#facing consequences

Closed starter for @machinesandman

It felt… surreal, to be back in Abel City after so long. It had taken some time for Umbran just to gather the courage to return.

The excursion to his old slot canyon base with Shaska a good while ago had been helpful. Being able to collect his personal tools and certain items that were simply far too important (and personal) to be left behind, had lifted a weight off his mind. Anything else left at the base, he had given Shaska permission to use as she saw fit, now that she knew how to traverse her way there through the confusing maze that was the slot canyons.

With his personal tools retrieved, work on rebuilding his totaled ride chaser improved greatly. The workshop still didn’t really feel like ‘his space’, but just having his personal tools helped immensely, their familiarity in his clawed hands giving him a comfort he hadn’t known he needed.

It didn’t take him long after for him to completely rebuild the ride chaser. At that point, it was more a case of some fine tuning needed to perfect it, and a few quick drives out in the wastelands allowed him to get it mostly back to how it was before the Demon Car captured him. A couple things couldn’t be salvaged, such as the cloaking add-on he had installed a short time after his first encounter with the Demon Car, back when he’d been maverick. But, such losses were small things, things he could re-install with newer devices if he wished in the future, so not being able to salvage them wasn’t a big deal.

For the first time since he’d been reactivated, Umbran had felt proud of himself for being able to rebuild his ride chaser to its former glory. He’d even changed the body’s color scheme slightly; the base still a shiny jet black, with neon blue and dark red edgings here and there, though he had also added hints of the Maverick Hunter logo colors in places, more so than the neon blue and dark red, but not too much as to feel obnoxious. An indication of not being maverick anymore, and a return to the purpose he was built for.

Finishing the rebuild and adding those colors had been a realisation for the former maverick. There was little more keeping him from leaving Shaska’s lab now. Shaska and the others had been gracious in letting him stay, and would let him stay as long as he wanted. But, he didn’t truly belong here. He was an outsider to the collective family, despite their objectives being similar enough. Well, there were other former Maverick Hunters; Storm Eagle, and perhaps Vile, but he hadn’t interacted much with either of them. Or rather, at all, in Vile’s case.

Despite the absolute dread of returning, he couldn’t hide himself away anymore. He couldn’t outrun the consequences of his past actions. It was finally time to face them, even as he feared the potential outcome.

‘Course, the timing was annoyingly appropriate and guilt-ridden. He hadn’t thought to check his internal calendar until after he’d left the lab in the middle of the night and was on his way to the city, which had brought his ride chaser to a sudden stop when the realisation of the date hit him.

It was the anniversary of Sigma’s initial revolt.

Umbran hadn’t had much of a plan for when he got to Abel City, but as the weight of the anniversary settled on him, an urge rose in his mind and a plan began to form. It wouldn’t be easy, but it would be far more meaningful than just, appearing on the steps of Hunter HQ.

Thus, civilian disguise donned so as not to cause too much attention to himself, he had continued to the city and was now parked at a particular location. Sat on his ride chase, he stared down the path to the memorial statue, made for those who had lost their lives in the initial revolt. There was hardly anyone around, still pretty much the middle of the night, far too early for any anniversary proceedings to be prepared for yet.

With a shaky and heavy sigh, Umbran stepped off his ride chaser, leaving it parked by the path as he turned to the statue and began hesitantly walking up to it. As he got closer, he was filled with all his guilt, shame and remorse, red eyes remaining locked on the statue until he reached the base of it. Only then did his eyes drift down to the plaque embedded in the base, listing all who had perished, his core aching in sorrow as he remembered every single name. He had made it a point, all those years ago, to learn of every single one of them so he would never forget them. Some had been reploids, others had been humans. Some had been Maverick Hunters, killed for resisting the coup, while the rest had been innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.

Without realising what he was doing, Umbran switched from his civilian attire back to his armor, his helmet remaining subspaced, before raising a shaking hand up to the plaque, clawed fingers tracing the names with such gentle reverence. Until he choked on a sob, legs buckling under him as the weight of it all came crashing down on him, bringing him to his knees as his face twisted with guilt and grief.

He had failed them. He had made a personal vow to himself back then that he would never waver, and find justice for every name on that plaque. And what had he gone and done? He went and let the virus corrupt him, led him to turn his back on his comrades and go rogue. Sure, he hadn’t realised at the time that the virus was corrupting him, but still, he should have known better. He should have realised what was happening, stopped himself and gotten help before he got close enough to the edge to fall into the rabbit hole. He had failed. And now, he had years of consequences to face after all he had committed as a maverick.

Sadly, he had no tears to shed. Dr. Cain had made him before the old scientist had figured out how to make that possible for reploids to cry, and he hadn’t thought it important enough to have the feature added later on.

Still, the dark armored reploid sobbed, overwhelmed by emotions he could no longer hold back. A small part of him wished he’d brought Panzer, but he’d made the safe decision of leaving the feline animaloid in Shaska’s care. He’d feared too much that the Hunters would take Panzer from him once he turned himself in. Shaska would take care of him, until Umbran felt it was safe to collect his, currently, closest companion, even when it hurt to leave him behind.

After a short while, he managed to regain enough control of his emotions to think clearly, eyes lifting back up the plaque of names as he understood what he had to do now. It was time to face his judgment.