@viopolis from x
The moment the email arrived in the correspondence database shared between Second Squadron, it had a response. Confirmed. The next time Quick Man passed Crash — less than an hour later as the former returned from his own session of routine maintenance — he informed him that he would undergo a follow-up examination, and it would happen that upcoming Wednesday. Crash sighed, but didn’t argue. By contrast, it took Chandra some time to respond to Agent Ninjin. Winter was no kinder to robots than it was humans. Ice and road salt combined could have a potent corrosive effect on metal — and while most androids had their innerworkings protected by treated armor or dust-guard clothing, many still worried. Some for good reason, some just for the sake of it. After a long day of work in a cold workshop, Chandra called to confirm the time and date would suit her just fine. She didn’t have anything to do that day, anyway. So, when the 24th rolls around, about fifteen minutes before the agreed meeting time, Chandra arrived at Second Squadron headquarters. The fortress— a dome whose center sat beneath Eclipse’s outermost walls — stood tall enough that Chandra guessed it had three, possibly four floors to it. Its entryway was a tunnel blocked off by thick slabs of reinforced steel, folded over each other and held in place by thick, industrial locks. Its entryway had been shoveled. Chandra waited patiently. It was snowing, but the winds were calm for once, and she was bundled up. Thick winter coat, a scarf, winter boots and gloves — all she had to do was wait for Agent Ninjin to get there. … And quell the little flicker of anxiety squirming around in her chest.
Winters in Eclipse were tough, but that day was especially humid. Wrapped in her uniform, topped up with its blue winter coat and an old orange scarf she dug up every year from the bottom of her wardrobe, Mariko was heading to the Second Squadron headquarters holding a tumbler of steaming coffee, letting the steam warm her face as it peeked from the scarf for the occasional sip. Her palms were firmly pressed on the warm metallic surface, and once she met with the mechanic, Mariko opted to greet her with a nod, refusing to let go of that comforting warmth against her freezing fingertips.
"Thank you for coming despite the weather... And the date," she said, bouncing on her toes to keep her feet warm. "I know most people head home to prepare for the celebrations around this time of the evening."
Not that she'd know much of it. She could barely recall the last time she had spent the winter holidays with anyone that wasn't her PC, a pack of cookies, or a colleague on the next desk going through a bucket of fried chicken.
"These procedures are quite strict with their timelines," she explained with a sigh as she approached the interphone next to the entrance. "So it was either this week or... Well, this week only really. And today seemed to be the only one where the Second Squadron or Quick Man wouldn't be busy on some mission, so..."
She turned to give the massive building a last look before she put her coffee on top of the interphone, then rubbed her hands together with a shiver before pulling up her sleeve to check her omnidevice. Right after, she inputted a code on the small keyboard below the screen, her breath materialising in short puffs of steam.
"Hopefully it'll be quick," she said, hurrying yo grab the tumbler again.
A metallic voice echoed through the interphone: "Yes?"
"It's agent Ninjin," Mariko replied. "From Tech Patrol."
Silence ensued. Then, with a buzz, the huge gate in front of them shifted to the side, revealing a long, dark entrance. Mariko gave it an impressed look before turning to offer Chandra a nervous smile.
"I've never been here before," she admitted. "Impressive, isn't it? Let's go."
And with that, she walked inside, feeling as if the tumbler in her hands got colder at each step.