Stripped Screws and Different Views

Prologue

A powerful shot shakes the trees. The wolf barely dodges, metallic paws pushing against the ground with vigor. Another shot, this time barely missing their ear.

A loud clang rings out across the forest, and a tree falls in the Cyborg's path. They skid to a halt, hackles raising as they whip their head around.

Their pursuers are smug.

One of them, in the shape of an ostrich, scoffs at the Cyborg. "Now what're you gonna do, half-breed?" The Cybernetic chides. Laser-guided guns of some sort, still sticking out of his sides from his last shot, set their sights on them.

The Cyborg bares their fangs, but no sound escapes their jaws.

The other, a Cybernetic in the shape of a Komodo Dragon, waves a metal paw at the ostrich. "Aren't you being a bit over-zealous?" She inquires.

The ostrich's metal beak opens slightly, and the seams on his face-plates glow a faint orange. Ire. "What? Would you rather they get off scott-free? That would be going directly against orders. You know how she hates that."

The other one shudders. "Yeah, I'm aware. I just think all your guns is a little...overkill?"

While the pair was somewhat distracted by their discussion, the Cyborg attempts to clear the fallen tree and escape. They heave themself over as quickly and silently as they can, but the very moment they get on top of it they're knocked back to the ground again.

"You both need to stop getting distracted." Scolds the one who'd done it: another Cybernetic, this time in the imposing shape of a giant eagle. "Your target almost got away." She continues, shaking a few bits of wood free from her wings.

The pair look in unison toward the eagle, then to the wolf lying on their side, then back at each other. The ostrich lowers his head a little. "...sorry. Our mistake."

The eagle's eye-lights burn. "Yes. And not your first one. This has been a sloppy mission so far." She hops off the tree and lands on the wolf, pinning them to the ground. "You'd do well to keep in mind who assigned this mission to you."

The Komodo Dragon averts her gaze. "...sorry, ma'am. You're...not going to report this to her, are you?"

The eagle presses a foot to the furry part of the Cyborg's head, keeping their face in place. "She will not need to know, given that you complete the mission that you were assigned. They need to be taken...alive, might I add. Pendle."

The ostrich lowers his head more, letting out a sigh, and retracting his guns back into his sides. "Fine...before we take them, though...we weren't actually told why they're so important. Karoll-An would never trust us with that kind of information...did she, you know...tell you?"

Lenses drop a bit to cover the tops of the eagle's eye-lights: a very effective leer. "And you're under the impression that, if she had told me, that I would tell you? After you just made it clear she does not trust you?"

The Komodo Dragon shoves the ostrich in the side, growling. "Idiot." She hisses.

Pendle seems unfazed, however. "Is...that a no?"

The eagle glares at him for a moment more, and then sighs in exasperation. "Of course it is, Pendle. She speaks nothing but what is absolutely necessary. We are not exempt from her tactics. No one is."

The ostrich's foot scrapes the ground. "...of course. Well, uh, what's the limit, then? She wanted us to teach them a lesson, so..." This time, only his left side opens up, a single gun appearing. The laser trains on the wolf's forehead. "What's the limit? Please tell me I get to shoot 'em. Please."