Anastasia "Ana" Korolev | Lorenzo
Racing through the halls of the base, Ana didn't even bother to change from her rather revealing workout outfit. Nor did she play the part of the goofy, aloof girl like usual as she seemed to know exactly where she was going in the base. Of course, she did. She had already pulled up the schematic for the base and was following along to the quickest route. It wouldn't be long before she tore through the lab, no doubt getting quite a few strange looks from the scientists. Without hesitation she flung the door to her father's office open, using her access rights and stepping inside to close the door behind her.
"Daddy! I have a mission. How am I supposed to fight with my Tayna, since she is all top secret?" She said immediately, waiting for the scientist to respond.
Lorenzo was behind large stacks of paper, with numerous wads of crinkled papers scattered on the floor. He moved hish ead to the side, and shot the android an irritated look.
"Anastasia, how many times have I told you not to dress like that outside of the laboratory? You will draw unwanted attention to yourself, dammit!" He stood up, and shut the door. Then, Ana heard a slight cracking sound coming from the old man's back, and he grunted, keeling over. "Ngh! Damn, my back!"
Ana's whole face turned a bright red as she was disciplined for her outfit.
"But Daddy it looks cute and I was working out!" She complained, but this all changed the moment shd heard the crack. In the mere blink of an eye she was at his side, eyes seeming to gaze into the distance until she suddenly stopped and went to work, having looked up how to handle this sort of situation and help him feel better.
"You better be taking your medicine daddy!" She declared, this time disciplining Lorenzo as she would help him to lay back on the floor, grabbing a small cushion for his head.
"You need to stay like this for a bit so you don't stress your back. Are you okay?" She asked, still as concerned as any daughter would be about her father.
Lorenzo grumbled, but hesitantly nodded and allowed Ana to help him down to the floor.
"If it only was about medicine...Must be the cyber-plates lining my spine. I built them myself twenty years ago, but nothing lasts forever..." He muttered, as if he wasn't talking to Ana, but then looked up at her. "Thank you, Ana. My kind daughter..." Despite all the hatred and bitterness he seemed to embody, at that moment his frailty showed, his wrinkles a testament to a rough life. He coughed. "Anyway, what was it you wanted to ask me, dear?"
Ana seemed to glow a little bit brighter at his compliment. But when he posed the next question she was suddenly back to all buisness again.
"My Tayna is like, top secret. How do I fight with her during the battle since she is that top secret? Restrained or full power?" Ana asked, hands behind her back as she stood at ease. The military programming taking over at this moment as she talked about the upcoming battle.
Lorenzo dragged himself to the wall, and lifted himself to lean his back on it with a wince. "Yes, yes...I did mean to call you here to talk about it...I was so absorbed in my research that I forgot, it seems." He lifted the bridge of his glasses. "Anastasia, this will be a test run, so by default you will work together with squad Sigma and listen to every order they give you. However, if they ask you about your weaponry, you can say you can handle yourself. That is all they need to know. As for how you fight, well...Full force is granted permission. However, don't show off too much, and optimize your actions so there won't be a need for it. Understood?"
The girl nodded an affirmative before letting go of the professional act.
"Daddy. Why did you program me to be able to feel fear? I don't like it, but I am scared of the upcoming battle. Its not fair!" She whined, stamping her foot. Though this reaction should've been expected, as throughout her short life Anastasia had always hated anything that made her seem weak or vulnerable.
Lorenzo took a hold of Ana's hand. "Anastasia, your fear is your strongest weapon. It is that instinct for self-preservation that led to humanity's evolution. It brought out our desire to improve, and to overcome that fear. Many foolish men die because they don't fear. Just don't let fear control you, Ana. Let it fuel your conviction to fight, and to protect those you love."
The girl shook her head towards her father.
"It doesn't help! I'm scared to fight. I'm scared I am going to go out there and die, then never get to experience even half the things you humans get to do!" She whined in an outburst, that small hint of the fact she knows she is something different than the rest showing in her words. Then the girl suddenly threw her arms around Lorenzo and pulled the man into a tight hug.
"I'm scared of leaving you all alone again, daddy. I just want to see you be happy." She mumbled, clinging to the man until he would peel her off.
Lorenzo first struggled, but then stopped, his lips trembling. Then, Ana felt a tear streak down his cheek. "Anastasia...I promise you, you will never die. We will be a family again, in a peaceful world. That much I owe you." And with that, he lifted his arms, and hugged her back. After what felt like a long time, he then dropped them. "Um, dear, could you let me go now? I still have some work to do for today."
"I can't let myself die. I need to make sure I find peace for you at least." The girl said softly, holding onto him for a little bit longer before letting go and taking a step back.
"My Tayna and I will fight to get you that peaceful dream, Dad. I promise. When we do... think we can register me as an actual person so I can offically be your daughter to everybody else?" She asked sheepishly, thinking it a kind of silly wish.
Lorenzo chuckled, and slowly stood up again, holding a hand to his back. "Of course, dear. And if there is no law that permits me to do so, I'll make them!" He now had a smile, and even showed his yellow-ish teeth. "Androids deserve equal rights, and by god they shall have them. Now, off you go, dear. Make me proud."
After promising to do her father proud, Ana rushed off from the office towards her containment unit and the cylinder next to it. Stepping into yhe cylinder, she had a small room where her plugsuit was hung, and privacy to dress in it. She did so quickly, stepping out of the cylinder even as she was zipping up yhe last of it, and her face turning a deep red as she caught some of the younger males gawking at what they saw before she dashed out. She was already late to the briefing, she knew, but surely they would excuse her! Daddy wouldn't let her get in trouble! As she ran, she pulled the files on the briefing to catch up to where the others would be as she arrived. Which wouldn't be very long after that thought which she arrived. Anastasia stealthily tried to sneak in the back, which of course meant she tripped and made a racquet coming in. The android simply moving quickly to be hidden among the back row in shame.
However it seemed she hsd arrived just in time for a show, as Irina tried to protest her being deployed. When the girl briefly looked towards Ana, the android met that gaze with a glare so cold, she could've sworn she saw ice forming on Irina's features. It seemed that the android seemed to be quote capable of holding a grudge. Yet her attention was stolen away whenever Katya's turn to speak was up. Admittedly Ana missed most of what Katya said, her gaze lost elsewhere on the other pilot. Yet Ana soon forced herself to refocus once more on the briefing. The rest of it was boring stuff anout assualt packs and such, nothing which mattered to Ana. So shd listened with mild interest as the group started soeaking to themselves. After a few moments Ana stepped out from the back and saluted, declaring she was going to go begin deoloyment of her werk.
Without waiting for an answer, Anastasia spun on a heel and was off towards her Werk's hangar. Once she entereted the top secret hangar, the entrance guarded by armed MPs. She walked right up to the only mech in the whole hangar, a rather alien looking machine. Its curved and smooth design similar to Cruxi ships. The girl then went and took the elevator to the top of her Werk, giving a friendly smile followed by a lighthearted push on the chest to engineer working on it to move him from her way. Across the short bridge she went, and into the back of Tayna's skull. As the rear hatch closed, Ana reached the center of the completely pitch black room. It all seemed barren until Ana calmly spoke.
"Tayna. Wake up." She said as the room suddenly flooded with light, and the massive viewscreen ahead of her slowly started to display the outside of the cockpit.
A large cable fell from the ceiling and seemed to suspend itself in the air as it moved towards Ana. The girl reached back and unzipped the top of her plugsuit, leaving what was little more than clothing open to expose the area between her shoulder blades. Immdiately the cable surged forward and found purchase in the plug there. Ana let out a high pitched yelp of surprise, before zipping the suit back up as much as she could. At that moment, she started to flpst upwards as the anti-gravity engine kicked in in the cockpit. Holographic controls appeared before her, and she was held suspended in the middle.
"Tayna. Online. All systems green, and link is stable. Engaging pre-flight check." Ana said in a robotic voice as the massive alien-looking machine took a step in oerfect unison with Ana inside the cockpit. It then turned towards the command room at the top of the hangar, moving its arms before bringing its fist into its palm like from some movie.
"Controls are green. Tayna, launching." She ssid once more before the mech moved outside. Immdiately four main flaps shot out from its shoulders and hovered not far from its body. They all glowed a brilliant green like Cruxi tech, but then the mech suddenly shot upwards, accelerating in the mere blink of an eye.
Even stranger, was the fact that the launch was utterly silent. The alien antigravity drive, and thrusters making no noise as they seamlessly cut through the air. Ana making a B-line for the carrier ship to avoid the Tayna being seen by her allies as of yet.
"Ready to kick some Cruxi ass?" She asked the werk, wondering if swould get a response.
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