Null Protocol || Ramattra x Reader

ACT 1 | ☙Chapter One❧

"We are all one under the Iris." Even the most simple phrases coming from his robotic voicebox sounded deep and philosophical somehow. The Iris wasn't so much their god as it was a higher state of being they all strived to achieve – the state Aurora reached when she gave her life for omnic-kind – and intertwined the two ideas into something (Y/n) struggled to grasp but found fascinating all the same. It didn't hold as much symbolic sentiment for a human as an omnic so she probably wouldn't ever understand it, but then, that wasn't why she was here.

"Well, again, thank you for housing me." (Y/n) stood tall, smiling down at Zenyatta and pressing her hands together as if in prayer, and he bowed humbly to her. "You guys were a lot more welcoming than I could've ever imagined and I owe you a lot." She didn't think the monks would be rude – at least not directly – but while she'd never experienced it herself, her parents told her omnics didn't always trust humans due to their past experiences as well as the Omnic Crisis fallout. Many lives were taken during the Omnic Crisis – human and omnic – and the impact it left on the world would always be felt, even if (Y/n) herself wasn't around to experience it. But the monks were happy to welcome her inside their temple and Zenyatta in particular answered each of her questions about the logistics of omnics, teaching her everything he could with an unrelenting level of patience for her curiosity.

"I am sure you will do well in remembering both what you have learned and how you have grown." Despite the monk's face never changing, she could feel his wry smile in his tone. Zenyatta turned to glance back at a pair of omnics talking heatedly, occasionally glancing their way, and he sighed. "We all have our parts to play in the opera of the universe, and I know in time, you will discover yours."

"And even now, I still don't know what you're talking about half the time." (Y/n)'s light, jovial tone was met with quiet laughter as he turned back to her.

"You will, in time."

"What do you think they're talking about?" She nodded towards the pair of omnics huddled together, their voices just quiet enough to be indistinguishable but loud enough to let her know whatever they were talking about wasn't good. The taller omnic in particular she could feel eyeing her, like the lights under his face plate were lasersights pointed right at her, and she recognized him to be an R-7000 model while the other, shorter one was a model designated for children, modified with bunny ears like a humanoid rabbit.

Zenyatta hummed thoughtfully, steepling his fingers as he glanced back at the pair. "Only the Iris knows." The way he said it made it seem like he had a pretty good idea but wasn't in the mood to tell her, so she left it alone. She hadn't known him long but he wasn't the type to withhold information for no reason, so instead, she forced a smile.

"I don't remember seeing the Ravager before." She offered an awkward chuckle as she shifted her weight on her feet. "I reckon he ain't too happy to see me."

Her companion glanced over at her in surprise at her observation, then dipped his head with agreement. "Yes, he is certainly not fond of humans." The R-7000 was bigger than the other omnics like Zenyatta, built during the Omnic Crisis by the rogue AI Anubis with the sole purpose of killing humans – hence they were named Ravagers. They were as vicious as their name implied and responsible for leading omnics into war. She'd never met one in person due to how rare they'd become after the war ended, but his beady red eye lights chilled her even from the other side of the room. "Perhaps if you had more time to remain here, you could change his mind." Zenyatta spoke with a deep air of mystery, like he was seeing into a possible future, and (Y/n) shook her head.

"I've met enough stubborn omnics in my days. If they don't like humans, ain't nothing gonna change that." The same went for humans concerning omnics, treating them like less than dirt just because of what happened all those years ago, and while she couldn't exactly blame either side for hating the other – everyone lost someone to the other side, and loss like that was hard to forgive and forget – she had no personal investment in hating the 'other side'.