DING!
~----~
[You have created an incomplete blueprint: VX-09 Emberfist]
[Blueprint: 34% complete]
~----~
Leon stayed still on the stool, swirling the screwdriver with one hand even as he admired the repair work that he did on the pair of gauntlets.
Just like he expected, spending time on the pair of mechanical gauntlets, opening and repairing them gave him a deeper understanding of their sophisticated design, and he finally managed to actualize a fraction of the complete blueprint.
He was far from completion, but this meant progress and he was satisfied with it.
He wiped sweat away from his face. "Phew, I'm done," he smiled.
"Thanks man, you're the best!" Daren said with sparkling eyes as like a ravenous wolf who could not wait to feast on its prey, he quickly grabbed both mechanical gauntlets and put them on again.
HUM!
With a subtle hum, there was a flare of orange around both mechanical gauntlets as Daren powered them to life.
Raising his hands and feeling them, Daren's eyes widened. "They're more responsive than ever before!"
Watching Leon work on his gauntlet felt like a feverish dream though he barely understood anything that the new Mechanist did.
The ease and proficiency at which he handled the pair of gauntlets, the familiarity with which he used Rex's repair tools like they were his own, all of it mesmerized Daren and told him long ago that this was different.
It was the experience level of an engineer who had worked with mechanical tools like screwdrivers and spanners all his life.
Still, Daren didn't understand then, but as soon as he powered the gauntlets again, he understood. Leon was truly an outlier.
'The Boss was right!' He thought excitedly.
Not only was the gauntlet more responsive than ever before, but the raw power he felt from it that flowed through his veins felt more tyrannical than ever before.
"Muahahaha!" Daren laughed. "I feel invincible!"
At some point while Leon repaired the weapon, even Kain could no longer curb his curiosity with pride as he silently approached and shamelessly watched as he and Rex were totally mesmerized by Leon's repair work.
It was only when Leon looked at him after he was done that he jolted awake and coughed. "Ahem… it's just so so". He muttered, scoffed, and walked back to his stool where he sat with a nonchalant look on his face.
"You have talent, but you have to design for a few more years before you'll get to my level". Kain added in a condescending tone.
Leon laughed at his reaction.
The nonchalant look on the Synth's silvery gray metallic face looked so cute.
At some point during Leon's repair work, even Ghostwire, the creepy NetRunner of the crew turned his attention to him, but he lost interest soon after. This guy was more interested in 0s and 1s; code, that was his language.
Still, to Leon, it was an opening for him to know more about the personality of by far the creepiest member of this crew.
After the repair effort while everyone else scattered away to do their thing, with Daren too excited trying out his repaired weapon, and Kain pretending like he was thinking about serious matters of importance, only Rex stayed as he stared at Leon with eyes filled with wonder and genuine awe.
"Boss Leon!" He called, his eyes turning puppy-like as he stared at Leon with desire. "Teach me!" He pleaded. "Teach me Boss, I'm ready to be your student!"
Hearing that, Leon threw a teasing glance at Kain who noticed and snorted.
He chuckled. "Calm down buddy," he patted the Geneform by the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll teach you. I'm with your crew now, so you have more than enough time to learn from me in the future".
"For now," Leon leaned closer to Rex's ears, lowering his voice till it became a barely decipherable whisper. "Tell me more about the crew, the others".
Rex's eyes widened. "That's my payment?"
"Lower your voice," Leon hissed, then he smiled. "Yes, that's all I want".
"Count me in!"
"Your voice!" Leon hissed again in exasperation.
Rex chuckled and covered his mouth. "Sorry Boss".
Together, they shifted their stools to the very end of the cargo trailer away from the others and there, Rex ratted the most embarrassing secrets of his friends to the newcomer without hesitation.
"I don't know what you're saying, but continue you shameless snitch!" Daren called out at some point as he glared at Rex hatefully.
Rex chuckled. "You know I have no shame, so why shout?"
Daren's face twitched, and he looked away in exasperation, but his focus was quickly stolen again by his gauntlet.
Well, in the next few minutes, Leon learned a lot about this crew.
Just like he thought, Daren was a Geneform with human and lizard DNA. His real name is Daren Kovak and he is by far the most powerful member of the crew when it came to close-quarters combat, and he loves a good battle. He was a battle freak.
Despite his loud and reckless bravado though, he has a weakness and Rex did not hesitate to rat his friend out.
Daren is terrified of silence. Apparently, he was born during an ADE storm. He can't stand calm air or silence, he's only truly calm in chaos and storms.
When it came to himself though, Rex was all flattery. "I'm practical, sarcastic, skilled, and intelligent, the perfect guy for girls, though most of them are too blind to notice it". He smiled. "I'm the one that keeps the crew going when the going gets tough".
In Leon's interpretation though, Rex was the grease monkey of the team whose role was support- fixing drones and recharging weapons mid-fight.
Rex's surname is Mallow, Rex Mallow, and just like Talia and Kain, he doesn't have a catchy nickname like the others.
"Since you don't have a nickname, let me give you one," Leon smiled. "From now on, I'll call you Fixerman".
"Huh?"
"What? You don't like it?"
"It's not that, it's…"
"Don't worry man," Leon slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "You're the guy that fixes things in the crew, so you're Fixerman".
"Uh, ok?"
Rex also ratted out Brick, the most elderly member of the crew though he didn't have much to say about him unlike the others.
His real name is Jakor Demet. The most defining trait about him is that he is a neat freak. Rex shuddered as he said this part, warning Leon repeatedly about just how much Brick hated dirty environments.
As for the reason for his nickname? Simple. As a Gene Augur, Brick has a trait that allowed his body to integrate organic cells into his natural metallic skin.
This trait could be augmented by Brick's skill, turning his raw skin into sturdy armor plating.
Pairing that with his skills and combat experience, it formed The Brick, the immovable wall of Talia's crew.
According to Rex, he once worked for over a decade in an Omnicore reactor maintenance squad before defecting to Freegrid.
As for Ghostwire whose real name is Leroi Vale, even Rex didn't know much about him, and he was not confident in the little that he knew, painting an even creepier picture of the hacker to Leon.
All Rex said in even softer whispers was how quiet and unnervingly calm he could be.
In a more ominous tone, Rex added. "I don't know if it's true, but Daren once told me he heard rumors that he actually died once and had to be rebooted by Freegrid's engineers".
Leon's eyes widened. "What? Really?!"
"Of course," Rex nodded seriously. "That's what Daren said".
Leon threw a secret glance at Ghostwire, feeling even more weirded out by the guy now. 'Yeah, I'll better avoid him'.
Well, Kain is Kain, there was nothing Rex told him that Leon didn't already see for himself about the titanium-skinned Synth.
As for Talia, Rex had a lot to say about her, but to Leon it was very little. Rex's rambling consisted mostly of just how competent Talia was, how much he respected her and was ready to follow her till death.
But it did give Leon perspective on how much each individual member of this crew truly respected Talia.
It was while Rex was still rambling that Talia and Brick finally entered inside the cargo trailer again after finishing their conversation outside.
Talia looked at them and she didn't mince words as she said. "4 hours, and it starts".
The atmosphere inside the cargo trailer instantly turned heavy as all eyes focused on her.
Talia took a deep breath. "Once I connect to the network, there's no pause, no breaks, no restart. It's either I succeed or I die. If anything breaches this room and disturbs my body, the Trial collapses, and I'll go with it".
Her eyes flashed with determination. "So you make sure nothing gets in. Not even the world itself".
She looked around the cargo hold.
One by one except Ghostwire, they nodded at her with no one speaking further. Leon also nodded as he knew exactly what was at stake.
DING!
~----~
[ChronoSystem Log: Mission Timer Initiated]
>4:00:00 remaining<
~----~
And the countdown began.