Chapter Text
~O~
It was a calm, chilly day and snow was slowly falling on a snowy mountain range from the clouds above.
He was walking in the snow down the mountain slopes. Ramattra found peace in the silence, if only for a little while. It was comforting. The cold bit at his plating and joints and he was stepping through the ruined gates of an old human village. It was empty, having been left to rot after the humans were forced to evacuate.
It was such a desolate place. But at least it was quiet right now.
He felt its ghosts haunting the corners of each broken home.
Ramattra knelt down, reached into the rubble as something caught his attention; a framed portrait of a human family. Happy, smiling things.
Something crackled.
Clutching his staff tight, he rose and pointed it directly into the face of an Omnic. An older model, wearing human clothes with bright blue optics. His skull looked rusted in some places, wires dangling from the base and two of the six marks in his head cracked.
"Wait!" he gasped. "Wait, wait, I'm not your enemy!"
Ramattra lowered his staff slightly. "That remains to be seen."
"I'm Rasan. I was living here for a while." the Omnic explained. He seemed quite happy to see him, much to Rammatra's chagrin. Mostly they had a habit to flock to him and chatter constantly.
Hm. Well, it was a comfort either way to see one of his own. He had walked far in silence, avoiding many humans in his exodus.
"You're a Ravager unit!" Rasan continued, in awe to stand in his presence, "Haven't seen one of you in a while. Most of us believed you to be dead or in hiding."
Ravager. Strange. Only humans referred to his kind that way.
Yes. He'd had this conversation quite often, mostly with humans. Mondatta's teachings and careful instructions rang true. He always attempted patience, despite the rolling wrath that churned deep within.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Rasan."
"And you as well."
O
Rasan invited him to sit in the ruins of what he called his old master's home. He was made for grounds-keeping and his former master had died after the evacuation. Ramattra had to confess he didn't think he'd find this one first in his journey. He explained his name to him, where he had come from.
The fire was small and rather unnecessary for their kind, but the Omnic seemed to find comfort in it, anyway. Rasan was stumbling in another room somewhere looking for something. Ramattra heard a small crash, followed by a "ow" before he appeared to him again, carrying a box in his arms.
"I have my master's old things here," he explained. "This coat? It was his." He sighed, sitting down at the fire with him. "He was a good human. He treated me well, taught me everything about the old world before this one."
"A glorified, trained pet. How quaint."
Rasan wavered a little, toyed with the box and seemed a bit bothered by that, so Ramattra helped him.
"That was...unfair to say," he said, quietly. "For how you dress, how you keep those things in this...forsaken place? He must have meant something to you."
Rasan straightened with a small laugh. Those words brightened him and made him open up more. "Yes! He did! I stayed with him when the other humans left. I think he was kind to me because he wanted a son."
"How do you know?"
"He named me Rasan. It's what he would have named a boy if he had one, or so he told me, anyway. His home country believed it to have great significance and honor."
Ramattra found that endearing, if not a little pitiful. Why would any human hope for such a thing in an Omnic?
Rasan's tone changed now. "He was old and sick, so he couldn't leave like the rest of them." A sigh and he looked down at the box. "I don't understand. Why do humans leave their sick and ailing? It makes no sense."
Ramattra knew why. Humans were utterly destructive and cruel, even to their own kind. His people were victims of their own hands, but they would do the same to each other. They were a mad species, undeserving of his -
"Oh! Look!" Rasan interrupted his storm of thoughts. "I have this! An old radio."
He held it up to him and Ramattra looked down at the old, primitive device. He hadn't seen one of those since visiting the village below the Monastery. There was a human shopkeeper who collected old world technology.
"I would listen to the teachings of Tekhartha Mondatta from this before it eventually stopped working," Rasan hummed, with wonder. "His words always moved my master and me every night after his supper."
Hearing the name made Ramattra's mood darken. He couldn't help it. "Mondatta places the burden of peace on the oppressed and not their oppressors. And so my brother fell for it all the same."
Rasan sounded disappointed. "'Before me I see the future, humans and omnics standing together, united by compassion, by common hopes and dreams'." he said. "That was what he said. My master and I believed it to be so."
"Your master is one of the few who may be kind," Ramattra reminded him, remembering his grace and manners. "But the kind humans wither and decay, leaving room for the cruel, base and violent."
His last words to Mondatta...
"Brother Ramattra, it saddens me to hear of your decision to leave us. I do hope you find what you are looking for outside of our gates."
"Thank you, Master Mondatta. I regret that my path takes me from your teachings, but I am no longer certain that the answers for our people can be found at the monastery."
Mondatta's warm, comforting voice never changed, nor judged. "Your concern for our well-being is understandable." he said, resting his hand on his shoulder. "I only hope you remember what you've been taught, and that you continue to strive for harmony with the humanity that surrounds us."
Ramattra sighed quietly. "I fear the humans are not interested in sharing their world, in coexisting with Omnics. We are a single-generation race, dying."
"Ramattra, know that your human brothers and sisters may not look like you, and may not understand you, but they, too, are on the same journey. For we are all one within the Iris."
He could not stay.
"I will be moving forward." Ramattra told Rasan. "I seek other Omnics to ally with my cause. If you are one, you may join me."
Rasan made a thoughtful sound. The idea did seem to intrigue him, but he was doubtful. "I have not left this place in so long."
"We must all take our first steps toward our own freedom." Ramattra assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And that first step can be frightening. You have lived in fear since your human passed, haven't you?"
Rasan nodded in agreement. "Yes..."
"And the humans will fight us. Change frightens them. We frighten them." Ramattra continued, "They believe we are not their equals. Together, we will prove them wrong. One Omnic at a time."
Rasan chuckled quietly. His optics flickered with light before he nodded again.
"May I visit his grave one final time before we leave?"
Ramattra saw little point to it, but would honor the Omnic's wishes. "Very well."
Rasan sounded content. He rose, walked out of the ruins of the old home while Ramattra followed behind him. The Ravager felt disconnected from this, but the other Omnic saw this as important to him. He would honor it.
They walked to the other side of the house and Rasan knelt before a small grave marker. It was a little stone from the home they once lived in together; carved into it was the name Karam. Rasan laid a small military officer's hat on the stone, prayed for a moment before he rose, looked up at Ramattra.
"Alright, let's go." he said.
"Your human died of age, didn't he?" Ramattra asked.
"No. I killed him."
Ramattra found that surprising. "Why?"
"He asked me to." Rasan explained, with a quiet, sad laugh. "Oh, don't look at me. It was painless. Poison in his drink and he never woke back up. He asked that I do it, to ease me of the burden of caring for him."
"I see." Ramattra sighed. "A terrible thing it is, to take the life of one you were most close to. You have my sympathies."
"It's alright." Rasan replied, still quite sad, "I didn't want to do it. He was good to me. But he wanted it. He asked me. 'No father should burden their son', he said. "He wanted me to move on but...it was hard to."
"And by chance, we crossed paths." Ramattra told him. "This is your path now. Will you take it?"
Rasan took a moment, looked back at the grave before he nodded. "Yes. I will. In honor of my master."
"Not master." Ramattra reminded him. "You are your own master now, Rasan. You look to the future now. And the future is your freedom."
Rasan sounded mystified by the very thought. Ramattra questioned to himself how his skull had been crushed, but he knew. A part of him knew always.
A dead Omnic at his feet.
Who was he?
An engineer of a sorts? Oh, yes, he was laying there in the workshop. There were photos of a human and this Omnic embracing together. The human looked happy to do so. But was he happy to embrace him as an equal or a slave?
Ramattra couldn't tell.
He knelt down, prayed for the fallen Omnic before he saw humans rushing toward him, armed with any weapon they could find.
Ah. Peace would not work here.
They had already decided.
O
There was a vision that came to him as he meditated that early morning.
Ramattra could see the stars, bear witness to himself standing before his army of like-minded Omnics who stood for his cause of freedom.
R-7000s, unlike many other Omnics, were never made by human hands. In Ramattra's mind, the natural instinct to hunt and kill was in his programming given to him by Anubis. He was made for murder and to hunt humans, but he could learn and change the very core of his being to make choices rather than be driven by that instinct.
"What was the monastery like?" Rasan questioned, purging his thoughts.
"I'm no longer a monk," Ramattra answered, honestly. To him, it seemed best to give the Omnic hope in such things. He would not be cruel to the first one who stood at his side, no matter how broken he seemed.
Rasan sighed. He rubbed his head, toyed with the broken wires. "Humans hate what they don't understand..."
"Yes." Ramattra agreed.
He was a weary Omnic who had been treated kindly by a human. Ramattra could see that this was true; but he was lost without his human, seeking guidance and now, fate brought the two together.
Rasan studied his robes, lowered his head. "You still wear them, then?"
"As you wear your human's coat." Ramattra answered. "Sentiment, I suppose."
He didn't want to be dismissive of the Omnic's feelings. Maybe he truly believed that such things meant anything.
"Oh! Wait..." Rasan raised his head now, fully alert. "Did you hear that?"
"No." Ramattra paused, then listened. He could hear movement close by. "Wait... Yes, I do hear something."
He rose, clutched his staff tightly. A human? Yes. There was a human nearby; he could scarcely make out the pulse. It was slow and steady - a good sign really - and it meant no threat or agitation was near.
Still, what human was so close to them? Did they follow or know of his exodus from the monastery?
He stepped closer, felt the pulse of the heartbeat grow louder. And he saw the human - a small child, wearing a simple coat over clothes that looked too big for her. She was scrounging in a pile of rubbish, humming a song to herself, it seemed.
Rasan looked at him, whispering. "It's a child. What do we do?"
Ramattra sighed. "Leave her alone. It's not our concern."
"But she's like me." Rasan said, troubled. "She's lost. Alone."
"As we should be. Let her be - Rasan!"
Ramattra growled with frustration when Rasan started to approach the child. What was this fool of an Omnic doing?
The child immediately looked up when Rasan approached her; there was a moment she looked surprised, then calmed. He waved his hand.
"Hello!" he greeted. "How are you?"
The child tilted her head at him before smiling. "I'm Sakura. I'm looking for buried treasure. Want to help?"
Rasan chuckled. "Sure!"
Ramattra sighed heavily, approached them and the child - Sakura - looked up at him. "Hi!" she greeted.
"You should not talk to strangers, little one," Ramattra told her. He looked at Rasan. "We need to leave. Don't pester her. Her parents could be close and we don't know what we're dealing with."
Sakura shook her head, picked up a shoe. "My parents are gone. They went to do 'good stuff' to help people and never came back."
"Oh..." Rasan looked up at Ramattra. "That's...unfortunate. Maybe we can find other humans to help you."
Ramattra found the idea absurd. "What?"
Rasan chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "Is our goal for equality not something that should start with the innocent ones? We should help her. It might set a good example and first impression."
"That is a fools errand and you of all of us should know that."
He was a little frustrated, but Rasan was not reacting the way he had thought; instead, he was kneeling in front of Sakura, tilting his head.
"What if we helped you find some nice humans?" he asked. "So they can find your family?"
Sakura grinned. "Yeah!"
"Rasan, this is foolish!" Ramattra hissed.
Rasan ignored him. Just like his fellow Omnics when he swore they would do better outside of the monastery where they could change things. Beings of science seeking faith, seeking wisdom in the Iris.
Only to perish by the hands of their oppressors.
O
A low growling sound filled the air.
Ramattra tilted his head. "What was that?"
Sakura was sitting on a tree stump. She looked down when her stomach growled and laughed a little. "I guess it was my stomach."
"Then you should eat." Ramattra paused, winced internally at his own error. "Oh, well– I suppose I should find you something to eat. A moment."
Rasan was digging nearby, trying to set up what looked like a little shelter for the human. The night was soon to fall and he insisted. Ramattra didn't know how he had been convinced to keep the human with them. But he walked anyway to find food for her. The forest would give them everything they needed.
Roots.
Aiselu berries. Well, there was enough for the child to eat. And suitable until they found a village that would take her.
He gathered them quickly in his hand, walked back and set them down in front of Sakura. She stared down at the offerings before making a face.
"No thank you." she grumbled.
Ramattra sighed. "Have you ever tried it?"
"No."
"Then how do you know you don't like it if you've never tried it?"
Sakura's stomach growled again and she grumbled a little before picking up the root. She began to bite into it while making faces. Ramattra stared at her, shook his head and she forced a polite, painful grin.
"Stop that. You clearly don't like it."
"The shelter is done!" Rasan announced. "The little one can rest easy, I hope!"
Sakura eagerly made her way to the shelter made up of leaves and twigs before climbing in. She was excited, laughing and smiling.
"Wow! It's like when my dad and I went camping!"
Ramattra watched her try and pace within the little shelter. Rasan had done well to make it insulated enough for her for the night. The Omnic certainly knew his way around such things. It was a bit endearing if not pointless in some ways.
Still, Sakura seemed to like it enough.
Rasan sat down beside him and Ramattra sighed. "You should not encourage her so much." he said. "It will make it difficult to let her go."
Rasan shrugged his shoulders - a very human gesture. "How so?"
"Because I see that you are keeping her like a pet."
"What a strange thing to say about a child."
Ramattra sighed. He didn't want to argue with him. "I am simply being truthful. This bonding you're doing will only make it harder for you to let her go once we find humans."
Rasan seemed to agree to an extent. "That is true. Perhaps I am simply trying to make up for the kindness of my master." he explained, "I think kindness saves us all in the end. I thought you'd know that."
Ramattra found the notion absurd, if not a bit charming. He laughed. He couldn't help it. "If only the world were so simple."
"Yes."
Rasan was still hopeful, despite the damages and treatment that came from humans after his former master died. Ramattra would have found it admirable, but he did not see that kind of hope for any human. Some had proven themselves a rarity among their kind, but good deeds were overshadowed by the evil that lived deep within them.
Sooner or later, no good deed went unpunished.
O
Ravagers.
Marching through the battlefield.
He remembered awakening to his death; he nearly died that day, but strength and the drive to live was stronger than fear. He saw death through his own optics, saw his people falling at the hands of humans.
He saw -
"Mr. Ramattra! Wake up!"
Sakura was shaking him, even as he powered his optics on.
Mr. Ramattra?
How quaint.
He looked down at her. "What is it, little one?" he asked.
"You didn't move. I got scared." Sakura looked up at him with worry.
Ramattra chuckled quietly through his speakers. "Heh, you're quite inquisitive, aren't you?" he said. When he saw that she was genuinely concerned, he sighed. "I was simply in recharge. Nothing to concern yourself over."
Sakura tilted her head, confused. "Wait, is it like sleeping?"
"Sort of."
"I didn't know Omnics sleep."
Ramattra's first instinct was to chastise her for being ignorant. But he remembered immediately that she was just a child. Children didn't know any better and she looked genuinely curious. Such a rarity among humans.
"It's a sort of sleep, yes," Ramattra explained. He looked beyond her. "Where is Rasan?"
"Oh! Mr. Rasan is fishing for food for me in the lake." Sakura explained, with a smile. "He made this really neat fishing rod out of a tree and his wires. It was really cool watching him!"
"Ah, I see." Ramattra rose. "Take me to him."
Sakura began to run down the hill and Ramattra sighed. "Don't run so fast!" he yelled after her. "You'll trip."
"I'm okay!" Sakura yelled back at him.
Ramattra sighed through his speakers. What a ridiculous child. He could not fathom how she survived on her own.
Rasan was crouched near the edge of the lake, holding the makeshift fishing rod and humming to himself. It was such a human thing for him to do; these tedious little tasks that did nothing for him personally, but for the life of a human.
"Mr. Rasan caught four fish already!" Sakura grinned.
Rasan chuckled, waved a hand in the air. "Ahh, it was nothing. It's all in the bait, you see."
"Yes, I see." Ramattra sat down beside him. Well, the human needed proper protein. "Once she is properly fed, then we continue on."
"Of course!"
Rasan scratched at his head a bit while he showed Sakura how to clean the fish he had caught. Ramattra pointedly watched how the sparks occasionally danced through his chrome skull. He watched and knew of the spirit residing in him.
So rare for any of his kind to have that sort of sentience.
O
Sakura was singing a song in Japanese.
It was calming, in a way.
"What is that song?" Ramattra asked.
"Oshogatsu." Sakura explained, with a grin. "We used to sing it a lot on New Years Day. My mom and I would sing in the kitchen a lot. It was so fun!"
"I see." Ramattra hummed. "Sing it again, if you wish."
Sakura grinned happily, nodding.
"Mou ikutsu neruto Oshougatsu
Oshougatsu niwa tako agete
Koma wo mawashite asobimasyo
Hayaku koi koi Oshougatsu
Mou ikutsu neruto Oshougatsu
Oshougatsu niwa mari tsuite
Oibane tsuite asobimasyo
Hayaku koi koi Oshougatsu"
It was strangely peaceful listening to such a small voice singing softly while they walked through the forest. Such peace should be cherished.
Ramattra could see marks in the ground; footprints left by humans who had passed them not that long ago.
"...my mom and dad might be at that village!"
"Anything is possible, little one."
Ramattra ignored Rasan and Sakura as he scanned the forest for signs of life. He could make out a human hiker not far from them. He felt his body clench tight, every joint seize. A hiker, of course. He was tense for little reason.
The human was wearing hiking gear, humming a song to himself. Ramattra scanned him and could see a handgun at his side. He was licensed to carry it. He was calm. No threat but he was still armed.
"Good morning, Omnics!" the man greeted, when he spotted them. He immediately noticed Sakura and brightened. "Oh! A human kid with you? Decided to adopt, did we?"
Ramattra tensed where he stood. He continued to watch his hands. "No. This human is in our care until we find somewhere safe for her."
The human was smiling. Nothing fake. Nothing threatening.
But Ramattra was no fool.
"Well, Khayarmara is not far from here," the human said, pointing behind him. "But I'd still be careful. I - "
"Hands where I can see them." Ramattra whispered quickly, watching those hands move too close to his gun.
The human laughed and Rasan seemed tense too. Sakura was also looking rather uneasy by the abruptness of his voice.
[Stay calm.]
"Oh! You're worried about this?" the human said, looking down at his gun. "I'm not stupid enough to wave it around, especially in front of a Ravager like you." He chuckled a little. "I did some read-up on your model. You're not popular. But you don't need to worry. I keep this with me for protection. Never had to use it myself."
Of course.
Ramattra watched the human eye Rasan up and down, grinning excitedly. "You're a gardening model, aren't you?"
Rasan spoke hesitantly. "I am."
Strange. He spoke so highly of humans. He seemed unnerved now.
"Yes!" the human smiled. "I heard your models had to be recalled. Bit twitchy, some of you. But you seem like you're fine." He tapped his head once. "Probably should get that looked at soon."
It was always the refrain of humanity to display such ignorance and treat Omnics like property, even when one displayed such sentience.
Still, the word about his model being recalled was troubling. Rasan seemed to avoid the response and Sakura was nervous.
"We will be fine." Ramattra told them human. He wanted him to leave.
The human seemed to understand well enough and gave them his farewell before moving on. Ramattra wanted to leave quickly and avoid the possibility he would alert others. He didn't want to take a chance.
"Come, little human," Ramattra told Sakura. "Let's find you a safe place."
O
Rasan had been insistent on checking Khayarmara first. But it was Ramattra who preferred to stay behind and observe around him should the need arise he would have to make a quick getaway. He could fight humans. He had fought them. But he would only do so as a last resort.
Often times, it ended in such a way.
"Oh, this is the problem."
Rasan's voice cut him through his thoughts.
"What is it?" he asked.
Rasan sighed, approaching and gesturing to the little town. "It's empty. The humans must have moved on after the shelling."
Yes. Ramattra was very much aware of that. It only happened in small groups or slavers. But it was still enough to be wary of.
Sakura wandered into the town and Rasan followed quickly behind her. Ramattra observed the homes; some were destroyed, objects left behind. He stepped on glass and looked down, staring at a portrait of a human family. He remembered what it was like when he emerged in New York City, crushing families beneath his armies.
"Mr. Rasan, look!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Ah! A nice toy. How cute."
Ramattra looked up at the two; they were in an old shop and Sakura had found a stuffed bird toy to hold onto. She looked happy and he wondered how one so young was so well adjusted to what was clearly her own loss and neglect.
"The fires were recent," Rasan said, quietly as Ramattra approached him. "This was probably the work of the scavengers."
"Scavengers?" Ramattra found that troubling.
"Yes. They live underground mostly. But they do surface to pick away at the ruins." Rasan explained. "Best not linger here long."
Yes. Scavengers. With his model, they would certainly covet him. Ramattra was almost hoping for it...
"Yes, let's move on." he agreed.
Rasan noticed a few crates nearby and began to root through them. "I need only a moment. Perhaps there are supplies that can be of use."
"What for? We do not need them."
"The child, of course."
"Ah. Of course." Ramattra looked down at Sakura, who grinned up at him. "Yes, the little one. A smart idea, Rasan."
Since leaving the Shambali monastery, he had passed many humans and many of those wished to do harm to him. Ramattra wanted it quiet, but of course, humans made that difficult at every turn.
Rage was swimming beneath him, just waiting for the right moment...
O
"Damn it all!"
Ramattra's voice echoed around them with frustration. While he and Rasan hid behind the stone wall. A human was shouting in the distance, angry. Sakura was giggling the entire time between the two.
"I don't know why the human is so upset," Rasan said, glancing back. "It was only a few vegetables. I didn't know he was there on the porch."
Ramattra glared at him, hissing lowly. "Yes, Rasan. Humans tend to be angry when you steal things from their farm. Clearly he is overreacting!"
Sakura laughed. "The vein on his head stuck out really far."
Ramattra sighed heavily. "Ridiculous! Both of you!" He looked back briefly, but didn't see the human closing in. "Come. Let's hurry before he finds us and we're digging shrapnel from our backsides."
Sakura was eating one of the many vegetables Rasan had taken. Ramattra didn't care to know what, just get them away from the human before something happened. He wanted to curse Rasan for his actions, but that could come later.
They snuck away, making their path through the forest's edge into a clearing. Ramattra looked around, scanned the horizon before he indicated a small peak close by. The human wasn't motivated to chase them any further, it seemed; and they would need to rest for the night for the human's sake.
"Let's rest here." he suggested. "We move early by morning."
Sakura made a face when she tried to eat the carrot. Ramattra stared at her. "What is it?" he asked.
"It tastes like dirt..."
"I wonder why."
Sakura grinned at his dry tone. He sighed and shook his head.
Human children were unfathomable.
O
Meditation while focus.
Watchful. He had to be watchful.
Ramattra was observing the forest below that night when the human came to sit beside him. She watched his sitting, looked up at him.
"How do you do that?" she asked.
"Do what?" Ramattra glanced down at her.
"Rasan said you were meditating. How do you meditate?"
"You focus." Ramattra explained, watching her try to sit like him. "I cannot tell you how to focus. You simply seek a place of peace in your... What are you doing?"
Sakura was rolling around on her backside, holding her feet and giggling. "I think I found my focus!"
Ramattra sighed. This human child was something else entirely. "Whatever works I suppose..."
He looked toward Rasan, who seemed eager to make a fire for the human. Glancing back down at Sakura, he gestured with one hand.
"Come. Let's have your rest." he told her. "Young humans need plenty of sleep, yes?"
"I can't sleep! I'm wide awake."
"I urge you to try, please."
"Okay!"
Ramattra sighed quietly, made his way to the fire while Sakura was eagerly moving toward an old, hollowed out tree. She was giggling, happy and cheerful, which still baffled him. How did she manage?
"She asks a lot of questions, doesn't she?" Rasan laughed.
"Yes. A child's wonder can be endearing...and exhausting."
"Agreed."
Rasan looked up at him. "I'm curious about you. I didn't know I was speaking to a Ravager unit."
"How could you not know?"
"Well, we lived a solitary life, as you know." Rasan explained. "Not many of us even glanced upon those capable of commanding our kind to war."
Ramattra found the change a bit odd, but he was willing to exercise patience. "You can ask me questions, if you like. I'm not sure why you'd want to, but..."
"Good! Thank you!"
He felt he would regret it, but turnabout was fair play.
"Then let me ask something about you, Rasan." Ramattra said, "What of your make and model? Why did the human claim you were 'twitchy'?"
"Ah..." Rasan sounded hesitant. "We were designed early before some models upgraded." He started to explain. "A few of us went feral and lost our way. But my human master taught me, helped me master myself. It is something I fear at times, but as I have not lost myself now after so long, I assumed I was safe from such things."
Ramattra knew of that a little. He would watch over Rasan as was his duty to his people. He would not see him stray.
"You said I could ask you questions." Rasan said, after a moment.
"Yes..."
"Why are you angry?" Rasan asked. "You mentioned Mondatta and your brother. But you always seem angry with them."
Ramattra looked down at him. He felt almost offended by that question and the assumption - He was right, though.
"I'm not certain I can explain it to you in a way you will understand, Rasan."
"You love them both, that's clear."
"Well..." Ramattra sighed, felt his body tremble. The frame that made up his being itched with something humans would compare to sickness. "sometimes love isn't enough."
"Why not?"
"This is not a discussion for travel. Please drop it."
Rasan sounded genuinely remorseful. "I'm sorry. I thought I could ask you these questions." he said.
"I said that, yes. But you ask very personal questions that I do not want to answer."
"Of course. Forgive me."
They were still property to the humans. And yet, Ramattra could only think of his brother, Mondatta's teachings and how he could serve to be better. He would be better.
Humans were always afraid.
O
Ramattra's optics powered on and he saw Sakura standing in front of him. He stared at her, saw she looked a little uneasy.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Why aren't you sleeping?"
"I...had a bad dream." Sakura said, quietly.
"Ah. I see." Ramattra hummed. He didn't know what to say to comfort the child. He was never good with that sort of thing. "Well, dreams are dreams. They cannot harm you."
Sakura took a seat beside him, shifted a little in the cold grass. "You're mad at Mr. Rasan, aren't you?"
"No. What makes you ask that?"
"You seemed mad."
"I wasn't angry with him. His questions were simply personal."
"What does that mean?"
Ramattra looked down at her with a small sigh. She was so curious, full of wonder. He could not blame her. Human children were often times too curious for their own good.
"Rasan asked questions I did not wish to answer," Ramattra tried to explain. "They are bad memories I was not comfortable sharing."
"Oh." Sakura seemed to think about that. "I remember when my mom and dad would talk like that sometimes. Mom would tell dad about something and he wouldn't want to talk. And he'd get that weird voice you got when you talked to Mr. Rasan."
"Well I..." Ramattra chose his words properly. "I will make sure not to use that tone with Mr. Rasan if it comforts you, little one."
She smiled. "Okay."
"Sleep. I shall watch over you."
"Thank you."
Ramattra sighed quietly, watched Sakura lay beside him. His mind wandered while he observed the forest; to a simple time, when he first stepped foot in the monastery.
"When you have full respect for yourself, respect for others, that answer will come."
Mondatta led Ramattra out into the training yard, where he noticed another Omnic was sitting in deep meditation.
"What are we meant to do here, Master Mondatta?"
"You must first learn patience, Brother Ramattra." Mondatta explained. "You must learn to listen. You must know at all times where there is trouble."
Ramattra nodded. "Ah, I understand."
"Come." Mondatta beckoned for him to find a proper stance. He seemed to notice Ramattra staring at the other monks who had come to observe them. "Don't worry. They are simply curious about your presence. Nothing more. You will not be judged by us, here."
Ramattra found that a relief. He was welcome here, he knew that. But he also knew that what he was had a tendency to spark uncertainty, even among his own kind. But none of them looked at him with unease, simply the wonder of something new among them.
"Monks here believe that cruelty, negative actions will cause suffering and pain," Mondatta explained, standing in a proper fighting stance. "We condemn the actions of violence and strive only for peace."
"I understand, Master Mondatta."
"Good. It pleases me to hear this."
Ramattra was proud. He had come so far to understand peace.
O
Rasan was standing, whispering to himself far from the camp that morning while Sakura was looking for rocks in a nearby stream. Ramattra could see it then; the way his fingers clutched at the air, the way he said a solemn prayer. Repetition was a common thing amongst Omnics fading away like this. He knew it. He should have seen it before.
"Rasan." Ramattra addressed him.
A soft gasp through his speakers before Rasan turned. His optics had softened from an odd shade of red to blue. Ramattra tilted his head, studied him. He had seen many optics on that terrible edge. He was fighting it.
"You're breaking down." he said, evenly.
It was a pity. Truly.
Rasan chuckled feebly. "I'm alright." he assured him.
[It's not true. He's wrong.]
Ramattra wanted to believe that. He really did.
"How long have you had these spells, Rasan?" he asked.
Rasan shook his head. "I am fine, Ramattra." he promised him with all his soul, "I am fine. I just go away for a few seconds."
A few seconds.
That was usually what they needed.
Mondatta rested his hand over the fallen Omnic. Ramattra had witnessed them losing themselves often when he had stepped into the battlefield. This Omnic laying at the feet of Mondatta was receiving his blessing, his prayers, his kindness.
"They did the right thing to spare him from such madness." Mondatta said. "I believe that is a comfort."
"Our lives are so finite..." Ramattra added, with dismay. "What thanks can we give for such a thing?"
He made his way over to Sakura, knelt down at her side. "Little one," he said. "We must leave Mr. Rasan."
Sakura looked up at him, confused. "Why?"
"He is ill." Ramattra tried to explain in a way she would understand.
"Can we help him?"
"I fear not." Ramattra told her. "He would do harm to us."
"I thought he liked us."
"He does. But..." Ramattra saw the innocent look, the confusion and sought to explain. "Rasan is like me. We are not built like you are. He is old. Parts of him are going bad, you see. He can't help it. He doesn't want to hurt us. But he will try. It's not in his control."
Sakura looked at him, worried. "Can we help him?"
"I'm afraid the best thing is to leave." Ramattra explained. A sadness came to him then. He didn't want that. But it was for the best.
His people were truly finite.
"I'd like you to continue to look for something special here," Ramattra indicated the water. "Find me a really lovely...eh...rock, maybe? And sing that song. Sing it loudly for me to hear. I will bid Rasan farewell."
Sakura nodded. "Okay."
He hated to lie to someone so young and naive. It wasn't in his nature to do so. He didn't even understand why he was doing it.
Ramattra walked back to Rasan, who had been sitting on the ground. He seemed resigned to what was to come.
"It's a shame. I thought I'd find my peace away from that place." Rasan said. "I thought I could resist the fault in my programming. The human was right; we are twitchy and eventually, we lose our minds."
Static danced between his head. Distorted words left him for a brief second.
"I don't want to [Climb inside. It's safe here] die. But I don't want to do bad things." Rasan mumbled. "I wanted to [...Climb inside the Iris] and walk with you."
Ramattra sat down beside him. He could hear Sakura singing loudly; rather poorly and off-key even so. His mind was riddled with guilt at the thought of what had be done.
Rasan was kind. And kindness was a weakness. A weakness he could not always share.
"I always thought humans were so odd," Rasan continued, despite his failing processor. "When I awoke to a sentience, I thought they were all terrible and fierce. But being with Karam, I learn to understand their graces."
Ramattra sighed. "How? How despite your abuse could you still see humans as anything more than violent beings?"
"Karam saved me from that. I think that human sitting by the creek you lied to to protect her was a start enough that you see them in a different light than you say."
Ramattra found the notion absurd. "You don't understand what you're talking about."
"Maybe." Rasan agreed. "Madness of a failing old bot, I suppose. Even so, it was good to know them. To see them in their failings and all." He paused for a moment before looking up at him. "Could I ask one small, final wish?"
"What is it?"
"Could you take care of that girl?" Rasan asked.
Ramattra scoffed through his speakers. "I'm not the girl's father, Rasan. I can't have a human child clinging to my leg."
"You must." Rasan pleaded. "She isn't going to find her parents. They died."
"How do you know?"
"I looked into the internal database of [stick the knife deep] every human posted during the rising conflicts in Hong Kong. Her parents came here from Hokkaido to help in the growing conflict. They were gunned down by Omnic resistance. They were killed by our people, Ramattra. They wanted to help us."
Yes, it was unfortunate. Humans who wanted to help often times ended up dead. He'd seen it before.
"Then would it not suit her to know the truth?"
"The human mustn't know. She's too young to understand our war."
"Old enough to learn."
"Ramattra, please. Let her hope [Hope is dead]. Just for a little while."
Ramattra nodded after a second. He would regret this. "Very well."
"Thank you." Rasan chuckled and it was distorted. His vocal processors were failing him. Ramattra had seen it even when they ran from the farmer. He saw it in the faintest ticks and movements in his hands.
Such a frail life they all lead. He would not be so frail.
"I'm ready." Rasan sighed, lowering his head. "I shall like to meet Karam. We would have much to talk about."
Omnics didn't see the same place humans did.
Or so Ramattra believed.
Still, he would grant him his comfort.
"It will be quick." He still wanted to assure the Omnic anyway. A mercy. Even for him. "You will not feel anything."
"Thank you." Rasan chuckled. "It would be nice to rest at last. I pray you find your rest one day, too."
"They will not break me."
"Of course."
Rasan lowered his head further to give Ramattra room.
He hurt at the thought of taking the life of one of his own. But it was a mercy. He remembered Mondatta's teachings.
He granted Rasan mercy.
O
Sakura looked up at him as he approached her. "Is Mr. Rasan okay?"
Ramattra felt pain in his chest. A human thing. But even he shared such things that they could never understand.
"He is now, little one." he said.
Sakura smiled happily. "Did you tell him I said goodbye and I'd miss him?"
"He knows. He is happy now."
"That's good!" Sakura began to follow him through the forest. "I'm glad we got to meet Mr. Rasan. He was nice."
"Yes..." Ramattra ached deeply at the innocence of her words and his actions. Even though they had to be done, he would honor Rasan's final wish.
He would take care of the human.
They could never understand the burden of his pain. None of them could.
"Where are we going now?" Sakura asked.
"I don't know yet. But we're walking. Come."
"Okay!"