#r6 mozzie (brief appearance)

[unbindingkerberos]

Conversing

Words: 1157

Warnings: None

Author's Note: Slight ooc???

Tags: @poisonedtruth @children-of-epiales @shegetsburned @unpetitoiseau

BOOM!

The walls within the training room rumbled from the explosion. "And that's it for Theta-15." Henry adjusts his watch. The other Leeches with him were Alpha-3 and Tango-7 who lifted up the debris of their fallen sibling and carried it away. "What did I say about lifting things up?" The drones look at him. He motions for the Leeches to hand over the leftover remains. Reluctantly they agreed and gave the pieces back to their creator. Henry tuts as he inspects one of the pieces. "The last thing I want is for you two to tip over and flail around helplessly." Both of them chirp regretfully and crawl up to Henry's leg who scoops them up and carefully shoves him down his vest pocket.

The walk back to his personal quarters was anything but interesting. Men and women alike with varied professions within the Rainbow facility walk past him. Some hastily sped up their pace upon recognising him while others forced a greeting. It was obvious none of these people did not appreciate his presence but Henry cared less for their opinions. 

--

With a focused look, Henry meticulously repaired the drone on his desk. Below him A3 and T7 tumbled and clashed as per their usual play fights. Finally, the Leech was as good as new. Activating it with his digital watch, the revived Leech sprung into life. "Theta-16. Good to see you again." Henry watched in satisfaction as T16 took its first steps. The drone struggled with its footing for a while before it had completely quickly adjusted. Leaping out of the table, T16 ambushed A3 who was on the verge of claiming victory against T7. Henry sighs and rests his head against the surface of the desk. The door opens and Henry turns to see a man carrying what appears to be a large drone. 

"Hallo." The man waves. Henry just stares and turns his head back to rest in its former position. He could hear steps behind him and a polite, "Entschuldigen Sie mich, bitte" followed by a mechanical chattering from his Leeches. He feels a heavy thud from the table next to him. An awkward and tense silence ensues.

"Do you like spending time here?"

Henry looks to meet the man-- visage masked by a pilot's helmet and mask. "Pardon?" 

"I've noticed you come here a lot." Was the man's reply, still fixated on the device he was working on. Now, Henry was not one for small talk or in fact conservations. But if someone starts one Henry is obligated to reply. After all, Amarice didn't teach him rude manners. "I prefer it here." He could feel the other lighten up. "I know, ja? If I could choose any place in the world to take a vacation, it would be here." Henry hums in acknowledgement. Perhaps the conversation would end--

"What are they called?"

--Never mind.

"My drones?" Henry confirmed. The man nodded, pausing his work. "They're called Leeches. They--" In a lengthy exposition, Henry explains his Leeches' schematics, their ability to hold onto targeted objects and intended use for blowing things up. The other man listened carefully, clearly interested in the information. "Such a unique device." The man praised. Henry would be lying if he said that it didn't at all fuel his ego. "You flatter me." He snorts, a phantom of a smile tugging in his lips. He shifts his attention to the device. "What does that do?" That proved to be a huge mistake to Henry's part as he was bombarded into an overwhelming conversation.

He had come to learn that device was called the ADS-MKVIV "Magpie," bragging that he proved others wrong with his invention and added that it had been successfully used on ships and tanks. He also said that his name was Marius "Jäger" Streicher, his birthday was tomorrow, his ramblings about a documentary about AI, his favorite movies and--

At this point, Henry felt dizzy. He made no comment or effort to end the conversation as he was both bewildered and confused by what just happened. He didn't even notice that three of his Leeches were on his shoulder chirping in agreement and intrigued by the ongoing conversation. 

It felt like an eternity, listening to the German much to Henry's irritation. But to his own surprise he finds himself somewhat enjoying it.

"Do you know who I am?" Henry finally asks. 

"Ja."

"And?"

"I think they might be exaggerating. You seem fun to talk to." Henry physically recoils from the reply. His mouth stuttered, finding no words. This was a first, Henry thinks. To think someone actually enjoys being with him. It had struck something inside him. Something primal. Something--

"What are you doing?"

Both turn their heads to meet Elena's shocked gaze. Marius was quick to reply but Henry interjects. "Mr. Streicher here has been providing… useful facts about the creation of his Magpie, nothing too important." He rises from his seat and feels his drones' little legs move back to his vest pocket. "I'll take my leave now." However his legs protest at the doorway. 

"Henry."

Elena and Marius stared at him in confusion.

"Was?"

"You can call me Henry."

As he leaves, he could faintly hear the hushed voice of Elena saying, "What the fuck?"

--

"Uhhhh Marius, what is that?" Jordan points at the huge black box that Marius had. "It's a gift." Marius replies happily. "Is it supposed to be beeping?" He asked, concern seeping in his voice. "I'm not sure."

Jordan and Elena exchanged nervous glances. "Marius, do you mind if you give that to me for a while?" Elena asks. Marius obliges and gives no protest. She presses her ear to the box and to her growing terror, the beeping rapidly quickens. "Marius, who gave this to you?" 

"Oh. It was that new operator from NIGHTHAVEN."

Everyone in the room paled from the sudden realisation. Elena dropped the box to the floor and yelled, "BOMB! EVERYONE FALL BACK!" Instantly the room was filled with the exclaimed voices of other operators: from Olivier's loud merde to Dominic's chanting of Scheiße. Elena and the others dove to the ground, palms covering ears. 

To their surprise however, the box shoots a colorful barrage of confetti that showered down the operator's confused faces. "Confetti?" Max said, a couple falling down his wrist. The box was open now and cautiously everyone moved in to get a better look. It was a vanilla cake with the red cursive frosting of "Happy Birthday Marius" and strawberry toppings. 

The bewildered operators stood there in silence. "So," everyone turns to Marius, "let's dig in?"

--

Unbeknownst to them, Henry had been viewing the entire ordeal with the help of Hotel-21. Due to the small size of his digital watch he decided to stream it through his laptop. His smirk grew wider and Henry chuckled in amusement.

"Happy birthday, Mr. Streicher," he raises his whiskey filled wine glass, "Happy birthday."