Null Protocol || Ramattra x Reader

Chapter Ten

He cocked his head with what would've been a smirk if he had the lips to make one. "And you enjoy being beneath me, do you not?" Her eyes widened, stunned into silence as he leaned down further so her foggy breath fanned against his face plate. Her breaths came in quick pants, nerves shooting adrenaline through her system as she tried to jumpstart her brain into coming up with anything to say to defend herself. He chuckled, the sound low and husky, but he pulled away so she could breathe. "As I said, pet human." She covered more of her face with the scarf, turning on her side to face the other wall of the cave in the hopes he wouldn't tease her for her reaction. Something about the way he said it stirred up emotion in her chest, and while she couldn't say for certain what it was, it sent her heart racing.

"Now, restore your strength, you will need it to finish repairing my damages so we can finally escape this infernal cave." All that remained was his Nemesis form, and with his help to pry the arms and legs from the boulder – and a little bit of luck – he'd be out of here soon enough.

Ramattra set his hand on the girl's (h/c) hair to gently push her head onto his thigh, like in his inexperience with affection, he was hoping to force her to relax into him so she'd pass out, so she cuddled closer and closed her eyes. "Goodnight, Ramattra." He stayed silent, the only sign he heard her a brief lift of his head, and her breathing slowly evened out. Her snores were soft and expression customarily relaxed, and he realized she felt just as safe asleep as she did awake despite him being a Ravager. Naïvely foolish, but intriguing nonetheless. He'd initially assumed she was operating on some skewed form of justice or assuming that her good deed would spare her life while not recognizing the danger she was in, but he realized only recently it was her unwavering resolve – rather akin to his own – that drove her. She was doing what she thought was right even despite his mocking her, and it almost made him proud to see her so resolute even when faced with nigh impossible odds. It almost hurt him to have to be the one to kill her, but he knew how much worse her fate would be if he didn't.

The criminal organization Talon in particular would want her knowledge so they could produce more conflict in the world under the guise of it making humanity stronger. No doubt it would make omnics 'stronger' by weeding out those weak enough to be captured and killed by their sentience being revoked. What they would do with his people after they were converted into mindless machines he didn't know, but Ramattra couldn't let them hurt a single omnic.

After the leader of Talon, named Doomfist – called such due to the giant metal gauntlet on his right fist that he used to bring doom to all those that stood in his way – attempted to strike a deal with Ramattra in the hopes of being able to use each other and it went sour due to the Ravager seeing clear through the man's lies, Doomfist had held a grudge that would no doubt spur him to make Ramattra pay for saying no. The man could control any and all omnics he revoked sentience from and use them to attack humans, stirring up controversy and further dividing humans and omnics. Talon was less of a formal group and more of a terrorist organization comprised of members with separate goals, using the same banner to further their own agenda, and with so many members from so many walks of life, Ramattra found them to be a formidable and dangerous foe.

(Y/n) made a sound in her sleep, rolling onto her other side, and he adjusted the scarf so it lay over her body once more. It no longer came from a place of hatred to take her life but necessity. She would stand no chance if Talon got their hands on her, and an admittedly sweet girl like her would be traumatized and scarred deeply within the first hour of her capture, unable to return to normal society again – assuming they didn't kill her after extracting what they needed from her. They'd make quick work of her and he wasn't so cruel as to let that happen.

He leaned back, his metal hand working through her messy hair as he sighed, being mindful not to get the (h/c) strands caught on the joints of his fingers. He took his time combing through her hair, working out the snarls with care so he didn't tug too hard and wake her up. What would the world think of Null Sector – of him – if they saw him like this: a human cuddled up to him and his scarf affectionately wrapped around her neck? They'd think he'd gone soft, a human girl making him forget what he stood for, but they'd be wrong. His resolve had not weakened, he simply understood (Y/n) was not worth hating. A naïve girl from a small hometown, she didn't understand how big the world was and how many problems it held, her only experience with omnic/human conflict being small disagreements in her small town that held no actual malice nor tragedy or pure ill will like he'd seen in his many years since the Awakening. They came from two different worlds, and it almost brought out a sort of fondness in him to meet someone that hadn't suffered like he had, seeing only the best in anyone she met. He could almost admit to himself he admired her for it – even if it was foolish optimism.

But those that supported Null Sector wouldn't see it that way. The other omnics would take matters into their own hands to silence her permanently even if Ramattra told them not to. Her very survival was a threat to his people even if she would never willingly give up her knowledge, and while her lot in life wasn't fair, it was still the hand she was dealt. He just hoped she'd see that this was a necessary elimination in an effort to save her future pain and give her a quick, merciful end – as backwards as it sounded.

Ramattra let out a deep sigh, resting his head back against the cave wall as he gazed towards the ice boulder trapping them. This was not how he expected his trip to the Shambali Monastery to go. He'd heard news from Nameless – the omnic with bunny ears and his closest friend aside from Zenyatta – that a human had visited in the hopes of learning everything she could about omnic kind, and as a threat to his people, he halted all of his plans to dispose of her in person once he got the confirmation he needed. Nameless likely informed their shadows of (Y/n) by now, and with Ramattra trapped in this cave with no way to quell the rumors, there was likely already a bounty on her head. No doubt by now news had spread around omnic kind. How much longer before Talon knew too? He knew they had plenty of members that specialized in espionage and obtaining information he didn't want leaked – a particular member of Talon had attempted to hack his communications for some time now, disrupting his plans and further proving they held a grudge against Ramattra for turning their team-up down earlier.

"What a mess," he grumbled to himself. And all over one girl that just wanted to improve this broken world. The irony would've depressed him if he wasn't already aware of the state of the world, knowing full well how far good will got you. She might as well have been wishing on a star for all her goodness accomplished. He rested his hand on her head, petting her hair back so it smoothed down her back, and after a moment of thought, he shifted into a meditative position, one hand resting on her waist while the other gripped his staff. He'd been fully conscious of every single thing she did while she assumed he was meditating and lost to the world around him, but she hadn't once used that weakness against him – as he knew she wouldn't. He wouldn't blatantly call it trust, but he knew she wouldn't hurt him intentionally.

So, with a sense of exhaustion enveloping him remarkably similar to the kind she felt before passing out in his lap, he powered down for the night with a quiet mutter of, "I am only saving my strength should I need it later", leaving him completely vulnerable while experiencing the same sense of ease she felt around him like he trusted her too.