Outcast

Chapter 3

The ship thrummed as it took the new course plotted by its captain. 13 didn't particularly mind, since it was soothing to him. It was one of the recurring sounds and sensations he had grown used to. Perhaps even one of the first he had experienced during his life. The cargo bay opened in front of him. A large, open space, with shelves and supplies neatly stacked alongside the walls. At the centre there was a small manned drone with mechanical arms, perfect for repair work. The worn metal glimmered faintly, reflecting the artificial lighting of the room. On the far side of the room there was the yawning abyss of space. Only a thin, pale blue force field separated the void from home. It wasn't entirely effective however, as the cold wormed its way in despite the life support systems' best efforts to keep the vessel warm.

Near the unmanned drone there was a console that operated the crane that was attached to a rail system hanging from the ceiling. 13 quickly walked to the console, pressed a few buttons, and waited as the crane lifted the repair drone out of the way. With another press of a button, a section of the floor rose upwards, revealing a small compartment with three mechanical human-sized drones. They were cylindrical in shape, outfitted with a small propulsion system that allowed them to navigate short distances in the vacuum of space. Perfect for assisting in repair work or clearing out rubble. They were all equipped with standard sensory arrays, and it was relatively easy to modify them to function as scouts: all you needed was a computer unit and a bit of knowledge. And, of course, the technical ability to retrofit improved sensors onto the drones themselves.

13 connected his laptop to the drone hub, and dug a pair of wireless ear plugs from the pocket of his jumpsuit. He'd learned earlier that he worked much faster if he listened to something. The sounds of rain were his favourite. He often came to the cargo bay, it was his favourite place on the ship. Sitting in a comfortable corner, looking at the vast emptiness, and listening to the sounds of rain. For a brief moment he wondered what rain felt like.

His reverie was interrupted by loud clanking. Engineer had arrived, and tossed a bag of tools on the floor next to the drone hub. Not feeling particularly talkative, 13 kept his earplugs on and ignored the man.

For the first few minutes, they worked in silence. 13 was finished with the code, and assisted Engi with the hardware. Working with complex machinery was a joy for both of them, and it was one of the few things they could bond over on the ship. It was safe to say that 13 was quite talented. While he couldn't be described as fully grown compared to the other clones, he could already keep up with Engi most of the time. In Engi's view, all 13 lacked was experience, but 13 knew better. Like the other clones, Engineer was unique. He had the ability to look at nearly any piece of machinery, deconstruct it in his mind, and have a keen awareness of each component and its inner workings. It was difficult to know whether these talents had come from the inherent variation of the cloning process, or whether there was some form of physical-mental conditioning in the background. 13 hoped it was the former and not the latter. The mere idea of some form of conditioning or programming being inserted into his mind disgusted him.

Physical enhancements were another matter entirely. He hated his body. A quirk in the cloning process had given him a frail body. It was prone to aches and shooting pains. According to extensive tests and scans by Cook, it had to do with collagen formation, the genes COL1A1 and COL1A2 to be specific. He had gotten off easy, said Cook, as his bones were only slightly brittle. The illness could be treated, but the marks and injuries left by fractures in his childhood would stay and cause chronic pain and extreme fatigue on occasion. This defect was a fluke. An errant mutation. He likened it to a galactic misfortune; in his mind he was the underdog, a tragic hero swept in a world of turmoil and hardship. A childish fancy. A foolish, childish fancy. He chided himself for allowing himself to indulge in these thoughts, and focused on his work. He would get there, some day, and replace as much as he could with metal, wire, and machinery - all trustworthy and easily replaceable compared to the excessively complicated wonder of human physiology.

"What's on your mind?" Engi suddenly asked. "You did that thing where you scrunch up your entire face. If a look would kill, I'm sure that this drone would be gutted, and its internals ordered in tidy little stacks."

13 looked at the Engineer for a moment. He had already finished fixing up the drones. The sound of rain had now transitioned into waves.

"I, uh. Nothing particularly interesting, I think."

13's eyes drifted to the cortical implant Engi had on the back of his head.

"Actually, I was wondering something. When did you get that?" 13 pointed at the cybernetic augmentation with a curious look.

"Ah. I was a little older than you. Liked fixing stuff, got my name, decided to get this because it makes interfacing easier." Engineer explained, tersely. He was never one for words.

"Did it hurt?"

"Fuck yeah it did. Now, finish up your part and start 'em up. Wire up control and stats to the bridge. I'll see you there."

What a stupid question. Of course it hurt, 13 thought. He'd have to grill answers from Engi later. The man was like a brick wall sometimes, the most difficult of the clones to talk with. 13 was sure he had experienced tooth extractions smoother and more pleasant than the preceding conversation, despite the fact that Cook wasn't much of a dentist.

The waves had, at this point, transitioned into a soothing wind and rustling leaves in the forest, but 13 went back for the rain ambience. It was his favourite. It calmed him a little, even though the coming supply operation lurked in the back of his mind. Praetorians always were troublesome foes. Hard to kill and even harder to evade from.

He sighed, and finished the last piece of code, activating the drones. They came to life with a quiet buzz, and indicator lights on their frames lit up. 13 wired the controls of the devices onto the bridge, where they could be launched after the ship had taken an adjacent position to the debris cloud orbiting the planet-

Collecting the tools he had left laying around, 13 began making his way to the ship's bridge. The rain he heard drowned out everything else. As the door leading to the main hallway opened, he suddenly bumped into Green.

"Ah, fuck, sorry." 13 spluttered.

"Hey, no worries. Got the drones working well?" Green asked curiously. He had found himself a bulletproof vest in preparation, and his trademark red beret. 13 quickly glanced at his face, trying to find any trace of that odd hostility that had radiated from the security officer earlier, but found none. Instead, the man was smiling reassuringly. It must have been his imagination, he thought.

"Quick and easy. Don't think Engi even had to supervise me, but I'm glad he did. We're about to go launch them - do you wanna come see?"

"Yeah, sure, in a bit. Just gotta move some supplies to the armoury first." Green replied, and walked past the young Harlan. "Might get tricky with the Praetorians."