Artificial

Come Home

Operator Velox

Evo and I step off the dropship, and I look over at him. He's dressed in his fatigues, sleeves all the way down, a camouflage cap pulled down low over his face. He's trying to keep a low profile. I look down at my own clothing: a close-fitting purple t-shirt and a pair of torn black jeans.
I never really liked fatigues. They're rough, and obscure the form of your body. If I'm gonna be training constantly, I might as well reap the rewards.
"Here we are, Evo. Argus II. Do you remember when you first came here?"
"Yeah. I was dropped off in a dropship just like that. My handler's last piece of advice was 'Remember who you are, buddy. You're destined for greatness.' Then he patted me on the back and waved as the dropship took off."
"This is the first I've heard of a handler. What was he like?"
"He was so laid-back, and relaxed. He seemed to have this calming effect on those around him. People used to say he could talk down a bullet if he had to."
"Sounds like quite a guy."
"Yeah, he was. He taught me to relax, and keep a cool head in battle." He laughs. "You could probably learn a thing or two from him." He squeezes my shoulder to show he's joking.
"There's Ayala!" I point at the podium, where the Captain is addressing the latest class of recruits. We walk to the back of the pack of recruits, and I find most of the recruits are taller than me.
Sigh. It's basic training all over again.
I look over at Evo, and see that he is about on the same level as them. I stand on my toes, attempting to catch Ayala's attention. Suddenly, I start rising up off of the ground. I look down, and see Evo is carrying me on his shoulders. I pat him on the head, and wave to the Captain.
"Well, well, recruits, you are in for a treat. If you'd look behind you, you'll see two of the best and brightest recruits I've ever trained, Operators Evo and Velox. Come on up here, you two." Evo walks over to the podium, and sets me on the stage, then proceeds to walk around to the stairs.
Ayala throws an arm around my waist.
"Operator Velox is raw power in its finest form," she begins, squeezing her fist for emphasis. "Impossibly strong and fast, she is feared by all on the battlefield." Evo approaches from behind, and Ayala reaches out with her other arm, attempting to grab him the same way she has me. However, she finds she can't quite wrap her arm around his bulky torso. He removes his hat, and she looks up at his synthetic face. Both she and the crowd are silent.
"Jesus Christ, Evo, what happened to you?" She turns to me. "Did you kill him?"
"I want to be offended, but I'm not surprised you'd think that," I answer, then Evo begins to speak.
"It's a long story. I'll give you the basics. I'm a Gen 2 AI, the only one of my kind. I used to be human, now I'm in a synthetic body. I do have emotions, and I do act like a regular person, so treat me as such."
"Were you human—"
"During training? No."
"I just thought you were disfigured."
"That was a cover. Was an AI the whole time. "He rolls up his sleeve, exposing his twisting forearm and the woven mass of his bicep. "Synthetic muscle, titanium skeleton."
"Goddamn," Ayala replies, eyes wide. Then, she chuckles. "Bet that keeps you warm at night, huh?" she says, giving me a cunning smile. She turns back to the crowd, and places a hand on Evo's shoulder. "That's right, these two are dating. How sweet is that?"
Most of the crowd unites in a harmonious "Aww," and Evo pulls me to his side, beaming. All eyes are on Evo, towering over me.
"Jesus Christ, its basic training all over again."
"What was that?" Evo responds, confused.
"This is just like basic training! I get there, I'm tall, I get to look down at people, it's great. Now I come back, and everyone's towering over me."
"Aww, that's what makes you so adorable."
"You're lucky I care about you or I'd crush you like a soda can," I add under my breath.
He laughs, and hugs me.
"Love you too, babe."
"Well, lovebirds," Ayala continues, now at my side, "these guys just ran the Dyad. Care to show them how it's done?"
I look up at Evo. "Let's show these kids," I say with my best smile.
He returns my smile, but replies, "I'd love to, but my armor's being refitted right now. I kind of grew six inches taller."
"Not so fast," a male voice calls out from the back of the crowd. The recruits separate to either side, creating a path for the man. He approaches, and I size him up. He's handsome, with clean, well-kept hair and rugged features. He's tanned, but I'm pretty sure he's White. He's too small to be Force Recon, but his muscular build suggests he is a soldier. He walks with a confident, relaxed swagger through the recruits, a hoverpod following him. The floating locker's  windows are tinted black, to hide whatever is inside. Evo gasps next to me.
"Casey! How you been, man?" Evo vaults off of the stage and approaches the man, who now seems small in comparison. They shake hands, and pull each other into a half-hug, slapping each other on the back with their free hand. Casey looks up at Evo's face.
"I heard you kind of fucked up that whole 'keep a low profile' thing. You see, what you should've done was the exact opposite of everything you did."
They share a laugh. "My little AI's all grown up." Casey grabs Evo by the chin, and inspects the machinery behind it. "And you even got yourself a face."
"Yeah, my buddy Reaver hooked me up. He knows a lot of people."
"I know. He's the one who contacted me and told me you would be here. He was our undercover liaison during your training and deployment. Our fly on the wall."
"So, wait, he knew?"
"Yup," Casey answers with a cunning, mischievous smile. "How do you think he got all of his connections?"
"I don't know, I just figured he's traded a lot of favors and befriends people."
"Actually, that's pretty accurate, that's why he got the job in the first place. You know, he was actually supposed to return to HQ after your training. But, he called in a favor with the Director of the MOAS program himself to stick with you and watch your back. Apparently he's gotten pretty attached to you and your friends."
Evo is silent, then, finally, "Wow."
"Yeah. Speaking of friends," Casey begins, looking over Evo's shoulder at me. "It looks like you've gotten yourself a girlfriend. Aren't you gonna introduce me?"
Evo offers me his hand and helps me down off of the stage.
"Vel, this is Casey. He was my handler in the MOAS program." He turns to Casey. "Case, this beautiful badass is Vel. We met in training, bonded almost immediately, and we were placed in the same fireteam. We're both high-performance Operators, and incredibly strong in our own right. But together, we're even better."
I can't stop myself from smiling.
Casey walks over to me, sizing me up. I give him a confident smile, and lean back against the stage, my foot planted on the wall below me. He moves a little closer, then says, "Turn around, honey, I need to get a full reading." He makes a twirling motion with his hand. I begrudgingly begin to comply, and offer a warning to Casey.
"I know it's magnificent, but don't stare at my ass for too long. You might fall in love, and I've already got a man."
He turns to Evo. "She's feisty. I can dig it."
I turn my back to them, and Casey sounds a loud wolf whistle.
"Goddamn, would you look at that." He turns to Evo. "How'd you trick her into getting with you?"
Casey and I laugh, and Evo shrugs. Casey gives me a hug.
"I'm just kidding, thanks for watching out for my little bro."
Oh my god, he calls him his little bro. That's adorable.
"No problem."
"Anyway," Casey begins, releasing me and turning to the hoverpod. "Reaver and I got you a little 'congrats on going public' present, Evo." The windows turn opaque, and the door opens, revealing a massive suit of heavy body armor.
Evo's jaw drops.