(Planet Vorthas, Skyshard Mansion, Amanda’s Workshop)
*Whirr*
*Hiss*
The soft hiss of the soldering wand filled Amanda’s workshop, accompanied by the occasional crackle of lting alloy as she leaned in, her fingers steady despite the heat licking at her gloves.
*Spark*
A final spark flared at the edge of the circuit as she fused the last cluster of fiber-threaded wires into Ben’s new spinal port, sealing the nerve-fra slot with a snap of magnetic pressure.
"It’s done..." she muttered, her voice carrying a rare breath of satisfaction as she pulled the welding goggles off her head and pushed a few strands of sweat-matted hair away from her forehead.
"Wow... I definitely created a masterpiece," she said proudly, and although her cheeks were streaked with soot, her eyes sparkled with the pride of making a perfect machine.
Before her stood Ben’s new robo body, sleek, silent, and unmistakably superior to the current piece of junk he was stuck in.
The plating was guntal gray for now, bare and uncovered, but the fra itself was flawless.
There were no unnecessary seams, no sharp edges, no weak spots, just clean contours and reinforced joints engineered to hold its original form under pressure and move without a whisper.
"Just need to put on the costic skin now, order a new hair wig... and I can probably upload Ben’s mind into this new fra by tomorrow," she said aloud, her voice lighter now, as though so massive burden had finally lifted from her shoulders.
She had promised Ben a new body weeks ago, but it had taken far longer than expected to co up with a design she was truly proud of..... And even longer still to turn that design into reality.
"I hope this makes Ben smile again..." she said with hope, as she began bending and testing all joints, inspecting them to make sure that they moved without making the slightest of sound.
"Yup, it’s all as expected," she murmured with a smile, her thoughts drifting back to all the tis over the past few months when Ben walked around the house like a depressed old man.
Ben, at his core, was a lethal assassin, and being trapped in an inferior robot body that squeaked and rattled every ti he moved had begun to wear him down.
He never voiced it aloud, but everyone in the house could see it. He was struggling.
That was why Amanda had thrown herself into this project with everything she had, desperate to finish it as quickly as possible.
This new body of his had been designed from the ground up with stealth and survivability in mind, with Amanda going above and beyond to ensure that it had the highest degree of silence she could engineer into a robotic fra.
Every joint was fitted with vibration-dampening sheaths, inspired by the hushed recoil chambers used in sniper rigs, and layered with sound-dampening runes to eliminate even the slightest residue noise.
But she hadn’t stopped at just stealth. She had also added so upgrades that Ben would definitely appreciate.
1) A custom mana core and circuit architecture, based loosely on Leo’s mana heart.
While it couldn’t draw ambient mana directly from the surroundings, it allowed Ben to channel high-grade mana crystal energy with remarkable efficiency, enabling him to cast stable and powerful spells.
2) A retractable forearm blade that was compact, razor-sharp, and chemically treated for poison delivery.
It was fast to deploy, faster to retract, and deadly enough to restore his old assassin edge in battle.
3) Thruster ports in both palms and heels, fitted with hovercraft-grade mini turbines.
Although not capable of sustained flight, they allowed him to glide over obstacles, leap over rooftops, and fly short distances.
Which was enough for mobility in fast-paced combat.
4) A full consciousness backup uplink.
Amanda had designed a secure cloud-based fail-safe that would upload Ben’s consciousness if his body were ever beyond repair. As long as he triggered it in ti, she could always rebuild him and bring him back.
Essentially making him immortal.
*Sigh*
Amanda exhaled, stepping back at last as she finally allowed herself to admire the work not as an engineer but as soone who simply refused to let a person she cared about beco obsolete.
"You’re going to love this, Ben," she whispered, placing her palm lightly over the chest plate. "As soon as you wake up in this new body, I promise... you’ll start feeling like yourself again."
"And finally, with this project behind , I can focus on the job Leo asked to do—"
—--------
(anwhile, outside in the Garden)
*Crunch*
*Crunch*
The soft crunch of gravel echoed beneath worn rubber crutch tips, as Luke slowly made his way around the edge of the garden path, flanked closely by Alia, who walked silently beside him, her hands occasionally reaching out to steady his arm.
His shirt clung lightly to his back, already damp with sweat, as his breath ca in short, asured gasps.
The sun was barely past the horizon, casting weak light across the morning sky, yet Luke looked like he had just finished a ten-mile run.
"One round..." he muttered, his voice half-triumphant, half-exhausted. "That’s a new personal best."
Alia smiled through it, but her eyes betrayed her. There was pride in them, yes, but also a silent ache.
Watching the man she loved reduced to walking with crutches, fighting for every step like it was a battle, made sothing in her chest clench painfully.
And when she turned her head to hide the single tear that rolled down her cheek, Luke noticed.
"Don’t cry, my love..." he said gently, pausing his stride to reach out and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "The doctor said I’ll be back to my peak strength in three to six months."
His fingers rested lightly on her cheek as he added, "Trust the recovery process."
Alia looked up, forcing a smile as she nodded and wiped her tears. "Yep. You’ll be back to your best in no ti."
She wrapped her arms around his side with delicate care, mindful of the bruises that still lingered across his ribs, and rested her head against his shoulder for a mont before they continued on, side by side, step by step, into the slow but certain rhythm of healing.
’Once you’re back to your best, I’ll make sure that the Red Army pays for this.
This pain.... I won’t let it go unpunished’
Alia silently vowed at this mont, as although she did not intend to leave Luke’s side while he was recovering, she did intend to launch a counter operation once he was all healed up in a few months ti.
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