take one for his team? It was so hard to say with these sorts. She’d heard rumors that some could indeed be suicidal, so was this man one of those? Trying to calm down, allowing the hope of survival to kick in, she found herself thinking that he wasn’t. That he wanted to live just as much as she did. The question was, how much fight and how many tricks did he have before such instincts kicked in. She could only hope that there were very few.

“What is she to you?” the captor asked, his accent thick and heavy. “She is a nothing. Just someone standing in the way of what you truly are and can become. Come with us and we can allow you to learn your true potential. This one only wants to stunt that.” The man paused, his breath catching slightly which made Mara wonder if he was worried his five second were up. “Surely, you can see reason,” he then added, a plea to make the cyborg hesitate.

Mara could tell that the man holding her was afraid now. His grip was starting to loosen just a little bit due to the sweat that was forming on his pallid skin. She took the moment to stomp down on his in-step, causing him to immediately release her. The force of his reaction caused her to fall onto the cold, hard floor of the warehouse.

“Bitch!” the man shouted out as he retrieved a blade concealed on his hip. He looked up at Deadman, unsure of what the cyborg would do, who he would choose. Not wasting anymore time, he let his pride get in the way and he lunged for Mara.

“No!!!” Mara screamed as she braced herself for the knife that was coming at her. Her only hope now was that Deadman had meant what he said just moments ago, that he wanted her in his custody and away from these assailants.

Of course, the cyborg could see reason in the man's words. Mara might have been nothing to him at first, but the reasoning here was that this was an aggravated assault on Mara's person by holding her against her will. But there was something else had made him ponder. True potential? What potential was there for him to have other than his current specifications as of now? A shake of his head soon followed as he continued to stand there, beam saber extended out to Mara's remaining assailant before he spoke. "I do not know of this 'true potential' you speak of, but my warning to you still stands. You are to release Mara into my custody now before I enact lethal force, so I suggest you heed my warning if you know what's best for you." Deadman warned him again, narrowing his eyes at him. During this time, he could detect that there was a great deal of distress going on between the two. It was clearly apparent that Mara was the one who was in the most distress when he scanned her, seeing that her heart rate was elevated, her blood pressure was rising progressively and her adrenaline levels were spiking. There was no time for him to tell her calm down, and even less time for this man to let her go.

Soon enough though, the cyborg watched as Mara stomped on the assailant's foot hard before dropping down onto the ground in front of her. Granted, it wasn't what he had planned, but it was definitely enough to get her to get out of the man's grasp. He was about to move over to retrieve her when from out of the corner of his eye came the assailant yet again, this time armed with a knife before lunging at her.

"No you don't!" Deadman snarled out before he also lunged at him as he deactivated the beam saber and put it to his back once again then used the the jet function located at his feet to get a quick burst of speed then shut it off as quick as he flung himself directly into the attacker, throwing his mechanical body into his stomach with a bone rattling shoulder tackle straight into the ground. Once there, Deadman held a hand back as it altered into an arm cannon again, pointing it directly down at the man's face, offering him a deathly glare as he held him down with his other hand.

"Do you surrender?" Deadman demanded. "If you do, I'll let you leave here with your life. If not, then I will kill you."

Mara readied herself for immense pain, if not death itself. And it wasn’t something she found her body or mind welcoming at all. Just when she thought the inevitable was about to happen, things stop. It was as if time went suddenly still and eerily quiet. Blinking her crystalline blue eyes, she looked over at Deadman who now had her captor pinned on the unforgiving pavement that was the floor. Still shaken, she tried to get herself to calm down just enough to take in all that was suddenly happening around her.

The enemy man glanced over to Mara out of the corner of his eye. She couldn’t believe it, but the man was pleading with her, seeking mercy. It astounded her, then again, people did funny things when death looked them square in the face. One thing was for certain, his reaction confirmed her gut instinct that he wasn’t the suicidal type.

As she watched him beg with his eyes, his mind conflicted over what to do, Mara felt her own conflicts bubbling up from within. This man would have killed her. She knew this with all her heart. He was a threat, still was and would be if allowed to live. But the idea of killing someone when they appeared so helpless and unable to fight back or defend themselves? For good or bad, it tugged on her heart strings. She knew James would’ve backhanded her for that thought too and again she knew she’d deserve it. But she couldn’t help who she was at her core and if it meant taking beatings several times over then hell that was the way of things.

Mara shook her head just then and whispered, “Just surrender. You will die.”

Mara knew that without a doubt. Ripples of cold, calculating logic coupled with an energy so lethal it would make the strongest and bravest men quiver, emanated from Deadman in roaring waves. The look in his eyes alone told the truth of the matter.

“You’ve lost,” Mara whispered again as she slowly got herself up into a sitting position. She unconsciously began to rub at her wrists, her fingers working the cuts and bruises the man had placed there when he’d held her captive.

Just then, the man scowled. “I concede,” he stated, his voice flat and even.

The other man looked on in fear, his pants wet from having pissed himself over what he’d just witnessed. No doubt he was new to the lifestyle. Whimpering, he moved further away from the scene until his back struck against the wall. Mara could hear the man mumbling underneath his breath, words spoken in a language she didn’t understand. Regardless, she was sure he was saying something along the lines of ‘thank you’ and ‘wishing to get away alive’.

Licking her lips, Mara moved over next to Deadman. She glanced once more at the two men who were spies for the SER, her mind reeling over the mess she’d created and couldn’t clean up due to her own sense of moral. Reaching out a hesitant hand, she touched Deadman’s arm. “We have to run,” she stated. “We can’t stay here.” She hoped he understood what she meant, that their lives were both now on the line. The enemy would be in hot pursuit now and they’d have a lead on their most current whereabouts. It was no longer safe to stay in the SER. They had to leave. And they had to leave immediately.

Once he heard the man concede, Deadman slowly got up with his arm cannon still aimed down at the man before he gestured with his head as he spoke. "Understand this is a one time offer when I say this to you, sir. You are to never show your face around my and this person ever again. If you do return, I will revoke your right to live." The cyborg said to him coldly as he heard one of his other comrades scurry off into the cold night air.

"On your feet." He demanded again as he reached down for the would-be attacker and used an enforcing grip with his unoccupied hand to pick him up with and then began to shove him out roughly as well. "Now go. Go and never return." Deadman barked out again, his voice as cold and as unforgiving as the temperature outside before turning back inside and then moved back to Mara again, listening to her tell him that it wasn't safe here, wherever this place was, anyway. "I am blatantly aware of this Mara, but I'm not even sure where we even are. I think once we are out into the open, I should be able to get a better reading." He added as his arms crossed over his metallic chest, aiming his eyes squarely at her.

Mara let out a sigh of relief when the two men conceded defeat and were roughly shoved out of the warehouse. She could hear their boot-clad feet hitting the asphalt outside as they ran along the road and away from where she and Deadman stood. She knew damned well those two wouldn’t be back. But that didn’t mean their friends wouldn’t be. In fact, she was pretty sure they’d be back with a lot of back up and firepower, ready to blow her off the face of the planet and take Deadman into their custody for experimentation. The EUS resistance had received a little intelligence informing them of the rough plans their enemies had for the cyborg.

Cyborg. Something felt wrong in calling Deadman that. Mara knew he was mostly cybernetics now thanks to the work of her grandfather and Doctor Freedman. But that didn’t change the fact that he was still part man as well. The fact that he had a shred of humanity in there making him tick made it seem so wrong to call him anything less. Cyborg sounded so cold, so distant. Just then, a strange shiver ran along her spine.

It was then that Deadman had turned to face her, his arms folded against his chest. Those eyes of his seemed to pierce through her flesh and burn into her soul. It was a gaze she didn’t think she could ever get used to regardless of anything. “I am blatantly aware of this Mara,” he stated, his voice firm, in response to her telling him they needed to leave for their own safety. “But I’m not even sure where we even are. I think once we are out into the open, I should be able to get a better reading.”

Mara’s blood went cold, her face going white as a sheet. “Go out into the open?” she shrieked. “We need to find a back way, somewhere discreet, hidden. If those guys had transports nearby, they’ll be ready and waiting. You cannot be seen. Not yet. Not now.” Her voice was frantic, hints of worry and panic dripping from every word.

Mara could see that she wasn’t getting off to a good start with Deadman. But she hoped he could dig deep and find that shred of humanity she knew he possessed and understand that she truly was looking out for his best interest. She honestly wasn’t meaning to cross him, so to speak, but he wasn’t aware of the times, didn’t realize just how valuable so many groups found him to be and that in the wrong hands he could destroy not just the world, but himself along with it. Either outcome would be bad in her eyes.

“Look, I’m not meaning to dictate here, but you’re a wanted man,” Mara then said deciding quickly to change tactics. “Those men might not be back, but their friends will be and they’ll be ready too.” Biting down on her lip, she then added, “Maybe we can find a back way. This place is big enough. But I’ll have to lead. Better I go down than you. It’s important that you stay free, that no one ever controls you.”

Mara had no idea why she was saying such things to Deadman. Could he truly understand the feeling and emotion that she was showing him on her sleeve? No doubt he could detect her panic and fear, but it was more than that. She still hoped that somewhere deep in the recesses of his brain he could remember her grandfather. Whether he truly could or not was something she’d worry about later, but for now, she’d hold onto the idea. It would keep her moving, drive her forward and that’s what she needed now more than anything.

Looking down at her hands, Mara saw the cuts and bruises that would forever remind her of this moment until the day they finally faded and scarred. Letting out a soft sigh, she looked up into Deadman’s eyes. “Please,” she began, her voice holding a tone letting him know that she was trying to ask, not dictate. “We must go. Please. I'll fill you in a bit more once we're out of here and out of imminent danger.”

Once more, Deadman gave her a steely eyed look. Granted, it would be a little risky if the two of them were to go out the front way, for there was no telling if there were enemy transport units that were still out there. However, he also knew that he wouldn't be able to utilize his long range map function if the two of them were to remain in here for much longer, too. So what was he to do, he wondered as he lifted a hand under his chin, resting in in between the crook of his thumb and pointer fingers, itching it pensively.

After a little thought, Deadman soon looked up at her as he lowered his hand back down from his chin and placed it back into the crook of his other arm and aimed his eyes back at her with his head leaned down a bit, perhaps doing nothing to lessen the intimidating look in his eyes. "Fair enough." He said after a moment. "We shall do this your way, but remember that my long range scanning systems are not going to be of any use to me here. We still need to be in an open area where I can be of more service." Deadman added as he pointed at her.

Mara felt a wave of relief wash over her when Deadman agreed with her logic. She mumbled a small bit of thanks to the grandfather she never knew for creating something that could understand and began to head toward another door that seemed to lead toward the back of the building. She knew it was dark outside. Dark and cold and the smell of snow had definitely been in the air. She wondered if that would impede any of his scanners he claimed he could use to assist them in their getaway.

“This way,” Mara whispered as she stalked down the long corridor that seemed to go on endlessly. After several minutes, they finally reached the end. She looked over at Deadman and gave him a curt nod. “I’ll go first and make sure no one’s out there. When I give you the signal, follow me.”

Swallowing lightly, Mara let her hand find the handle of her gunblade. Gripping it tighter than normal, she slowly, carefully edged her way out into the back loading docks. The place seemed deserted, but with the darkness surrounding them, it was difficult to tell if they were truly alone. Glancing up, she saw the moon overhead and from out of the sky, snow was now falling. Instinctually, she pulled her scarf up about her mouth and nose and began a sweep of the area. From what she could tell, no one was about. Turning her body, she signaled for Deadman to follow. She hoped that his scanners could work out where they were, to do a final check of the area for any potential threats.

“Do you think you can do a reading here?” Mara asked. “Locate any heat signatures or anything of that nature?” She hoped so. Regardless, they needed to head toward the river. She had a transport waiting there, one that would take them to a safer place where they could plan their next move.

As he watched her move ahead of him, Deadman would soon begin to follow suit, keeping a bit of a distance from Mara initally. There was something about all of this that was still bothering him a great deal, and one of those things were when that man had told him that the came with them, that he would be shown the true nature of his capabilities. Just what did he mean by all of that, he wondered as he continued to walk behind Mara with his hands clenched into fists for now and his head held down low as he continued to walk with a thoughtful expression on his face. Furthermore, the fact that he was simply reawakened by this woman not more than at least 20 minutes ago. Soon enough though, he was soon met with a hard blast of frigid air as the two eventually came up to the back exit and Mara opened the door, but not before telling him to stay put until he was signaled to come out after her.

Honestly, just who does this woman take him for? A child? He was more than capable to handle himself, thank you very much! It honestly irked him a great deal, but then again he figured he might as well follow directions for right now if the two of them were to be able to get out of this area. As he came out when signaled, Deadman had already put his hand up to the side of his helmet, fiddling around with it it for a moment as his long range scanning radar became active. By this time, a full visor came down over both eyes this time around, looking at the various details that were now being sent through his neural interface. It would take a little bit of triangulation, but after blowing up the map to get a better lock on their current location, it turned out that they were nowhere near what he had thought originally. Rather, it seemed as though they were in some part of Russia. It wasn't clear as to what, but he would figure it out sooner or later.

Another press to a button on his helmet soon followed, releasing an ultrasonic sonar ping that expanded outward from his location, easily reaching 500 miles within moments. Apparently, there were still some heat signatures out there, but it was too early to tell in order to get a proper lock on what was out there still. He would focus on these heat signatures, narrowing his eyes at them quizzically as a lock began to form on them. "It's hard to tell at this point, but there is something out there. I'm picking up at least two clusters of heat signals at least 200 yards to the northwest." He answered before the full visor tucked under his helmet again then looked to her.

Mara could sense that Deadman wasn’t overly fond of her. If a cyborg could indeed feel, and she had a weird feeling this one somehow could, as humans did, she’d go so far as to say he disliked her very much. She tried to think about how or why he’d feel this way, but she was coming up blank. She honestly didn’t think she’d done anything to offend him. However, the fact that she thought she might have? It was enough for her to trust gut. It was typically spot on in such situations and given that, she had no other choice but go with it.

Mara had no idea about anything when it came to the field of cybernetics. For all she knew there were unwritten and secret rules that weren’t meant to be broken and she’d found a way to break the biggest and worst of them. The thought of that made her wince, was something she didn’t like the idea of dwelling on. As her eyes lingered on Deadman for a moment longer than necessary, she decided it was his shred of humanity, the one he thought was lost and couldn’t recall, that made him act as he was toward her. The thought of that gave her hope, but it also meant she needed to find a way to counter these negative affects she was seeming to have on him. The last thing she wanted was a lethal cyborg annoyed with her.

“More than likely they’re reconnaissance teams,” Mara began. Her heart rate sped up as her nerves kicked into high gear. Though it wasn’t the fear of what had happened or could happen with those spies. No. She was worried that she’d somehow find a way to piss off the man standing next to her. “Those men we dealt with might have been the initial scouts meant to do a generalized sweep so that they could report their findings and give the ‘ok’ for them to move on in,” she then said, half to herself and half to Deadman.

Licking her lips, Mara suddenly wondered if part of the reason why Deadman was annoyed with her was because she was perhaps stepping on his ego. From what she knew of his past life, he’d been a soldier. Of course he knew these things. Oh she felt so stupid.

Blushing a little, Mara looked up into Deadman’s eyes and gave him a look of worry. “I’m sure you know this,” she began. “But keep an eye on them. We’ll need to know if they start moving in or not. My guess is that they will and sooner than later.”

Mara was sure that her words would somehow get under the skin, or in Deadman’s case, his metal casings, of the man standing before her. Given her current track record, they always seemed to. That said, why would this moment be any different? She doubted it would be, but she still held onto the hope that he could tell she wasn’t meaning to insult him. Was that hope in vain? She didn’t know, time would only tell. Regardless, she wouldn’t be able to truly concentrate on such things until they were both safe, out of harm’s way. Not until they were both on her transport located on the river.

Still blushing, Mara added, “We do have a problem though.” Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself down. “That cluster you said is northwest of here? It’s directly blocking our path to our ship.”

It wasn't so much that Deadman outright hated her, but it was more or less annoying that she was basically leading him around when he was the one that should be directing traffic, possibly even protecting her from any and all threats that were heading his way. At least, that was what the cybernetics were saying, anyway. Besides, who was she in accordance to him, aside from being the person who released him from his tomb?

When she began to speak of the cluster of heat signatures were possibly recon teams, Deadman simply nodded his head once at Mara as he once again reached a hand up to the side of his helmet once more as the full visor came down over both eyes once again, his scanners now having picked up movement from the both of them. It seemed as though they had begun their movements, but they were heading due southeast, heading in their direction.

This made him narrow his eyes at this knowledge curiously for a little while before he gave a bit of a small grumble under his breath as he kept the visor down for now as he glanced towards Mara. "Then if we are to head for your ship which is where you said it is, then I suggest we move around them so as to not to be spotted by the enemy. It looks to me on my scanners that there's at least anywhere between 30 to 50 smaller targets within the cluster that I can clearly see." He informed her. "I can plot a safer route for us to travel in, but you need to be beside me at all costs and are not break off from me. There's no telling who they are or what their intentions are."

With that, Deadman would then slide his visor back up into his helmet once again as he looked towards the northwest. "The best route that I can logically decide on is a trek due east and keep going that way for 300 yards," He began, holding his hand out in that direction he mentioned. "Then we hook around and then travel north." He concluded, holding his hand out facing north before looking back at Mara, noticing the blush on her face but didn't inquire about it.

Mara nodded at Deadman’s response. She could tell that his inner soldier, coupled with the inner workings of his cybernetic circuitry, was starting to kick into full gear. She had to admit that it was an amazing thing to witness. It was apparent that not only did her grandfather and his colleague outdo themselves as far as their work was concerned, but it was also very clear that the base man they’d had to work with had to have been top notch back in his day. As she looked at him, she wondered if he’d ever recall his previous time, a time long forgotten over the decades as wars raged on and rebel groups began to rise.

Deadman had suggested they move around the cluster, a decision that was very logical. They had no choice but to do so given that they were trapped between the warehouse and the enemy recon group. And since they needed to head closer to the river, if at all possible, a route heading east made sense. Mara was very glad that Deadman had such accurate scanners at that very moment. Since he was able to pinpoint the heat signatures and even able to resolve the number of sources of the readout, he was able to efficiently determine how far they needed to head without being caught yet without extraneous travel. No human would’ve been able to achieve such a thing without a contact to a mission control or some other group that had satellite access.

Mara stared at the hand that Deadman reached out for her to take. He said she needed to stay close, that she wasn’t to let go of him no matter what happened. It was a big step into trusting this cybernetic work of art. She wondered if he realized that or if he just didn’t care one way or the other. Take a few breaths, her cheeks still burning, she placed her smaller hand in his. Her heart pounding, she was surprised at how warm it was given that it was made of metal and the air was so frigid. She wondered if he had some sort of make up that allowed his cybernetic body to regulate his temperature or if she was just hoping for him to be human enough that it was merely causing her mind playing tricks on her. Whichever was the case, she relished the warmth it gave her as they had to travel through the bitter cold of night.

The snow was falling harder now and the moon was bright. Mara hoped that she and Deadman could make it to their ship without detection. Once on board their getaway vehicle, she’d order the man guarding it back to his alternate post. She didn’t want anyone else with them once they were on board. It was too risky. The EUS resistance did indeed have their contacts in the SER, her ship’s guard being one of them. But this matter was one of great importance, not just for her nation but for her own personal agenda as well. Once alone, the two of them could then determine the best course of action together. And maybe… just maybe… she could help him jog his memory. If he even truly had one.

Once he had Mara's answer in the form of a nod as well as grasping him by the hand, Deadman soon began to take the lead this time, his pace starting out at a steady clip.

As he began to walk through the vast field of fresh snow, the cyborg could then tell the snowfall was starting to increase now and the moon was shining down upon them brightly as well, making the crimson pieces that made up his body stand out as brightly as either exuberant red rose petals or possibly even freshly shed blood. Judging from what he could tell at this time, it must've been at least half past midnight or somewhere within that time frame. He knew that he would have to adjust his internal clock systems in order to get a better reading on the exact time.

Looking back over his right shoulder, Deadman began to notice that perhaps the woman he was dragging along behind him was probably going to run a risk of catching a cold or possibly even hypothermia if these conditions continued the way they are at this point in time. With that in mind, the cyborg stopped once they had gone not more than 20 yards to the east or so before he came to a full stop and then knelt down a bit so he could reach in back of himself and took a hold of Mara then straightened himself up to his full height once more as he once again began to continue walking at the same pace.

Soon enough, the wind began to pick up, making the long and thick spray of Deadman's blonde hair flip about for a while before it finally settled down, the long locks coming to rest upon Mara'a body like some kind of blanket or something of its equivalence. During this time, Deadman's full visor came back down over his eyes once more as he continued to walk at the same pace, keeping an eye on the heat signatures that had continued to move towards the southeast where the two had been at previously. Hopefully by now they would continue that route for a while so that neither he nor Mara would have to engage them.

By the time they had reached 50 yards due east, Deadman began to notice that the signatures were now becoming a bit more clearer to him now. It turned out that it was a recon squad, but it wasn't clear as to who or what they were to him. But then again, why were there several larger blips within the cluster? Could they be tanks, he wondered. Could they just be large formations of foot soldiers? Under a technicality, they really could be anything at this point, but he was definitely going to keep an eye on them now.

At 75 yards due east some time later, Deadman began to notice there was a change in the cluster's formation. They had begun to widen out their area and several smaller blips on his scanning radar were starting to turn in their direction. No matter, the cyborg thought to himself as he continued to move through the snow, his armor receiving a bit of dusting of the frozen moisture on the metallic framework that surrounded his body. As long as they didn't pick up on his trail and follow it to them, then they should be alright. Furthermore, it seemed as though the cover from the blizzard-like conditions seemed to mask their presence to them anyway, reducing the visibility factor to about 20 to 30%. If the wind and snow continued on like this, then there was a greater chance that the recon squad would walk right past them and not even know that a cyborg and the person who released him from his capsule had slipped by them.

But by 80 yards, Deadman once again began to notice a change in pattern once more. The smaller blips were still approaching the general location they were at currently and a green cone like formation showing their field of vision at the moment informed him that LOS - or Line Of Sight - was within 100 yards. That meant Deadman had to turn more towards the south in order to keep away from them, despite he was roughly 120 yards away from them. Still, the cyborg couldn't ignore this warning and adjusted his heading to compensate for the change of direction and continued to march on through the harsh weather, carrying Mara along with him.

Mara held tightly onto Deadman’s hand, it astounded her as to how warm it felt all things considered and it strangely threw her off guard. Trying not to dwell on it and deciding that it was the genius of both her grandfather and her colleague to make him seem more human than cyborg, at least in this instance, she turned her thoughts to the situation at hand. The weather was getting worse by the second, the temperature dropping as they moved closer to the water. The wind howling, the snow falling and blowing all about them.

Clutching tightly onto Deadman’s hand, Mara could feel her body shivering, the mini trembles getting harder and more noticeable with every step she took. She couldn’t feel her legs any longer, they merely moved out of instinct and familiarity since the two of them had been walking for several yards.

Just when Mara felt her hands going numb despite the heat she could swear she felt emanating off the man that held it, Deadman stopped. Shaking and quivering as the cold seeped into her bones making her want to collapse, she was suddenly picked up and placed onto his back.

‘Curious?’ Mara thought to herself, wondering what exactly Deadman was doing.

But it all too soon became clear. Deadman was sheltering Mara from the harshness of the elements, trying to make it easier on her. Her fragile human body couldn’t withstand much more of the cold, especially given that time was of the essence and she was slowing down bit by bit as they’d been forging on ahead. She was glad he didn’t say anything and just reacted. She’d have been more embarrassed than she already was, feeling to be more of a burden. Keeping quiet, she kept her body as still as she could as she remained on his back, his long blond hair covering her body and keeping her warm.

Mara held onto Deadman tightly, afraid to let go and become separated from him. That just wasn’t an outcome that was acceptable. She had no idea where the others, the enemies, were. But she knew they had to be close, trying to hone in on their location so as to cut them off in their alternate route around them. More than once she wanted to ask him what he knew and could see. But it was apparent that he was already adjusting and adapting to things as he learned them, so she decided not to interrupt his thoughts. At least not yet.

Suddenly, Mara noticed that Deadman was changing his direction yet again and this caused her to start to worry. “What’s wrong?” she rasped out, her throat a bit dry from the wind and the cold. “You changed direction again. Are we in danger?” She honestly feared the worst, but strangely being on the back of not just any cyborg, but one her grandfather had played a major role in creating, helped ease that fear somewhat. She trusted that the man she’d never met wouldn’t have created anything less than astounding. “How far off course are we? Can we still get to the ship?”

Deadman had honestly not gone more than another five more yards when he heard Mara speak to him from over his shoulder, making the crimson clad cybernetic male look back at her curiously when she asked him about why he changed direction. His answer was simple, really. "Not quite Mara, but there was something that began to attract my attention when one group within that cluster I was monitoring began to break away from the rest of the pack. My guess is that they're attempting to widen their search area to cover more ground, so I had to change my heading so that we were facing more towards the south when I received a Line Of Sight advisory. Granted, the weather might be beneficial, but something about that advisory told me it was a better idea for me to move in this direction." Deadman explained.

"As for how off course we are, "I'd say not more than five yards off course. Possibly more if that cluster headed our way doesn't change directions. Not to worry though, I believe that we will be able to get to your ship so we can be on our way to wherever you reside in." He answered with a nod as he continued to travel in the same direction.

By this time, Deadman began to notice that the same LOS advisory was starting inform him that something was coming in on them from the left. Looking in that direction when he began to pick up on something that had a long range detection module of some sort or another, Deadman narrowed his eyes at this for a moment before he began to pick up the pace as quick as he could and his grip on Mara began to increase slightly as he started to run.

"Alright Mara, this is the part where I hope you still hang onto me, because this ride of yours is about to get a little bit bumpy! I think I've been LOS'ed by one of those recon squads!" Deadman informed her with a great deal of urgency in his voice.