Helios Space Station. The plans only just finalized and construction barely begun, running only with the most minimal of skeleton crews. Yet every scientist, engineer or robotic designer for galaxies around wanted a position on the prodigious, one of a kind station; with only a slim proportion achieving their dream. Rhys Andrews, considered himself lucky to even be standing on the station; let alone at the threshold of the new Robotics Department. He'd never confess to the things he'd done to earn his place on such an esteemed team; the backs he'd stabbed or the lives he'd no doubt ruined. Hell, he barely acknowledged them himself, except for in his darkest nightmares; where he couldn't escape. His heart hammered as he stood just outside the main entrance, taking a heartbeat longer to savour the sense of satisfaction and glory he felt, drinking in the sleek workspace and the brand new cybernetic enhancements on display. When he'd first applied to Hyperion, Rhys had expected to receive either a steaming pile of nothing, or a particularly derivative refusal. However, the mention of his willingness to volunteer for a new and highly advanced Cybernetic procedure, had earned him an interview; his eagerness granting him not only access to the position he'd applied for, but also some nifty upgrades which would give him a boost over the other applicants.
Six months later, here he was; stood on the space station he revered, outside the very department where an exceptional new arm awaited him, as well as an ECHO eye and a neural port to complete the enhancement. His heart skipped a beat, a jolt of nervous energy rippling down his spine as he licked his lips, excitement and anxiety churning in his gut. Rhys cleared his throat, sucking in a slow, deep breath to calm his rising nerves, before finally stepping through the doors to the Robotics Department; the first step towards his new life and new future.
"Ah, hello! I'm, uh, I'm looking for a mister-" He said as he stepped into the bustle of the busy department, only for the man he'd addressed to turn away as if he hadn't heard him, muttering to himself as he swiped furiously through an ECHO log. Rhys's brow furrowed briefly, but he let the man go, instead glancing around to spot a young woman nearby, who appeared to be re-wiring a cybernetic arm.
"Wow, that looks... awesome." He breathed, impressed by the sleek design of the mechanic limb, despite it having no plating to protect the delicate wires. The woman did not look up, her eyes remaining on her work. Rhys cleared his throat, his hand rising to his neck briefly as he loosened his tie. "Uh, I'm looking for a uh, mister Na-" The woman growled beneath her breath, scowling as she pulled a wrongly configured wire free, her eyes narrowing as she redirected the wire to the correct outlet. "Um, nevermind..." Rhys muttered, sighing as he moved away and tried to navigate his way to find his way by himself.
"Um, hi! Hello!" He called, reaching out to a passing woman tentatively, though he hesitated before actually touching her. "Could you, uh, could you help me? Please?" He asked, sighing in frustration as she continued on her way without responding. Rhys scowled, biting the inside of his cheek at the rudeness of those whom he'd asked for help. He wondered if all scientists were so single minded and rude; while simultaneously making a mental note to delay the results of any future data mining requests from the Robotics Department. "Okay... well, I guess that's a no then! Thanks very much for your time!" He called after her with false cheer, shaking his head as he looked around for anything that might resemble an office. "Hmm..." He hummed, making his way towards a closed door with what he hoped was a name plaque upon it.
Rhys paused just outside the door, glancing both ways down the hall, before turning back to the plaque, his eyes narrowing as he tried to focus on the small words printed upon it. "Professor... N-" he murmured lowly, shaking his head when the letters blurred slightly. Rhys sighed, glancing down the hall again longingly, before biting his lip and tentatively reaching up to knock on the door. He waited a heartbeat, followed by a second, before knocking a second time. Rhys was just about to give up and head back to the main department, when the door was flung open and he instead stepped back in surprise.
"Yes?" Snapped a slightly hunched, wiry man with a lab coat which drowned his body. "What is it? I don't have time for your stupid-" he paused, adjusting the glasses on his nose and leaning towards Rhys with a frown. "Hmm... you're not part of Robotics." He declared quietly, as Rhys leaned away from the strange man, wrinkling his nose as he took a discreet step backwards. "Hmm, minor ocular trauma in the left eye... recent? No... six months old at least, from the scarring..." He muttered to himself, as Rhys grimaced and blushed simultaneously, attempting to avoid looking too closely at the mans strangely blistered skin.
"Oh well, I uh... yeah." Rhys said awkwardly, exhaling sharply in relief, as the strange man finally shifted back and turned his attention down to his right arm. "I was caught in the blast of a grenade and... I mean, my arm took the brunt but, some shrapnel still got past..." He explained quickly, gesturing to his mostly unresponsive right arm. "They've both been, uh... lacking. Ever, uh, ever since." He coughed, shifting his weight uncomfortably beneath the other mans intent gaze.
"Ah, so you're the one." The man leered, his excitement clearly growing as he peered at Rhys's left side, narrowing his eyes as he dragged the tip of his finger across Rhys's brow. "Yes, yes... the port will fit nicely..." He drawled, as Rhys tried hard not to show his discomfort. "Come in, come in! I've been waiting... waiting for you!" He leered excitedly, an uncomfortable grin on his face as he gestured Rhys into his office. "I am professor Nakayama... I designed your neural port myself, specifically." He drawled luridly, as Rhys found himself chuckling with awkward discomfort.
"Ha, ha... great, that's great because, ha..." He coughed, clearing his throat as he reluctantly stepped into the scientist's cramped office. "Yep, totally not creepy at all." He said in a rush, hurrying to sit in the chair which was offered to him; hoping to get the meeting over with so he could go down to the medical bay for his surgery. "Uh, so... what exactly, did you want to see me for?" He asked, his voice rising nervously as he tugged at his collar with his one good hand.
"Hnng!" Professor Nakayama growled abruptly, stalking around his desk as Rhys tensed with alarm, his hand gripping the chair arm tightly, despite the twitch of his fingers. "Urgh, now where did I put it?!" The scientist grumbled, as Rhys glanced around, curious despite the other mans strange behaviour. "Ah!" He cried joyfully, the sound similar to a child; albeit far more disturbing. He moved back around his desk to Rhys, thrusting a piece of paper into his hands. "This file was incorrectly filled in! We have to know where you're from!" He yelled quickly, wringing his hands together as to the small empty box next to the 'homeworld' question. "Sometimes people have planet specific reactions to certain meds... we must make certain we do not take you to theatre and begin operating; without the necessary medication on hand."
Rhys stared at the document, the flicker of a frown marring his brow for the briefest of seconds, before he looked up to Nakayama with a lopsided grin. "I don't have any allergies," he said warmly, moving to set the paper back on Nakayama's desk. "I can assure you that I won't have any kind of adverse reac-"
"No, no, no, no, no!" Nakayama screeched, gritting his teeth as he leered at Rhys and insistently pressed the paper back into his hands. "We have to have the correct information, or else we can't operate!" He explained in a rush, his hands raising to his balding crown and scratching the faintly blistered skin. "Wrong information leads to incorrect meds, which leads to incorrect treatment and suing, followed by the company falling!" He cried, growing steadily louder as Rhys glanced around and moved back in his chair slightly. "Without the correct information, Hyperion would be forced to terminate your employment, effective immediately!" He wailed, a sickly rasp escaping him as he growled in frustration. "You'd be sent back, back to whatever cesspit planet you crawled out fro-"
"Okay, alright already..." Rhys sighed, grimacing as he fondled the edge of the paper and reluctantly reached to pluck a pen from the other mans desk. "I get the picture. No info, no job." He muttered, tapping the pen to the paper hesitantly, before slowly printing a single word in the appropriate box. "There." He bit out with obvious disgust, grimacing as he thrust the paper back at Nakayama and tossed the pen back to his desk.
Nakayama looked down at the paper, adjusting his glasses briefly as he squinted at the page before his eyes widened in surprise. "Pandora?!" He yelped, turning to Rhys with a disbelieving stare, as Rhys snorted and purposely averted his gaze, his left hand curling into a tight fist upon the chair arm. "Oh... oh my, yes..." Nakayama muttered to himself, peering at Rhys with new interest as Rhys continued to avoid the mans gaze as much as he was able to. "I wouldn't have guessed it, but it certainly makes sense... the danger, the aura, the power..." He breathed in a low, awed rush.
Rhys's breath caught in his throat and he stood abruptly, causing Nakayama to squeal with alarm and surprise as he was forced to take a step backwards. "If that's everything..?" He asked tightly, his left arm coming to cup his unresponsive right for a moment. "I should really head over to the uh, the waiting room. For the uh, you know... the surgery." He said, clearing his throat awkwardly as he stumbled back towards the door, unwilling to turn his back on the strange scientist.
"Hmm... yes, that's all for now."Nakayama hummed, eyeing Rhys thoughtfully for another long pause, before looking back down at the form curiously. "Hmm, yes... yes. A pandoran would be far more resilient... I could add in a small modification on the design," he muttered to himself, finally distracted from Rhys as he turned to his desk and snatched up the pen Rhys had returned, frantically scribbling across a schematic on the far side of his desk. "Put a thing, into the arm here... and then, attach it... to the eye there and.. Yes! Grrr! I am so smart!" He hissed to himself, his teeth grit tightly together as Rhys backed away slowly, slipping out of the man's office door and quickly turning away; jogging away from the excitable scientist quickly.
"Oh god..." Rhys sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. "I'm gonna die." He muttered, strolling out of the Robotics Department before pausing to lean against the wall briefly. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as he held his breath and counted to fifteen, before slowly opening his eyes and exhaling. His unease about the imminent surgery faded, but his frustration over the issue of his home world lingered. Rhys felt his brow furrow slowly, his good hand curling into a fist at his side. Pan-goddamn-dora... He thought sourly, hissing to himself as he glanced down the hallway, his temper rising at the reminder of the inescapability of his past and origin.
Pandora was simultaneously the most revered; and the most feared planet in the galaxy. While the planet itself appeared peaceful, beautiful even, from the safety of space; the planets surface was a dangerous mess of blood, murder and mayhem. Tales of legendary Vaults, treasure troves left behind by the mysterious Eridians, lured adventurers from all over the galaxy to brave the wild planet. There were few, however, who ever lasted more than a week. Rhys's father had been one such adventurer, though he'd given up the chase for a Vault upon the discovery of a small village, regularly raided by a gang of bandits and psychos who'd resided nearby. The discovery of a young woman who'd been lucky enough to escape the harsh conditions of the planet had caught his eye, and upon taking up the mantle of Guardian; he'd driven the bandits back, and chosen to remain in the town with the woman, marrying and starting a family within the year.
Rhys blinked quickly, trying to force away the too vivid thoughts and memories of his home world, his frustration mounting as he anticipated the strange looks, the whispers of his soon to be co-workers when they discovered his origins for themselves. Pandora was known for its violent nature; and its inhabitants were no different, regardless of where they ended up in life. To be known as a Pandoran, was to be doubted, to be feared. Rhys had hoped to avoid anyone discovering the knowledge he was from the crazed planet, but the odds it seemed had been stacked against him. "Well..." He sighed, pushing away from the wall and walking slowly away from the Robotics Department, heading towards where a small yellow, highly irritating robot had told him the medical bay was being constructed. "Nothing to be done now." He muttered, running his hand through his hair as he began to walk with more purpose, pushing aside his melancholy as he looked forward to the possibility of having his full vision returned to him. "Guess the skag's outta that bag." He snorted, rolling his eyes before glancing down at his gleaming skag skin boots, grinning goofily despite himself.
When he arrived in the medical bay, he was immediately swarmed by doctors in white coats, all eager to meet the brave volunteer who was willing to prove their loyalty to Hyperion, through cybernetic upgrades; something which if done right, could turn out to benefit the company tenfold within a year alone. Rhys bore their questions with a practiced calm, smiling as he was led through to a small cubicle where he could change into a thin gown. He blushed as he changed, realising the small garment would do little to cover his tall frame, but ultimately deeming the new arm and eye worth the embarrassment of a few hours wearing a revealing gown. His stomach flipped nervously, as he laid down on a small gurney, allowing himself to be wheeled through to the room where he would forever say goodbye to his right arm and his left eye.
"Hey, looks like you got lucky!" One of the doctors commented brightly, smiling before their face disappeared behind a small mask, as Rhys raised an eyebrow at them curiously. "You're ink is only down one arm! It would have been a shame for you to lose it..." They said, gesturing to the blue marks which swirled over Rhys's left arm and chest. He glanced down, his brow creasing briefly, before immediately smoothing out again; so quick, nobody could have noticed unless specifically looking for the reaction.
"Yeah, I guess my drunk ass got lucky alright." He lied cheerfully, forcing a dry chuckle as the doctor hesitantly ran a finger along one of the markings. "Pretty sweet right? Thought they looked badass..." He said thickly, averting his eyes to his fingertips, resentment burning in the back of his throat like acid. "Almost chose the other arm, but... just seemed to fit better. Ya know?" He muttered, swallowing thickly and fighting a grimace at the awful taste which resided in his mouth.
"Beautiful." The doctor breathed, as a surge of irritation swept through Rhys's gut. He grit his teeth tightly, determinedly locking his jaw against the spiteful retort which sat on the tip of his tongue. "Just like a Siren... truly remarkable." They said, before turning to one of the other doctors and seemingly forgetting the marks entirely.
Rhys felt himself pale, his heart skipping a beat at the unintentional barb. He glanced again at the mark's on his arm, immediately looking away when his stomach churned warningly. He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled shakily, staring at the ceiling blankly as the doctors swarmed around him, preparing him for the surgery and finally placing a mask over his mouth; his eyelids growing heavy as they injected him with a sedative. Rhys's frantic heartbeat slowly dropped, his thoughts growing thick and languid as unconsciousness rushed to consume him. With his final moments of coherency, he wondered what they would have done if they'd known the truth. That of the six Siren's in the universe at any one time, the keys to unlocking the wondrous Vaults of legend; they currently had one laying vulnerable within their grasp.