Kain watched as her head dipped. After all this time, she still had the same reaction processing hard to hear information, but instead of the fiery, blaze of a response he was expecting, he was caught off guard.
"You realize you're making light of an accident that dissolved the top team on the Force, right?"
He must've missed his mark. She wasn't yelling, wasn't spouting profanities. This was different than before...Then her eyes came up and scanned his visor, and he saw it. The heat was there, but the flames were like an arc welder- refined to a point and looking to cut through the armor that separated them. Controlled. "Would you look at that...." A small well of pride surged inside him, to see her so composed even while seething.
"It's not about winning, Ceres, it's about surviving."
This was all starting to sound too familiar to Kain. Even though her words were pointed, and meant to hurt, he couldn't help but smirk. "I could have sworn I had said that very thing to Black at one point or another."
Her surveying eyes scanned his armor, and he could practically feel her gaze looking for, what he though, would be any opportunity to tear it open and attack the thing inside.
"Judging by the fact that you don't have a damn scratch or dent on that suit of yours, I don't think you would know the first thing about it. You're likely just some b*****d who signed up for experimental enhancements after they'd worked out all the - bugs in the programming."
Kain's mechanical right fist clenched just at the mention of him just signing up for this...This what, torture? Death Trap of a body? Complete isolation? Neither of them signed up for this, but here they were, standing face to face again. Somehow alive on the other side.
If this could even be called Living.
If only she knew what it took to get him here.
"...flying off the handle. Go complain to your Master if you're afraid of vaginas."
He could sense the tension rising between the two of them, but his two former operatives obviously saw Eden was capable of handling the Big Bad Cyborg on her own. As they parted, Kain caught a snippet of Black whispering "Holy s**t Brenn, I havent seen her like that in ages..."
"Do you want to try that again or ...?"
And there it was, Her challenge. She was planting her flag, it was time he planted his.
"You're right, It's all about survival. And that's why I'll need someone who can keep up." His right arm bent at the elbow, his clenched fist extended a pointer finger at her, both as a sign of respect but also...Accusation.
"I don't make light of the accident dissolving your team. I'm simply stating that had you been the agent you are today, things obviously would have ended differently."
The pit in his stomach had deepened- He didn't want to be cruel, he didn't want to place her at a distance. All he wanted was to feel her against him again.
"At a later time, that may be an option, but for now, you just need her to watch your back..."
His left arm reached across his body, gripping the mechanical right wrist as he commanded the prosthesis to disconnect from the fused port on his shoulder. As his machine of a right arm pulled away from the socket-"Experimental enhancements or not, they came at a price. One that I wouldn't wish anyone else to pay. Being forced into a partnership, I wanted someone who could make sure no one else felt what I did. It's obvious you're the best this Force has to offer, but if you think I'm going to let you just ride my shoulders and hate me for the Machine I am..."
His left arm shoved the prosthesis back into the socket, making a loud *CLACK* CLACK*, almost as though he was loading a shotgun.
"...Think again."
He paused, flexing his reattached right hand. "I respect you, Agent Hawthorne, But I expect you to do the same."
"Please, E....Just give me a chance..." Kain's figure stood in stark comparison to the Lithe frame of Eden, but deep inside, he was kneeling at her feet, begging.