The H Files

The H Files

The name's Wolf. Wolf Maller. I've been with the FBSA since its inception. Getting on in years now. Field work put my back and knee out one too many times, and now?

Now it's desk work for me. Paper-shuffling, pencil-pushing, desk work.

Galling that it's come to this. But that's the hand that fate is dealing with me. And I gotta play it.

It was several days ago that my boss, jumped up little upstart with too much red tape wrapped around the stick in his ***, came up to me and gave me this job.

"Connect with the heroes, find out what makes them tick." He said.

"Help us update our files, get the low-down, put them in the box," And another half dozen corperate buzzwords he spewed out, as per norm.

So here I am, sitting in an interview room. I'm not getting any younger. My hair is greying, my eyes are sagging , and it's taking a whiskey in the evening, a coffee in the morning and a cigarette at whenever I feel like it to help me through the day.

Sitting next to me is some pretty young thing.

"Danielle, Danielle Skorly." She introduces herself, offering a hand. Prim, proper sort. Hair nary out of place, all buisness blouse, jacket and skirt. Brownish-red hair up in a bun. There's a disdainful glance at my hand as I take it. Must be the tobacco stained fingers. Or gnawed away nails.

"Wolf Maller." I replied. "You new at this?" I could hear the grin in my voice. I love newbies.

"Just graduated from Freedom Corps." She replied. She was clearly unimpressed with me.

Couldn't blame her. Some days I was unimpressed with me.

"Well, don't expect any gentle easings into this. It'll be weird, freaky, and you'll walk away with a new view on life. Or not."

"You the latter, then?" She said with a slight smirk. She was tapping away on some dinky little thing. Chinese, probably. Still, the smirk was promising.

"Might be. You going to take notes on that toy?" I asked, reaching for my coffee to take a sip.

... Awful. Just like it should be in Freedom Court.

"Yes. Typing, voice recording. Along with these cameras, should be perfect for the files. Got a problem with that?"

"No. Just in my day, we used typewriters, shorthand and cassette recorders." Setting down the coffee, my hand checked under the desk for the panic button, just in case. The capes can get rowdy at times. Especially if we're 'finding out what makes them tick'.

Ah, there it is.

"In your day, I wasn't even born." There was that smirk again. Acidic. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

"So, who are we seeing first?" She asked. There was something in her voice I hadn't heard for years, least from me. Hope, lust for work. Heh.

This job would soon take it from her, I thought, as I started to flick through the pile of papers, notices, warnings and so forth to get to the first case file. She must have noticed the grimace on my face.

"That bad?"

"Worse. It's a robot." Had no time for them. Between Doctor Mechano, Nemesis and who ever else got the bright ideas to make a walking death machine without a pilot, I'd had my fill and over of them.

"Let's hope you're more sociable with it." Skorly replied, reprimanding me with those dark cherry red lips. At least the eye candy in this work is good. And she's not dressed like a candy stripe.

"Might be. Best get this started. Bring ADAOS in."

Everyone loves a good Gumshoe! I've no idea why a grim pragmatic outlook on life is so endearing.

Very nice Ellen, i'm looking forward to more.

Been struggling with some of it, but just for you Fans, here's ADAOS's interview, part one.

ADAOS

I had to laugh as it came in. Holding it in was out of the question. Earned me an elbow to the ribs from Skorly, but...

This ADAOS. Around Eight foot, almost as wide as one of those Asian compacts in the shoulders. Shiny was one word you could use for it. White and black plating, head as smooth as a bowling ball, with some wrap around visor with lenses on. Big old jaw, and feet that wouldn't look out of place on a machine in a car factory.

That wasn't the amusing part.

This thing? Dressed in a suit. Black pants and jacket with a white shirt. Feet clomping along, head looking like a bust from one of those nerd places, and big robotic hands.

"You look ridiculous." I said. Best to start off with the right impression. I winced. There was Skorly's elbow again.

"I will take your view on my apperance onboard for a later date." It replied, its lenses twirling slightly to focus on me. Voice had no heart to it, no emotion. Monotone and droning. Not like one of those fancy, if illegal, sex bots that get made. And sometimes go berserk. This one was formidable though.

"Good. Skorly, get the basics out of the way while I nurse this coffee till the bitter end." She rolled her eyes at me, even as I started to sip once more at the insipid concouction, before looking to our first for the day.

"So, you're ADAOS?"

"That is correct."

"Acronym?" I interjected. Anything to busy my tongue form the torture I was inflicting on it.

"That is correct. Automaton for Defensive And Offensive Situations." All laid out, cold blooded. The fact its jaw didn't move put me off it even more.

"Alright, an-"

"But I prefer Adrian, please." The robot cut her off. That surprised me. Used please too. Not impressed though. Dogs walk on their hind legs and shake paws, only thing that's good for is those stupid home video shows.

"Alright, Adrian. And how old are you?" Skorly asked like a pro. Must be all that training from standing on street corners with questionaires. Always with the 'public relations' skills.

"I have just passed two years of operation."

"Active service heroing during that time?"

"That is mostly correct. I have been off patrol for upgrades and repairs for numerous occasions."

"Of course. Can't just bolt a new hip on to me, or a plasma cannon." I mentioned. Another nudge in the ribs from Skorly. Her elbow would wind up sorer soon than my rib. Was one of the artificial ones after a Troll went to town on me.

"That is untrue." It chimed in with. "WIth advancing prosphetics, cybernetics, medical technologies and treatments, repairing damage and adding in new technologies is becoming more and more common.

"You a wise guy, then?"

"I do learn from previous mistakes, but in the sense that you are using the term, no. I was simply informing you in an attempt to rectify your mistaken knowledge of medical advances."

"So, you're a wise guy, then." I said, bringing my own elbow into play to block Skorly's.

"If that designation makes you feel more comfortable, yes." It stated. That lack of emotion to its voice just kept setting me on edge.

"You're with the Unity Vigil, I see." Skorly stated. That explains a lot. A lot of technology there. Too much for a private citizen, some thought. I agreed with that.

"How do you find working with the group?"

The robot's lenses turned and whirred to focus on Skorly.

"I find it satisfying."

"Satisfying, that's the word you're going to use?" I chuckled. It was always amusing to try and see these machiens use human terms.

"It is. They provide shelter for me, facilities to repair and upgrade myself, entertainment, and by a large majority, respect."

"That suggests that not all of them respect you." Skorly pressed. Looks like the training of Freedom Corps was good for something.

"That is correct. Some dislike robots, or have an aversion to them. They do seem to tolerate my presence, which is all you can ask of them."

"Is it?" I asked it idly, rubbing my chin. Felt like sandpaper. Five blade hero smooth experience my ***, Cavalier Razors.

"Yes. As long as they keep their opinions to themselves and do not antagonize me, I am fine with that. They are entitled to their views."

"How does that make you feel? I mean, not being accepted by some." Skorly asked, pre-emptively kicking my ankle before I could laugh at asking a droid how it felt.

"As long as they keep their views to themselves, I am fine with it."

"Don't they have a right to say how they feel?" I started to press the issue. "After all, I can't stand robots, myself. Think I want to censo-"

"I know. I determined as such from your responses to me. They have a right to hold their own views. They have a responsibility to not upset me by imposing them."

"Responsibility? Says where? And you, upset? Bet you can't even shed a tear." Another nudge from Skorly. I got told to find out what makes them tick, and by God I'll do it.

"Common courtesy would dictate. While I lack the ability to cry, and to possess emotions such as you do, this does not mean I cannot be disheartened or feel lonely."

"Do you feel that often, Adrian? Lonelyness?" I caught the look in Skorly's eyes, was that some semblance of pity I saw?

"Yes." Was all it replied with. Skorly glanced at me, an eyebrow raised. She just got a shrug in return from me.

"Let's call a break for now. This coffee's gone straight through me." My chair scraped along the floor of the interview room as I pushed it back, ready to go sit on that porcelain throne. Not even sure if it is made of that anymore. The door was closing behind me as I called back. "And someone get me a new cup of coffee. This is going to be a long one."