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It's been three days since Medkit's escape from Blackrock.
The cult— church took him in immediately. Perhaps his freshly gutted eye was appealing to them. He took whatever chance he could get.
Medkit sits in a temporary guest room within the church's halls. It looks like a nice hotel room more than anything. There's a berd, nightstand, closet, even a TV. But like a hotel room, it doesn't feel homely. Maybe that will change in time.
There's a knock on his door. Medkit perks up, but before he can answer, the door opens up anyway.
Poking in his head is the demon that took him in the first place. Medkit thinks he calls himself "Broker"? Odd name, but he supposes when you're rich enough, you can call yourself anything.
"Hey, new guy. Medkit, yes?" Broker opens the door wider, but doesn't step inside.
"Yes." Medkit does his best to remain firm, not give away his nervousness. He feels exposed with the cracked open door.
"The boss wants to see you. It isn't often she gets so interested in a newcomer! I'd suggest making yourself presentable. I'll be waiting out here to guide you~!"
Broker shuts the door before Medkit can say anything.
Presentable? He came in with bloodied Blackrock uniform... he doesn't have anything else but the nightwear provided to him.
He explores the room, checking first the drawers, then the closet.
Inside is a very teal suit. When- how? He'll ask questions later. Medkit takes the suit and dress pants from the hanger. It's... a bit bright for his liking. It'll do for now.
He slips it on and exits the room. True to his word, Broker was waiting, his arms behind him in a military parade rest. He flicks his tail, motioning for Medkit to follow. "Come along, now."
Medkit trails behind the smaller demon closely. He looks around the halls of the church. It's all teal and gold. It feels more like a palace than a place of worship with how spacious the halls are.
Broker brings Medkit down several flights of stairs. As Medkit holds onto the railing to support his tired body, Broker seems to be jumping down each step. It makes Medkit even more exhausted looking at him.
Eventually the two arrive at the deepest, coolest floor of the church. Artificial lights brighten up the place, but they're not enough to supress the sinking feeling in Medkit's gut. They're deep underground. If this roof collapsed-
Get it together. Now isn't the time for that.
Broker stops at what seems to be an ordinary door. He knocks twice, then waits.
"Come in," says a voice from the other side.
Broker enters the office first, leaving the door open for Medkit to follow.
Of course, Medkit closes the door once he's inside.
In the rather large office is a desk. Sitting at the desk is an intimidating demon. Her features are sharp and dangerous. Her gloved hands hold each other as she tilts her head up past the rim of her hat upon hearing the door open. She angles her brilliant teal eye to, what it feels like, study Medkit.
He does his best not to gulp or sweat.
"Yer the newcomer, ain'tcha? Medkit? C'mon now, take a seat. Don't be shy."
Medkit presses forward and sits down in the chair across the demon.
"So ya ran away from Blackrock? Don't worry yer little head off. The Church welcomes everyone, regardless of criminal status."
He feels a lump in his throat. Is it really a crime to defend yourself?
"So before you were a scientist there, yeah? You were workin' on all those crazy inventions? Respond."
"Yes, ma'am," says Medkit curtly.
"Yeesh, no need to be so formal." She laughs, and Broker chuckles with her. She slides her left hand out of her... oddly stiff right hand and holds it out to Medkit in a handshake.
"Name's Scythe. I'm yer boss now."
Medkit grabs her hand. Her grip is firm, tight. She shakes his hand once roughly before letting go.
"I called ya here for yer first job. I heard that Blackrock's been startin' to make robots. Now, I ain't interested in that whole thing, however..."
Scythe takes hold of her right wrist. With a graceful pull, her arm suddenly disconnects from her shoulder and slides out of her sleeve.
She lays it on her desk. It has some mobility with an elbow joint and fingers, but it must be quite limited.
"I want a better arm. One that's more flexible. Ya can keep this one to study."
Medkit stares at the prosthetic on the table, pondering to himself.
While it was his... well, ex coworker now, who was more interested in robotics, Medkit had indulged him in a few of his blueprints and prototypes.
He has to admit. He's a little excited to tinker.
"Startin' the deal at 50,000 bux," says Scythe. "If I like it enough, we can talk about more."
That's... quite a bit. The Lost Temple money, he supposes.
"I can make you a new arm."
"Excellent~" Scythe smiles. It's a very toothy smile. "Just let me know what ya need. We'll make it happen."
Broker found Medkit a workshop he could call his own for the duration of the job. He's funneled lots of paper and mechanical parts to build prototype after prototype.
Robotics did not come as naturally to him as they did his ex coworker. But he was determined to make this right.
Less so for Scythe... more for the comfort of inventing.
He fits together the joint he just made and screws it in. He bends it back and forth. Of course, it sounds mechanical, there isn't much to be done that can imitate the quiet movement of bone, but he's getting closer. It's still a bit too stiff. It isn't flexible yet.
Back to the drawing board.
In a month, he has his final design.
Scythe's previous arm already had sensors to detect nerve implants. For this design, she'll need a bit more implants, but surely if she did it once, she'll do it again?
The arm is sleek. Scythe doesn't care about it looking natural.
And of course, everything comes back to crystals. He made it the main power source of her arm, so she wouldn't need to take it off and recharge it. He even managed to make it look aestheticly pleasing.
Medkit walks through his blueprint with Scythe and Broker. While Broker nods along, touching his chin thoughtfully, Medkit can tell Scythe is pretending to understand.
"All the points of rotation do look impressive," muses Broker. "There's more than just the elbow— it can imitate bone movement. If this works, she'll be able to turn her entire arm around."
Scythe lights up. "Lookin' great, 'kit. Whatever parts ya need we'll get it."
The arm is done. Medkit holds it carefully, like one would hold an artifact in a museum. He awaits patiently (though he admits to himself, he's at least a little excited to see this work) for Scythe to arrive.
She does, right on time, with Broker as her escort.
"Let's try this baby out." Scythe pulls her jacket off her shoulder. Underneath, she is wearing a tank top. She presents her shoulder stump to Medkit.
He approaches, a bit cautiously. He slides the arm into place, attaching it to Scythe with a temporary strap. If she likes it, she can proceed with the more permament fixture.
Scythe seems skeptical at first. Then, her fingers move. They move quite a bit, actually. She can tap the table and scratch the metal with fluidity.
She lifts the arm up, bending it around, rotating it. She toys around with how her wrist, elbow, and shoulder move. She grins.
"Quite the fine job ya did here. My next harvest is gunna be the best one yet~"
"It looks great," chimes Broker.
"It shouldn't snag much on clothing," says Medkit. "If it does, you can release it by-"
"Tch. I ain't hidin' this. Gotta modify all my shirts and coats now! I'm showin' this thing off."
Medkit gives her a stoic smile. In some ways, it's genuine. He's watching an invention of is help someone.
"I'm givin' ya a bonus. Extra 100,000 bux."
"A-an arm like this would've costed just 75,000 bux."
"Yeah? Well, I like it. And I got the funds to spare."
"Thank you." Medkit stabilizes his nervous tone.
"Go rest. Sleep, go outside, whatever ya do. I'm gonna take this new arm for a spin~"
Scythe hasn't taken the arm off whenever Medkit has seen her. Hopefully she at least does to sleep— lying down with or on that thing is very comfortable.
Medkit sits up in bed, rubbing his forever tired eye. A knock at the door perks him up.
Broker enters, grin on his face.
"Make yourself look presentable. The boss as another job for you."