Leaden Grunge

Heinrich Overtrom

The thick gasses from the factories spewing into the already poisoned air, choking any avian lifeforms that dare fly close. Men and women clad in gray hued garbs sculk around the shadows on the ground, searching for unsuspecting items thrown out from the factories. Clicking and rattling creaks from all corners as if the entire world was a clockwork machine. Sharp pieces of metal jut out from trash piles, stained with blood and rust. Perfect for any Ferro Finger to collect. The smell of petroleum stain the paths of Konkretnyy, but its not an issue due to most having their ability to smell removed. A lanky humanoid creature crawls out from a broken vent from one of the factories, scratching the metal frame of the vent. Its slim figure snapped and cracked like old joints each time it moved, as if not cared for the last few years. Sword like appendages are fixed onto its hands, working as fingers and can easily dig into both flesh and metal alike. Its ocular lenses glowing with a deep maroon, lighting up its slate barren face hidden under garments. The creature leaps down from the vent, landing upon a helpless worker woman hiding from the officers. The bird like feet of the creature plunge into her, sinking its claws deep into her dirty flesh. Viscera covers its legs as the womans life is lost. It starts moving away, snapping and creaking as it moves. Blips and chirps can be heard faintly from its vox, signaling its Iron Father about the accidental civilian casualty, but it being dismissed because of it being a female labor worker.
"Father. Collect Iron Sample: Correct?"
"Retrieve metal, most preferably iron or steel so I can progress on the project"
"Affirmative Father. Locating Metal"
"Good, Heinrich"

    ...
Hammers hitting hot iron flinging stinging sparks onto the cold concrete floor. Iron Father Gregori stamping insignias onto the heated metal of the Ferrus Fingers, granting them his sign of ownership. A anastaetized person lays on the table with sickly pale skin, veins bulging through the thin skin. Gregori performs the delicate procedure of installing the parts onto the person, stabbing needles and tubes into their body all around. Opening up the head to get access to the brain to connect neural wires for it to function. A pair of lenses and vox were bored into its lidless eyes and lipless mouth, allowing untiring sight and untiring speech, a skull plate is inserted all around its head, screwed into the head and shut tight. Its legs were chopped off around halfway at the hip, then shoved and stabbed from its new legs into the amputated ones, allowing the neural network to crawl into the legs and function. The arms are skinned and slimmed by cracking the hand bones into a smaller more compact form, then three fingers are made prominent on each hand, rammed in a mechanical finger inside it to exit the steel chasis the palm now resides in. Large steel plates often shaped like blades are then inserted into the mechanical finger making the hand. A small power capacitor is installed into its spine, with a socket for recharge. Gregori blesses the mutilated body with a lathering in preservation oil, then powering up the mechanized person. Electricity starts sparking and crackling from the capacitor and its eyes flicker on. Its vox gargles up spurting noises of volts. It suddenly rises up from the table with its arms hanging limp, uttering words that the Iron Father doesnt care for.
"Calm, my child. I have granted you a better life than what you had before. You serve me now, and you get comfy here with us or i will break you apart slow and painfully"
The poor human trapped inside this shell of metal screams in agony from every needle and metal plate inside him. Its loose limbs waving in frustration from not knowing what it is. 

"Wh-t -appened to m-! W-y can't - br-athe!" the creation screeched, blood and oil trickling down from its vox and lenses. Gregori moves to the terrified creature, hands open in a peaceful manner. The creature sobs on the table, trying to hobble itself into a fetal position with its limp limbs. 

"I have a proposal, i can let you have your mind intact, letting you experience the world as raw and dark as it is..." Gregori stopped, moving towards his tools on the shelf.

"Or i could take it away, allowing you to be at peace. You will lose all higher brain function but you will not feel pain anymore" Gregori picks up a small cylindrical instrument and starts moving towards his creation.

"Oh well you will eventually lose it after enough time, you might feel a lack of certain organs, right? They are all going to rot and decay so you can choose to live through that or i can relieve you of that experience". The creature sits normally on the operation table, perplexed at the offer.

"What was your name, my creation?" the Iron Father asked.

"H-Hei-rich Ove-trom..." Heinrich responded.

"Would you like to keep that name?" the Iron Father asked again.

"I b-lieve so... Please, t-ll me you-s" Heinrich asked.

"I am your Iron Father, and that is what you will know me as" Gregori replied. He now started comforting the creature he created. Fluids leak from its face, emulating crying.

"I wou-d like to s-ay like me" Heinrich said, now having the strength to raise his bladed arms to clean his face. Gregori moves away from the creature towards a cart of clothing, pointing to it for the creature. Picking up a few garbs that would fit Heinrich, each garment having stitchmarks and patchwork done multiple times. The Iron Father hands his creation the clothes, letting it pick which it finds most enjoyable. Heinrich points at the red cloth garb and picks it up, gently putting it ontop of itself, attempting to not poke any holes with its longs bladed digits. Gregori adjusts the cloth so it hides any unwanted features from prying eyes. 

"You have brothers and sisters to make friends with just so you know, Heinrich" The Iron Father tells it, gesturing towards the blast door at the end of the room. Gregori moves to the button that opens it, sounding a small alarm in the room. Claws can be heard from the other side, scratching at the metal. The door opens fully and reveals a dimly lit warehouse, showing creatures similar to Heinrich, similar victims. Larger creations can be spotted, but appear to be resting except for one, which wanders around keeping the smaller ones in check. The smaller creations blip and click towards Heinrich, almost like meeting a family member.

"Greet your new family my child"