Chapter 13.5: "Killing Time"
Author's Note
Hello. The next chapter might not come as quickly, seeing as I've been swamped with school work. In the meantime, here's a smaller thing I've worked on.
M950A attempts to get through an uneventful evening.
[Terney, Homeland. 16:44.]
She propped her legs up on the desk, and leaned back.
Lethargically, she scanned her own dorm.
Wooden floor. Wooden desk, wooden... Bed. All sickeningly drab, like all the other rooms. Bonus points for the added claustrophobia. Plus, not even a window to look out of.
She closed her eyes. Hell, she was the most colorful thing in the room. That, and a random painting too abstract to describeー its sole purpose only to clash with her otherwise monochrome surroundings.
On the desk, her gloves, a speed loader, her handgun, and a 9mm ammo case. Calico grabbed the lopsided speedloader, along with a magazine. Ana would always leave it to her to load these damned things, seeing as how much of a pain helical magazines were to deal with…
…
She bobbed her head back, emitting a low groan. What a terrible feeling. Very terrible. All of her training went toward… This. Why would the commander subject her to this torture? Tactless bastard.
Her continuous groan quickly transformed into a loud yelpー she had tipped her chair too far back. Her full weight crashed to the ground with a heavy thud!
...Saddened whimpers morphed into fading grunts of fury as she scrambled upright.
Exhale. Nobody saw that, at least. No point in getting worked up. She fell onto her blank mattress, and gazed into the ceiling. Undoubtedly, the worst had come to pass. She was…!
Overwhelmingly bored.
With nothing to distract her, she could feel her mood worseningー an offset was mandatory.
But… What to do? Besides only ever being told what, she'd never entertained her own desires, if any. More training?
...Maybe later.
Immediately, no more options remained. Well… Besides housekeeping. Yeah, no.
Eventually, she settled upon asking. No, not asking that damned woman. As for the others, it might've been worth a shot. That, and she figured it'd be an excuse for someone to humor her.
She sat upright.
[M950A] Twenty. Hi.
[NTW-20] ...Wait, what? Is this Calico?
Worlds away, NTW-20 frantically scanned Kiev's ramshackle scenery, searching for her green-haired teammate.
[M950A] Yes.
[NTW-20] What theー I'm 6,000 miles away, and you're tryin' to talk? That ain't like you. What's the matter?
[M950A] I'm… Bored. I thought there'd be no harm in talking. Would you help me?
[NTW-20] Bored? Ah… Right, I forgot Ana grounded ya. Hah! How'd you blow it like that?
[M950A] ...What!? Don't try to tease me. If you were in front of me..!
[NTW-20] Pffft. Aight, aight. Look... If you promise you ain't gonna snoop around, I got an idea.
[M950A] What?
[NTW-20] Well, since you're opening up a bit! ...I won't let ya wallow.
Calico could practically hear the smile in NTW-20's voice, oddly enough. Almost contagious.
[NTW-20] I got a box set of Clint Eastwood films in my room… Don't tell nobody, though. They're… Really cool, you know? It's kind of like looking into the past!
[M950A] Oh. I understand. How did you get that?
[NTW-20] Back in our earlier days, Ana saw me in a similar predicament. The DVDs, along with the player, are pretty old. The static only adds to the aesthetic though, you know? Maybe… Maybe when I get back, we could watch 'em together! How's that sound? Pretty cool, right?
A peculiar, toothy grin crept onto M950A's face. Well-intentioned, but… Unpracticed. Though no one could have seen it, she suppressed her smile quickly.
[M950A] Slow down. Yes… Should I still be relieved of my duties, I'll have the time. Thank you.
[NTW-20] Heh. No problem. Try not to watch too much, though. Anyway, gotta focus on this upcoming mission. See ya on the other side.
Transmission closed.
With no more conversation to be had, the silence of the entire base only became that much more pronouncedー save for the subtle, distant crashing of the coast tides. A deep frown manifested.
Rather lonesome.
...
"You're a man who makes people afraid, and that's dangerous."
"Well, it's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid."
Soft light emanated from the box TV, barely illuminating NTW-20's dark room. For some reason, she always preferred her lights out. Not that Calico cared.
Curled up in a pink blanket, she observed the ancient film's plot unfold.
Josey Wales, a Civil War era U.S. farmer, sought revenge after witnessing his family die at the hands of Union soldiers, joining the Confederate Army. After doing all he set out to do, and with the war over, he left for Texasー where he and his surrogate family lived haunted by his bounty.
She held the pink blanket closer. Surprisingly, the near century old film enthralled her greatly. Though, she was no fanatic. Even if it was for 20's sake in the first place, the experience wasn't terrible.
She switched off the TV, the room now pitch black. As 20 told her, she ought to refrain from absorbing everything.
Though, it wasn't quite enough, either.
Despite that fact, she found herself gradually drifting away. At this rate, she'd definitely awake at night. For the time being, hopefully 20 wouldn't mind.
She turned to her side, snuggling further into the bed. As always, time began to pass. With the abundance of time, most can't help but contemplate and entertain their deepest thoughts. For a doll, it was no different.
Though she hated to admit it, the commander was right. She wasn't truly deserving of praise. Every hourー every day of trainingー invested into a doll, only for her to fail spectacularly? Inexcusable. She wasn't naive, and the commander knew that. If she couldn't succeed at her one purpose, then what was the point?
Nothing. As far as she saw it, she herself was useless.
That said... A pat on the back would have been nice. A nod. A warm smile of approval, even. Anything would've stood to make her day back then. Now, that all seemed more out of reach than ever.
She cast out these thoughts as best she could, as her vision faded to black. That evening, she made a promise to herself.
The next time an opportunity presented itself, she wouldn't waste it.
END