Project: Astray (Arknights x Male Reader)

Trailer | The Oncoming Storm

Even the smallest decisions...can lead to catastrophic results.

"Run...! Just run! Take him, anywhere! Just leave this place!" A panicked voice boomed as a man ran into the scene, a small child seemingly asleep in his arms as alarms blared around him, yet the child seemed to sleep in peace. The man's hair was shaggy, his breathing rugged as sweat dripped down his face, a look of alarm intertwined with exhaustion donning his face.

He wore a white coat, loosely hung upon his frame, his dull amber colored eyes rapidly shifting between the open halls behind him and the cloaked person before him.

"Is that...Project Storm? Have they found out he's the one missing?" The cloaked person asked, their voice sounding distorted beneath their hood, though a faint tuff of darkened hair stuck out from beneath. Due to the distortion, one wouldn't be capable of telling whether the person was male or female.

"No...not yet! Storm isn't the only one who's gone missing, Flame and Frost have also disappeared!" The rugged scientist caught his breath before standing upright, hoisting up the child in his arms before extending his hands towards the person before him.

"Please...I can only rely on you..." The scientist begged, the cloaked person staring at the child in his arms, particularly at his (h/c) colored hair...

This fate was beset by you.

"You know what this means, right? If I leave here with him, you know what will happen, do you not?" The cloaked person seemed to stare sharply at the ragged scientist, who only nodded resolutely. Those who turned on them met only one end.

"I'm well aware. But it's worth it. I want him to leave this place." The scientist's words seemed gilded with his resolve, the cloaked person staring at him before a small, distorted chuckle left their lips.

"Ever the fool. Fine. I'll take Project Storm and leave, what will you do? Will you defy them?" The cloaked person asked, receiving the child from the scientists' hands. Despite the shadows seeming to hide their face from underneath his hood, the scientist swore he could feel their gaze upon himself.

"I will destroy any traces of Project Storm's leave. I will never allow them to attain him again. You and I both know the chaos that would ensue if they used him as a weapon. He...deserves better than this." The scientist seemed to mull over his words, as if choosing his next words carefully. The cloaked person's gaze seemed to remain on him, though only the blaring ringing of the alarms sounded out.

"Hmph. These Projects were a mistake from the very beginning. You knew that from the very beginning." The cloaked person snorted with distorted laughter, the scientist only glancing at them with a grim expression.

"I suppose I am a fool." The scientist scorned to himself. This experiment was a mistake...they had gotten results beyond what they had ever imagined. These children...they wielded powers that could easily shake the world order. If turned into weapons, they would remain eternally in power...

"Hm. And what of Frost and Flame?" The cloaked person asked curiously, shifting Storm in their cloaked arms and ensuring their grip upon the child.

"Disappeared. I don't know who, but someone else must've broke them out." The scientist said.

"It's not a coincidence. We both know those don't exist when it comes to them." The cloaked person retorted, amusement clear in their distorted voice.