Scout x Fem Pyro Drabbles

Scorched Steel Part 2

They arrived at Engie's workshop and he let her in, she noted there were at least five different types of door locks he had to lock once they'd shut the door behind them.

"You a little paranoid Engie?" He winked,

"Nope. Spies, ours included, are too nosy for their own good sometimes. Can't have them finding where I hide Christmas presents every year either."

"Hah, true enough. Lead the way friend."

She was trying to keep a chipper tone, but inside she was nervous. What if it watched her while she slept? What if it learned her favorite Saturday morning cartoons? What if..... It found out she slept in a Balloonicorn onesie?! She gulped, hoping Engie didn't hear her. He hadn't seemed to, as the man himself was busy fiddling with a small handheld device, the corners of his eyes creased in concentration. She knew not to pepper him with questions, so she simply sat on the edge of a nearby bench and waited.

The room wasn't necessarily cluttered, yet she knew Engie preferred the term "organized chaos." Several contraptions at various stages of completion sat atop tables and workbenches lining one wall. Another wall was covered in pegboard, tools hung up according to type, size, and function. A large, tall object sat (stood?) on the other side of the room, across from where she now sat. Covered in a large canvas tarp, she guessed that this was the "companion" Engie had been talking about. She could discern nothing from the way the canvas draped over the object, except that it was tall. Taller than Engie she wagered, as the stout tinkerer periodically looked up at it as he assessed his progress via the device in his hand. Her mind drifted after she'd been sitting for a time; the bench wasn't exactly comfortable, but she didn't wish to disrespect Engie by nodding off either. Her hand rested under her chin as her mind drifted.

What sort of personality did this companion have? She hoped Engie had opted for more.....Positive traits. What did it look like? Would it even want her company?

"Aha! I think I've got it!" She glanced up to see Engie's beaming smile. She gave what she hoped was a reasuring smile (she didn't see the need to wear her gas mask when they weren't in active combat) and waited. He trotted over, happy as a lamb,

"See this here readout?" He gestured with a glbved finger at the small screen on the device. The screen had words like, "speed," "intel," "stren,"  and a few others. "Yes. What does it mean?" She gave him a puzzled look.

" This here calibrates the settings for his parameters. How strong, smart, fast, etc he operates at. It took me awhile to get everything set up to where he was able to function as intended. " She nodded, understanding dawning on her.

" So....Without setting it correctly, we could've been murdered? Sounds.... Comforting.* He chuckled good-naturedly,

"Nah, nothing drastic like that. He would struggle to interact with us, and the world around him. He may be a machine, but I programmed him to "conceptually" understand and discipher human emotions. Based on tone, body language, etc." This piqued her interest,

"Hsve you..... Talked to it?" He took off his hardhat, rubbing his scalp in that absentminded way he always did when he was nervous,

"Well..... Yes and no. He was operational last time I poweered him on, but I hadn't fully configured his voice functions yet. So he could hear me speaking, and could understand me, but couldn't respond aside from blinking. So hopefully this time he'll be able to speak. He could get a little "energetic" though, so put this on. . He handed her a spare gas mask and fireproof suit.

"..... Alright. " She stepped into the spare suit and zipped it up, but tucked the gas mask under one arm.

" And why do I need this on, exactly? " Engie gave her a quick glance,

"He's never seen anyone in real time except me. And especially not a.....Nubile young woman such as yourself. I don't want him to feel too mentally overstimulated, especially not if I need to do some tweaking to his parameters before inroducing you two." He gestured to the small room off to one side of the workshop,

"Wait there until I give the all clear." She did as she was asked, clenching the gas mask tightly to humble her nerves. She softly shut the door behind her.

" Oh Engie.... What've you gotten us into?" She sighed, easing herself into a worn out desk chair. She knew there was no backing out now, so she waited for his signal.