Blood and Tiers

[Sai-Yuk]

well, here's my attempt at writing a fic on a whim. i don't know if it is really worth continuing though. still, i tried.

this is based off an idea i had for three of my characters. well... enjoy...

---

cold red eyes reflected the face of the hunter that stared into them. an expression of apathy reflected back by the eyes of a being that could only ever hold that perpetual apathetic gaze. cold red, shining through the material that formed the eyes of the android as he gazed back at the hunter before him. Tier was the name that they gave this android, an android who had been around longer than the pair that he was often seen working with. one of that pair was staring at him right now as he tried to make sure that his friend, an android who although devoid of feeling, called himself their friend. an android who spent his time around them, not because they where the most pratical people for him to be around or the ones who would bring him in the most money, and not even because they had proven to be something special. no. these two where now people that he would work with as often as possible, because they had in the beginning when they all started to work together, listened to him and treated him as well as they treated each other, they had valued his input on situations and they had been ready to put their own lives on the line for his. he was expendable, but they where not. the string that was assigned to them in his memory banks was one that identified them as something more than just a pair of hunters. they where his left and right arm, while he was their head. they where a pair that without he would feel, where it possible, that he was missing a good portion of his own body, while without him, they had said that they would have struggled to survive as long as they both had managed. the truth was, the pair had been relatively average when they had met, but over the years that they had known each other, the arguments that he had broken up between the two brothers, all that they had gone through, it had become obvious that while the elder of the two saw himself as the leader of the small group, taking the initiative to find them work, ensuring that they always had work to keep them living comfortably as they did, Tier's was the one that made sure that every mission they went on went off without too much trouble, allowing them to recue this person or that from the surface of the planet, allowing them to recover this item or that from the area's around the colony where people had yet to move into again and above all, allowing them to get through each situation alive. teir's always looked out for their safety, putting the thick armoured surface of his body between the younger of the two brothers and danger many times. even now as the younger of the brothers stared up at him, the lower half of his face covered as usual with the mask that he wore when they where out on the field, Tiers was processing data, using everything he knew about the fellow hunter that stood before him to try and judge what frame of mind he was in, what help he would possibly need today with the mission that they had left him to recharge and prepare for over night. the truth was, while the younger of the brothers may not have been too happy that the android and his brother did their best to protect him from danger, no amount of trying to prove that he could do just as well as them would stop Tier's from looking out for him more actively than he did for the older brother, who was at least an experienced hunter, able to hold his own in battle.
"Good morning, Vallyn." Tiers stated with his voice giving the same calm impression that it always did, the tone he used kept in place all the time now as it seemed to give the pair hope when things truely did look bad to hear their friend keeping his cool, so to speak.
"I trust you are ready to go?" Vallyn asked, cocking his head as his silver hair fell over the side of his face, one pale blue eye peeking out from behind his hair as he adjusted his armour, their rifles resting atop the nearby work surface, polished and ready to use. Vallyn's care in servicing the weapons they used was something that Tier's would have admired was he able to do such a thing, knowing that the young man took care in making sure each weapon worked well so there would be no trouble with the weapons themselves in the field. Tier's simply nodded, knowing that the young man needed no more response from the towering android as he picked the pair of rifles up and offered one to the hulking machine.
"You seem to be on edge." Tier's stated as he looked down at the man, watching as he betrayed his worried state through those small habits that he had picked up, those small actions that he carried out when he was nervous. the man had reason to be nervous though. this mission that they where being sent on was something that he couldn't simply back out of and leave Tier's and his brother to do alone. if his brother fell, despite them both having just enough of a grasp on the techniques that where used by Force's in the hunters guild, Tier's couldn't keep up his efforts to deal with things indefinately. that was why they needed him. he kept back, kept at range while his brother severed limbs with the blades he carried, with the photon weapons that he employed, and at the same time, Tier's let corpses hit the ground, riddled with photon burns from his weapons as he shot the target in their vital locations over and over with the level of accuracy that an android often boasted. today though was different. they where going down into mines that had been made by the first colonists on a mission to mop up some of the remaining robots there, that had recently found their way out of a blocked off area of the mine. a place uncovered by an earthquake. this was something that Vallyn had never dreamed of being called into doing before, with how dangerous the mines still remained, despite the number of hunters that had gone there before. Vallyn, Tier's and his brother, the three of them where to deal with a certain sector alone. it seemed though, that Vallyn was the only one who worried about this, as Tier's felt nothing, and his brother was grinning ear to ear, simply because he now had permission to go into an area that had been until now, out of bounds.

[Sai-Yuk]

it didn't matter how hard Vallyn tried to settle that uneasy feeling he had, as it seemed determined to stay. food for one thing simply didn't want to stay down as butterfly's danced in his stomach, blue eyes staring from behind the veil of silver as his hair fell across them. turquoise framed by silver. someone had once put it that way while being romantic, but like everything else at the time, that hadn't lasted long due to the constant feuding between his family and the family of another groupd of hunters. it was funny to think how his family had been the ones picked to head out into the unknown like this, instead of the family that they had been feuding with all those years. it hadn't lasted long, simply because he was torn away from the person, by the feud itself. not because it was one of those trite and improbable relationships between two people in the families, but instead, because his family hadn't wanted him associating with 'her kind'. her kind. the newman kind. he had been forbidden from ever doing such a thing again, but now it was just him and his brother, just the two of them trying to continue the family tradition of working for the hunters guild. his mother and father where dead, after all, killed in an attempt to aid a few other hunters as they battled their way through some place he wasn't even permitted to know the name of. he had seen their bodies, covered in luminous blood, slashed by improbably large weapons. covered in shards of what appeared to be insect like armour. some form of chitin that had betrayed something to him. whatever it was that they had come across, it wasn't natural. as story like as it sounded to have a family torn apart by such an event, a tragic event like this, it wasn't uncommon. people where dropping left right and center, and all of this too far away from people who could help in time. or help at all. there where rumours that some people where impossible to help the moment they dropped, because of some dark force that seemed to have a handful of trump cards. he didn't believe such things, as paranoia alone could get such a reaction from people these days.
"Come... let us go and join up with Xaren." Tier stated, pulling away from the myriad wires that where connected to him, feeding him power to keep his internal battery levels at an efficient peak. the wires fell away as numerous internal motors came to life for an instant, pushing the plugs that had been connected to him away. Vallyn shivered. Tier's enhanced optical sensors didn't fail to pick this up, yet nothing as said as he started to lead the way, his quick computation of the situation telling him that the best course of action was to remain silent, allow Vallyn to work through this alone, and if he hadn't mustered the courage he'd need to head to the place they where going to be in a few hours, offer support and coax him into it as best as he could. he wasn't made to be a diplomat, but Vallyn did need that push from time to time. a push to get him over his fears. a push to get him to get his head down and out of the way. either way, it was always Tier who was protecting Vallyn, not his older brother. Xaren after all was always up close, bloodying his hands, tearing things apart instead of looking them over.
"Wait a minute..." Vallyn started, only to fall silent as the towering android turned to bring him into his line of sight, before he sighed softly and shook his head as if to say it didn't matter. it truely didn't. he simply wanted to delay this jaunt into the mines, he simply wanted to avoid going down into that enclosed space and avoid dealing with machines gone mad. making his way down the cracked walkway in tow of Tier, Vallyn couldn't help but smile beneath that mask that hid his mouth, finding it amusing as he thought of how they had maintained that they wouldn't come here until it was safe, until they could ensure that they where in no danger. it was funny how a problem with pioneer two had caused them to hastily change their mind. how a breakdown in the atmospheric systems had prompted people to leave pioneer to the androids who remained to fix it and take up residence here until things there safe up there again. things had been 'safe' up there for a while now, but many people had chosen to remain down on the planets surface and rely on the hunters to protect them, who served the hunters guild that had been set up near the dome to protect the people who decided to remain here instead. spying his brother stood by the all terrain vehicle that he had managed to salvage, Vallyn felt the butterflys become somewhat more serious. full blown nausea.
"Hurry up then you worthless turd" Xaren called out, his displeasure at being kept waiting from what to him likely felt like he was being given not just a new toy, but a room to to play with it in as well. the drive there was long, but that was mostly due to recent storms making things inacessible for the most part. rivers had washed away the bridges and rock slides had covered pathways. he truely didn't want to go on this journey, but it was one that he was going to have to be there for. one that he was going to have a share of the pay for. one that he was determined to find some way to prove himself on. he had to do this, for himself if was to be able to at least face his own reflection. nobody cared though came that nagging voice inside, that voice that told him all his efforts where for nothing as he was like a leg on a fish. out of place and innefective. it was going to be different this time though he told himself, this time was going to be different. he was going to make a difference, he was going to make his brother proud. staring back at his older, taller brother he nodded, before slowly climbing into the back of the salvaged jeep, Tier climbing into the passenger seat at the front and his brother into the drivers seat. what happened next came as no suprise as his brother tipped his head back and yelled loudly like any typical man would have. he wasn't typical though. he wasn't his brother. the fact he was under five and a half feet while his brother was a few inches under six was one of the clearest differences between Vallyn and his dark haired brother. so many differences he thought as the jeep lurched forward to the sound of tires skidding and the creak of metal filling his ears. it would be a wonder if the thing actually held together long enough to get them there alive.

[Sai-Yuk]

the constant creak of tortured metal filled the air as the jeep hurtled down dirt tracks and down partially constructed roads toward its destination, Tier in the front watching the road for any signs of danger while Vallyn stared at his brother, wishing Tier would realise that the greatest danger to all their lives was his brothers driving. finally leaning back against the side of the jeep behind his seat, he sighed, watching as his brother started to slow to take a corner, a corner that he slowed even more so for when they noticed that there was a group of hunters heading back toward the central dome with a cage. a cage that contained a live animal why they would want to take back a living booma, he would never know, but he was sure that they had either been hired to capature animals for further study by some independant group, or they where simply planning to sell it to the highest bidder. whatever the case, the hunters where clearly in high spirits as they raised their guns and cheered, flashes unleashed from the muzzles of their weapons as they pulled down on the triggers a few times and sent photons streaking into the atmosphere. multi coloured busrsts of energy, that failed to impresss him as he stared at the hunters with the same apathetic expression that he tried to maintain at all times. apathy. if only he could truely attain a state where apathy was all he knew, then he wouldn't have to fear anything ever again, he would never allow his judgement to be clouded by everything that got in his way, everything that worried him. he would be able to focus on learning how to support the other two. self esteem was what Tier had said his problem was. self esteem. he had said that he did indeed have the skill to be much more than he was right now, but his low self esteem was what prevented him from doing this. turning to watch the last of the forest pass by, he slipped his pistol from the holster that he carried it in and started to turn it over and over in his hands, his eyes half closed as he brought it forward as if taking aim at an imaginary foe and pulled the trigger. no streak of photon energy filled the air this time though, as the pistol hadn't yet been activated. one switch was all that lay between the pistol being a dead weight and the pistol actually being a viable weapon. a weapone he hoped he wouldn't need to rely on, seeing as the rifles that he and Tier where going to be using today where noticably more powerful. the whir of motors coming to life caught his attention as Tier turned to face him, starting to climb from his seat as the jeep came to a halt atop a hill that he could see had once steep side. a side that the mine was located within. hopping from the seat, Tier walked the few steps that allowed him to close the distance between his position and Vallyn's, allowing Vallyn to use his shoulder to vault easily out of the jeep while his brother impatiently revved the jeeps engine, ready to head off again without them.
"Come" Tier started before turning away from him and toward the steep side of the hill. the hill that from this position reminded him more of a cliff. "This is the easiest way for us to get to our designated location." Tier added fluidly as he started to slip down the side of the hill, grabbing onto prodruding rock as he did so, before swinging his body and taking advantage of a few more suitable looking hand and foot holds. with a sigh, Vallyn followed, knowing he was right. his brother had to drive all the way around to get to the bottom of the hill, and it was likely safer for them to do it this way. it was likely safer to dive off head first, now he thought of it. the sound of gravel hitting against metal as it was displaced by tires filled the air as Xaren suddenly tore off in the jeep, leaving Vallyn no choice now but to tackle this steep hill side, to get to the bottom and inside the mine, along with several other groups of hunters who had all been called here to do this one mop up mission. from up here Vallyn could see another group making their way toward the hill, a group that he had no real interest in, other than the fact every single one of them was an android. they where likely just doing this to pass time between larger missions, he guessed as he started to slip down the side of the hill, taking the same route down that Tier was. every handhold seeming to wobble slightly as he took hold of it, though that, he supposed was simply his nerves playing him up again. though the distance down was probably only fifty feet, he couldn't help but feel like it was more than that. it felt like he was going down and down, while the air about him seemed to grow hotter and hotter, hellishly so as his decent continued, before a steely hand snapped him out of this reverie that he was falling into and a stern voice started as his companion decided that it was best to inquire now about his frame of mind.
"Is everything alright, Vallyn?" came the androids question, as he brought up various disagnostic routines to try and decide what exactly was the problem with his companion. the shivering, the cold sweat, the way he was off colour. it all pointed toward fear. Vallyn tried, but he found himself unable to reply, his attempts to speak strangled by something deep inside him. something that demanded that he was silent. for a second Tier's eyes seemed to grow in intensity, the red of them burning, reflecting more than just his face, more than just the hill behind him. in them. in those cold red eyes he could see fire, molten rock and charred bodies. "We should go into the designated zone and await your brothers arrival" Tier stated, calmly, not knowing what possessed Vallyn to stare as he was doing, to shiver as he stared blankly at him, his large and powerful hands coming to rest on either side of Vallyn's shoulders as he turned him and started to guide him into the entrance to the mine. an entrance that wasn't as deep as one would have expected, an entrance that lead to a hatch that had been left open by the last group to climb down the concrete lined entrance to the mines. a set of rungs set in this entrance to the mines offering the only way down, down again into the enclosed depths of a mine shaft. without a word Tier moved past him, starting the decent down into the mines, the sound of his heavy metal body thudding against concrete and steel as he made his way down ahead of him. resigning himself to this fate that had been chosen for him, Vallyn started to follow, his eyes glazed as his boots clicked against the metal rungs and finally, after decending down the faceless concrete tube for almost two minutes, he emerged, his eyes struggling to grow acustomed to the gloom of the mines, as his shivering started anew. he was afraid, and for good reason.

[polishedweasel]

Without ever reading these, I'd say that you should probably doule space...it's easier on the eyes, you know? I'll read it when that happens.. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif