Most of the land-based jobs were in the security district, not too far away from the indebted center. The insurgent attack just earlier that month had left a lot of damage behind, and a lot of work had yet to be done before they could use the main holding center in the security district again. Because of the lockdown, they considered the repair of this center an emergency since they could no longer send criminals off planet to mining or farming colonies. Of course, there was also work to do outside the center; debris was scattered about damaged roads, and the other buildings nearby which had suffered collateral damage still needed to be repaired.
It was hard and dirty work, so it was perfect for a large mass of indebted people. Of course, hands could only do so much and at a certain point the automated construction bots had to be deployed.
“I had a hard time picking out a bot for you guys.” Vik said as TO and Mira followed Vik’s careful directions through the lower floors of the indebted center, and to the equipment storage area. “Honestly, the problem at first was finding something that could accommodate Pearla’s tail since there’s limited space in bot cockpits. Our interesting solution to getting the lockdown lifted, opened up a lot more options to me, so… Good job TO!”
“So long as Pearla’s going to be safe!” TO snapped as they rounded a corner, stopping and peaking around to check if anyone was coming towards them. It was quieter down here, with nearly nobody wandering about the cramped maintenance halls, so TO was free to use their echolocation. When they saw nobody down the hall, they checked again as they emitted a series of high-pitched chirps.
“It’s clear.” TO said and took off down the hallway. It was odd to be doing this out of armor, and without a multi-gun in their hands. If someone came down the hallway towards them, they’d have to resort to hand to hand combat.
“You know I can give you a warning if someone heads your way, right?” Vik said, “I am watching the cameras, and intercepting the feed. That’s why you’re able to be down there without security after you.”
“No unnecessary risks.” TO snapped, “What if you miss something?”
“I won’t.” Vik said.
“And I won’t take the risk.”
“Well, it’s just another turn, and the door is right in front of you.” Vik said, “That’s the warehouse with all the equipment. No indebted people are allowed there, only approved engineers, maintenance, and security.”
They turned another corner and ran down the hallway. The door before them was larger than the simple single doors they had passed. This one was a large metal door that appeared to roll up into the ceiling. There were multiple signs on the front saying things like ‘No unauthorized entry’ and ‘No entry without safety gear’, along with many signs warning of poison gas, radiation, and corrosive materials.
“Shit.” Mira said as she looked over it, “Should we really be going in here?”
“It’s fine.” TO said as they walked up to the door. “Those are only a concern when specific vehicles are being worked on, or refueled. Even then, it’s more of a concern for the people doing the work than it is for anyone just walking through.” They tapped gently on the door and from the sound it made they could tell that while it was secure, it wasn’t soundproof.
“How do you know that?” Vik asked, “I mean, you’re right but-”
“I’m a highly trained, specially bred soldier, created and trained on a space station in the middle of a nebula.” TO said as they pressed their ears to the door. “I might be clueless about a lot of civilian things, but I have a plethora of basic information about a lot of things.”
“And yet you don’t know basic programming-” Vik muttered.
“I know basic programming; nothing near what you and DH do. Now quiet.” They listened carefully for sounds from the other side of the door.
“I already checked the room.” Vik said after an impatient sigh, “It’s fine-”
“Check again.” TO said as they stood back.
“Oh, for… fine.” Vik said. “Look, here, I’m pulling up the room, I’m checking the video feed, and…” The silence that followed Vik’s ‘and’ was heavy, and far too drawn out.
“And?” TO asked as their ears flicked back, twitching slightly.
“.... And there's someone in there now.” Vik muttered. “Maintenance, it seems. Where did he come from!”
“Maintenance, but not security.” TO said as they rubbed the space between their eyes. So they’re unarmed?”
“Unarmed save for a welding torch.” Vik said.
They’d have to be careful of that; Sure, the welding torch could do a lot of damage, but more importantly it could temporarily blind TO. Even civilians with a moderate eyesight had to use special safety equipment to protect their eyes.
They glanced at the door again, their eyes sweeping over the signs before they turned and looked around the hallway. There was a smaller door that they had run past just back down the hallway, one they had overlooked as it didn’t matter to their current task.
So they had thought.
TO ran back to it. “The door I’m in front of right now, can you open it?” TO asked.
“Yeah, but it’s just storage-”
“Likely storage with safety equipment.” TO said, “It’s close to the big door back there. It makes no sense to store your safety equipment across the facility when you could store it just outside, right?”
“OH! Right, and I guess you need something to protect those eyes of yours. Probably your ears too, since there might be a lot of loud noises in there.
“Exactly.” TO said. They hadn’t actually considered something to protect their ears. Anything they’d have would reduce their ability to echo locate, but for now, it would be best to protect their ears from the loud whirring and mechanical straining of large machinery.
The door slid open before them, revealing the well-organized lines of safety equipment that TO knew it held, along with extra gas canisters, tools, and materials.
“Good call.” Mira said as she walked in.
“Thanks.” TO muttered as they searched the shelves. It wasn’t long before they found what they were looking for: A visor to fit over their eyes and protect them from the glare of the welding torch. They grabbed two helmets, and then found some large, heavily padded industrial earmuffs which seemed like they would work.
“Here.” TO said as they ran back up to Mira with their new supplies, “Earmuffs, and a visor… what do you have there?”
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Mira grinned and held up a large, heavy-looking device, “Nail gun.” She said, “Just in case-”
“No.” TO said. Civilian guns were bad enough, they couldn’t imagine the gore that a nail gun would create. Even thinking about it made them shudder, made their wings tighten around them. “No nail guns.”
“Oh, right, the blood thing.” She said before putting it back on the shelf.
“It’s just a civilian.” TO said, “I’m certain I can deal with him without hurting him too badly.”
“I’m more worried about you getting hurt.” She muttered.
“I might.” TO admitted, “But I doubt it. I can deal with him and get him out of the way.”
“Alright, but keep in mind; he’ll tell people what happened once you’re out, and he’s awake.” Vik said. “That could be problematic.”
“Don’t worry.” TO said as they put on the visor and earmuffs, “I can do this.”
Objective; neutralize target without providing additional intel to the enemy.
Easy.
======
Lampros was silently fuming as he worked on repairing the damaged side to the bright yellow compactor. It was a one-person job, and he had volunteered to come down and do it himself not because it was particularly keen on his work, but because he just couldn’t be around the others for another fucking moment longer!
Shitty Kitty was not a funny nickname! And sure, such a juvenile taunt shouldn’t bother him, and yes his mother always said not to mind if people teased him about the distinct brown pattern of fur that ran up his back, but after a while such nicknames got grating!
First, it obviously wasn’t shit. It was the color of his fur! Second, he was not a kitty! Yes, he had particular feline attributes; the ears, and the teeth, but he had two opposable thumbs on each hand, a flatter face, and six legs, not four! He didn’t even have a tail!
But no. Apparently the fur and the ears and the teeth was enough. The other part of that awful nickname came from Ja-ri, a popular, idiotic slacker from Lampros’ school days who came up with that nickname based on the pattern in his fur. Ja-ri ended up working as a general laborer here whereas Lampros was a welder. Normally, his specialized position would have given him a little more social ranking than Ja-ri, but the moment that asshole slipped that nickname…
How could adults be as immature as children? A part of him wanted to report it, it was harassment after all, but reporting a stupid nickname like that? It would make things worse. The problem was that it wasn’t the name itself, but the constant picking and poking with that name…
Well, why did he expect his working life to differ from his school life? All they could do was focus on his work, and try to enjoy the music from his headphones, pressed tightly to his ears by the large earmuffs protecting them from the other less enjoyable noises. At least his work was beyond reproach, and he could hold his head up high because of that. Maybe once he had more experience under his belt, he could get a job working elsewhere! Maybe even working on spaceships!
He was considering how much better, how much different life would be if he got that kind of job when pain ran through his body. His vision went gray, and he felt the welding torch fall from his hands.
Then, darkness.
======
The moment the door opened, TO rushed to the maintenance worker; a six-legged, two-handed feline kind of person. He didn’t notice as TO approached, never turned around, never even flinched. He was completely oblivious to TO’s presence until the moment that TO copied the movements that Flit had used on GiDi earlier. Of course, they didn’t go behind the ears like Flit did; they went in front of the ears just at the temple. It was a common civilian pressure point, and one TO could easily exploit as the edge of the visor acted as blinds and limited peripheral vision.
The maintenance worker dropped his torch, the flame cutting off almost immediately thanks to the safety, and it harmlessly fell to the ground. The worker stiffened for just a moment before falling limp.
“There.” TO said as they gently guided the worker to lay down on the ground. “Taken care of.”
“Yeah, ok, and nobody will have questions when they find him like this?” VIk grumbled through the communicator.
“That’s what this is for.” TO said as they held up an empty gas canister that they had swiped from the storage room. They grabbed a nearby wrench and loosened the nut at the top. “An unlabeled gas canister with a loose nut.” TO said, “Easy to think that he passed out from exposure.” They set it down nearby, then removed their visor as they turned to Mira. “See. Easy.”
“OK, yeah, a lot easier than I thought.” Mira huffed as she removed her own visor. “Vik, where to now.”
“North-west corner of the room, there’s a large bot there. Get inside the cockpit; it’s scheduled for remote use today.”
The two ran to the corner, eventually coming across a strange, spider-like bot with claw-like hands and a rounded cockpit.
“The fuck is that?” Mira asked.
“It’s called a climber.” Vik said, “Original, I know. It climbs over rubble and can break down sizeable pieces of debris and move it. Climb on in! It’s ready to go; it’s just going to get packed up and moved.”
TO went up to the machine, climbed a nearby step ladder, and looked about the outside of the cockpit. After a moment they found a button placed near the door panel.
“Are we sure this is the right button?” TO asked, not wanting to make this bot do something unexpected.”
“I can’t see what you’re looking at.” Vik said, “There is a limit to the cameras here. Just press it; it’s power off, but the door should still work.”
“Alright.” TO said. They pressed the button and got ready to jump back if need be, but the panel just slid open. The inside was empty, and plenty large enough for both TO and Mira. With a smile and perked-up ears, they reached down to Mira.
“Come on.” TO said, “I’ll help you up.”
Mira rolled her eyes, went over to one leg of the bot, and climbed up easily. “Did you forget I could do this?” She asked.
TO shrugged, a light flush covering their ears as they watched Mira climb in before they followed. They had forgotten, yes, but if that was the worst thing to happen in this today, then TO was happy. So far, everything was going right.
It was a welcomed change.