----- Chapter 21 : Almost Human ------
Kireek stood still and took stock of his surroundings. He had been travelling for some time and he was starting to get annoyed by the difficulty in finding Ash. That was not even taking into account the constant attacks by the Ruins populace. Kireek had tried outrunning them at one point but they accumulated quickly and so he had been forced to abandon that plan to keep their numbers down.
Despite their ferocity, speed and power, Kireek had found killing them to be wholly unsatisfying. They amounted to little more than soulless drones. Not that Kireek believed in such things as souls, but he had come to the realisation that it was very important that people did. A tangible fear could be created, even if it was only subconscious, if they thought their soul might be threatened. It was the only reason why his scythe had been named 'Soul Eater'.
"Your mother's sexual promiscuity has resulted in questionable parentage!" Kireek shouted into the emptiness, his voice echoing back.
He knew there was inherent risk in such tactics but given the size of the region that had to be explored it was quite necessary. Besides, it was one of his favourite taunts having had a millennium of studying the humans that were so often his prey.
-----
A 'Special Projects' android, he had been given birth to by a shadowy division of an army to a country that no longer exists. A VX-300 series, his speciality was 'Conflict Mediation', a colourful euphemism for assassination. Times changed and he was forcibly retired from active duty. The programmer assigned to help him integrate into normal society had taken his serial code, KR-3K, and transformed it into the name which he now bore. With all the upgrades and repairs he had over the years it was the only thing he owned tied to that past.
Time passed and he found that his particular skill set was desirable to employers that preferred things done a certain way. Kireek cared little for the things he did or for the money he received in exchange. However, he always strived to reach some kind of higher goal.
The VX series used a more 'streamlined' version of emotions to enable them to be effective, as such upgrading to superior android emotions was difficult if not impossible. Kireek put his not inconsiderable fortune into two areas: humour and study of the human psyche, he immersed himself in everything it was to be human.
If there was one thing above all else that Kireek was jealous of, it was lips, those fleshy coverings of people's mouths. Androids were cursed with simple mouth-parts as an aesthetic concession in order to make the organic more tolerant of their appearance. Kireek had watched many countless holocasts to learn the subtle nuances that could be conveyed through the movement of small clumps of fibrous protein.
His attention to detail and psychological knowledge ensured that he eventually acquired a reputation of near mythic qualities, something to be proud of and use to his advantage. Every generation had its own urban legend of a Grim Reaper that stalked the unwary.
-----
Once more he was stalking but this time the target was more than human. Kireek had no idea if Ash would even respond to his words, a lot of wasted effort on his part if he did not. Sue's data had been useful but his strategy had not been changed in any meaningful way.
"I have come for that which belongs to me... Your soul!"
His words echoed much less here. The walls closed in more, the rooms smaller and corridors shorter. Behind grills and transparent walls movement was everywhere. Not enemies rallying for attack but mechanical systems in motion. Gears and cogs spun, shafts turned and copious amounts of steam periodically ejected from pipes all around. Kireek briefly wondered what function this part of the subterranean city could serve.
The sound of something landing in the distance alerted him to the presence of company. In the gloom he could see Ash, what was left of him anyway. His armour, tattered, hung in strips around his waist. His skin, hard and chitinous showed burn marks on the chest area where the unfortunate RAcast had shot him. This show of toughness evidence that Ash would be capable of providing exactly the challenge that Kireek craved.
"Ever since I witnessed your display of weakness in the forest by the Central Dome I wished to kill you... end your misery. But there were always others that might interfere. Now there shall be none to save you."
Ash stood there crouched low, his warped mask of a face reduced to a permanently grinning rictus. Kireek gripped the scythe tightly in both hands and dashed forwards.
Kireek stood still and took stock of his surroundings. He had been travelling for some time and he was starting to get annoyed by the difficulty in finding Ash. That was not even taking into account the constant attacks by the Ruins populace. Kireek had tried outrunning them at one point but they accumulated quickly and so he had been forced to abandon that plan to keep their numbers down.
Despite their ferocity, speed and power, Kireek had found killing them to be wholly unsatisfying. They amounted to little more than soulless drones. Not that Kireek believed in such things as souls, but he had come to the realisation that it was very important that people did. A tangible fear could be created, even if it was only subconscious, if they thought their soul might be threatened. It was the only reason why his scythe had been named 'Soul Eater'.
"Your mother's sexual promiscuity has resulted in questionable parentage!" Kireek shouted into the emptiness, his voice echoing back.
He knew there was inherent risk in such tactics but given the size of the region that had to be explored it was quite necessary. Besides, it was one of his favourite taunts having had a millennium of studying the humans that were so often his prey.
-----
A 'Special Projects' android, he had been given birth to by a shadowy division of an army to a country that no longer exists. A VX-300 series, his speciality was 'Conflict Mediation', a colourful euphemism for assassination. Times changed and he was forcibly retired from active duty. The programmer assigned to help him integrate into normal society had taken his serial code, KR-3K, and transformed it into the name which he now bore. With all the upgrades and repairs he had over the years it was the only thing he owned tied to that past.
Time passed and he found that his particular skill set was desirable to employers that preferred things done a certain way. Kireek cared little for the things he did or for the money he received in exchange. However, he always strived to reach some kind of higher goal.
The VX series used a more 'streamlined' version of emotions to enable them to be effective, as such upgrading to superior android emotions was difficult if not impossible. Kireek put his not inconsiderable fortune into two areas: humour and study of the human psyche, he immersed himself in everything it was to be human.
If there was one thing above all else that Kireek was jealous of, it was lips, those fleshy coverings of people's mouths. Androids were cursed with simple mouth-parts as an aesthetic concession in order to make the organic more tolerant of their appearance. Kireek had watched many countless holocasts to learn the subtle nuances that could be conveyed through the movement of small clumps of fibrous protein.
His attention to detail and psychological knowledge ensured that he eventually acquired a reputation of near mythic qualities, something to be proud of and use to his advantage. Every generation had its own urban legend of a Grim Reaper that stalked the unwary.
-----
Once more he was stalking but this time the target was more than human. Kireek had no idea if Ash would even respond to his words, a lot of wasted effort on his part if he did not. Sue's data had been useful but his strategy had not been changed in any meaningful way.
"I have come for that which belongs to me... Your soul!"
His words echoed much less here. The walls closed in more, the rooms smaller and corridors shorter. Behind grills and transparent walls movement was everywhere. Not enemies rallying for attack but mechanical systems in motion. Gears and cogs spun, shafts turned and copious amounts of steam periodically ejected from pipes all around. Kireek briefly wondered what function this part of the subterranean city could serve.
The sound of something landing in the distance alerted him to the presence of company. In the gloom he could see Ash, what was left of him anyway. His armour, tattered, hung in strips around his waist. His skin, hard and chitinous showed burn marks on the chest area where the unfortunate RAcast had shot him. This show of toughness evidence that Ash would be capable of providing exactly the challenge that Kireek craved.
"Ever since I witnessed your display of weakness in the forest by the Central Dome I wished to kill you... end your misery. But there were always others that might interfere. Now there shall be none to save you."
Ash stood there crouched low, his warped mask of a face reduced to a permanently grinning rictus. Kireek gripped the scythe tightly in both hands and dashed forwards.