Null Protocol || Ramattra x Reader

Chapter Six

"If I did not require your expertise, I would have killed you already." The staff tilted (Y/n)'s chin up as it tried to dip in submission, forcing her to look into the Ravager's cold red optics as a shudder ran down her spine. She was only alive because of her foolish decision to help him, and as soon as she rescinded it, he would kill her. He didn't care if he made it out as long as she went with him. "Fail to be useful and I will move up the deadline of your demise." She shivered, nodding quickly. The nanites hummed loudly as they spun faster, and as soon as she realized they were charging up, he lifted the staff so they shot into the ceiling. She gasped as she fell back, watching them pierce the cave and create a large crack. The sound of snow shifting outside made her freeze in place, like she expected the roof to collapse on top of them, but when nothing happened, she tried to focus on calming her shaking body. At least she knew his staff was deadly now, as disconcerting as the knowledge was.

He slid two fingers along the staff by the curve, the expended nanites returning to their spot like he reloaded them, and he planted his staff beside him once more. His look was unreadable but she got the message clear enough: that was a warning. Even now he surprised her with how deadly he was, and she would've forgotten he was grounded with an open stomach if not for the fact that she'd be dead if he wasn't.

"Not even the innocent can escape your wrath," she mumbled too quietly for him to hear, leaning over his exposed stomach as she messed with the wires to seem busy as her frazzled mind gathered itself and her heart steadily stopped pounding. She had to rewire the severed wires from his legs to the circuitry in his stomach so he could control his lower body. All it took was reconnecting the exposed bits together correctly so the electrical signal could pass from the motherboard down to his limbs, and though it wasn't a perfect solution, it was all she could do.

Ramattra scoffed, making her tense. "You are far from innocent, human."

"Because of something I did?" She nervously met his gaze, but when he didn't answer, her expression fell. "Or is it because I'm human?"

"Innocents deserve mercy," he explained calmly, gazing up at his staff as his fingers curled around it. "Humans are not innocent." Her shoulders sagged, once more realizing he'd never see her as anything but a human, before she thought of something.

"Did I ever tell you what my family does?" He cocked his head to the side – perhaps from the sudden shift in conversation but she took that as her invitation and continued on. Maybe if she could get him to see her as a real human being with a life and family and goals – more than just another being with flesh and bone – then maybe she could change his mind about her yet. "We're mechanics specifically for omnics."

"So you prey on the weak and vulnerable to further your own agenda."

Her lips pressed into a tight frown. "No, we do it because we care about omnics and want to help them. I've heard what we do is rare, that even in big cities full of omnics, it's hard to come by a mechanic that will give them the time of day. It's not a big difference – I mean, we're just a small town shop – but we're still trying to make a change, even if it's on a much smaller scale than you." When he didn't immediately rebuttal her claim, her features softened. Maybe she was getting through to him! "Seeing an omnic's happy face- well, you know what I mean- after you repair them is one of the greatest feelings ever! Like we're proving that, as bad as humanity can be, there's good in us, too. There's always gonna be bad eggs in the basket, but that hostility you get from an ignorant human can be countered by the kindness of another."

He stayed silent for a moment, simply processing her words, before finally uttering, "You have not suffered as me nor my people have, and your sheltered upbringing makes you optimistic to the point of ignorance – like a princess up in a castle with no grasp of how the common folk survive."