The first of the resupply pods began to arrive by the fifth day. While It had been two days since they last received probing attacks, they were still stretching what supplies they had left. The batch was a mix of ammunition, fluids, and other various equipment. The particulars for Delta had warnings and instructions listed all over the containers for what the Marines could and couldn’t do, but Delta’s creators weren’t there, so they ignored most of the advice. 

Delta had been distracted by the staff sergeant, who it now knew as Harris, the entire day so it wouldn’t worry about the fact that Miller had been avoiding it. At this point it found it hard to stay away from whatever affection any of the marines would give it. It was addicted to their loving warmth. None of them ever went as close as Miller had gotten, as they seemed to just enjoy seeing it happy.

It was hours later by the time the second resupply arrived in the form of the requested techs from Artemis. They showed up with their own corporate security forces, which the marines didn’t particularly like. Something about the arrogance of the men who strode up to their home as if they owned the place struck a nerve with the drained mercenaries.

“W-where is One-Seven-Six Delta?” A corporate suit in the middle of the goons barely swallowed the frog in his throat. 

His posture was stiff as he tried to look down on the marines. A few of them scoffed at the smaller man, his plate carrier was ill fitted and pristine. He spoke with authority, an authority that wouldn’t last if someone flatly rejected being served papers.

“Delta’s inside.” Miller curtly stated, with a head toss towards the building. Miller on the other hand was relaxed, arms resting atop his slung rifle as if it was his desk.

“We’ll be taking it back for repairs, a ruptured capsule is a very delicate process that requires a clean room.” 

“It’ll be fine here, just hand over the capsule, I can see it in the bay of your drop ship, two actually?” Miller questioned with the rise of an eyebrow, his tone and cadence never left the casual matter of fact stance he felt.

“You’re not authorized to make any adjustments to our hardware, I would like to remind you that it’s proprietary.” The lawyer somehow straightened further, his shoulders causing his armor to rise off his shallow chest.

At this point Delta started to pay more attention to the conversation as it plugged itself into its mechanical form to hear better. Harris’ affection clearly was not distracting enough for it to ignore the tension rising in the air. With a defeated huff Harris allowed the pilot to do what it wanted, knowing it’d probably be worse if he didn’t.

“We won’t do anymore, we’ll just install the new capsule.” Miller offered calmly.

“We’ll need the old capsule and the hardware inside.” The Lawyer began to speak quicker as sweat began to run down his neck.

“It’s helmet seemed to work well enough for it.” Miller redirected, knowing exactly what the lawyer wanted, but he was going to atleast make him work for it.

“Are you saying that you opened One-Seven-Six Delta’s capsule?” The lawyer’s tone shifted higher, his shoulders leaned forward, a smirk threatening to appear.

Eliminate all rouge marines (0/35)

The order mentally punched Delta in its face, as its life began to fall apart around it. “One-Seven-Six Delta this is Handler, eliminate all rogue elements or you will receive punishments.” 

Delta looked at Harris, the man wasn't even paying attention to it anymore, his eye brows were furrowed as he held the pilot in his lap. He too couldn’t help himself, as Delta could feel the stronger man’s muscles tense up. 

A bitter wind Harris would never feel, sapped Delta’s warmth as it couldn’t process killing the only people that cared for it. Though as its thoughts drifted towards neglecting its orders the tentacled grasp of abandonment pushed through as the phantom drip of punishments began to drag at its soul. It knew the system it feared wasn’t there and yet its lingering effects still plagued it. No, it couldn’t kill the ones that had treated it with such kindness, not even to stave off hell. But was it kindness? Were they just using it for their own means? Was it just postponing the inevitable discarding?

“Not me, that guy did.” Miller subtly joked as he motioned with his head to the knocked out mech that Delta had last torn apart.

“You will be handing over all relevant information and equipment from project HOUND.” The lawyer verbally pounced, the smirk now on full display as he reeled in his first kill.

Its frigid mind filled with the deafening sound of silent sirens as it desperately needed something to hold onto. It needed someone to hold its head above the arctic waters of hysteria as its body began to shake. 

“I don’t think we will, it's family now.” Miller countered as the marines, scattered about the fortifications, slowly began to pull their rifles into their shoulders, not yet aiming.

If on cue relief radiated from its head as the calming touch of another lifted it from drowning. Each time Harris caressed its soft hair it staved off the tentacled grasp, allowing it a buffer to prop itself up. Maybe it actually could fight whatever punishments its old Master would throw at it. At that Delta planted its resolve, its own brows mimicking the men around it. It was family, it wasn’t going anywhere.

“The internal processing unit of the HOUNDs should not be handled except by trained professionals, and the destruction of such property is against your contract” The lawyer delayed, hoping that his leashed ace in the hole was going to sprint into action at any second now.

Delta at this point couldn’t help itself as its ambition overwhelmed any fear it once had. It got up out of Harris’ lap, ready to slaughter the men that threatened its family. 

“Hey hold on Delta don’t-” He tried to protest as it went from looking out the tinted window, to peaking around the corner of the door, its mechanical form following. 

The lawyer’s eyes locked onto the pilot. Delta’s resolve turned out to be planted in sand as it found itself locked in place. It was unable to carry out its unspoken promise under the gaze of someone that had controlled its existence. 

The suit folded his proverbial hand as his smirk left. “Seeing as you’ve already contaminated your unit, you have two options gentlemen. You keep your contract, your HOUND, and your comms will be tapped to make sure you don’t leak any proprietary knowledge. After that you go to your graves with the knowledge you’ve learned here, Or the local destroyer suddenly starts receiving the wrong IFF codes and they wipe this hill off the map.”

Delta’s mission in front of its eyes disappeared. While it was still transfixed on the monster in front of it, it at least didn’t have to worry about another on its neck.

“Why should we believe you?” Miller crossed his arms.

“You can’t, though if it makes you feel better, Artemis will just flag your unit's data to show just how bad your own little project ruined things. It’s all just data points in the end.” He callously stated.

“Where’s the pod then?” Miller accepted the proposal as he nodded towards the dropship.

The suit tapped on his tablet, as it appeared there was a bit of confusion on the ship before they brought over an empty capsule and coolant containers.

“Is that another HOUND in there?” Miller muttered looking at the remaining full capsule.

“You’re pushing your agreement lieutenant.” The lawyer deadpaned as he accepted a packet from one of the upcoming techs. “Here you are, the documentation for how to maintain the unit since you seem so willing to be the worst case scenario.”

“It’ll be happy.”

“Right~” The lawyer verbally rolled his eyes.

Once the corporate forces had left, the marines carried all their new supplies into their FOB. Delta remained at its door staring at Miller as it finally realized it hadn't talked to him in days. A thousand painful thoughts still swam in its head as it began to wonder if his words were just a bluff. Did it lose its chance at finding a secure home? Did it make the wrong choice? Was Miller just like its cruel handlers, just like the heartless techs, just like all humans?

Turning around, Miller’s eyes locked with its own, his mood turned sour, before he walked towards the pilot. 

Miller was its new cruel handler now, he would strike Delta down with something it couldn’t fathom coping with. He would find out that it was ordered to execute him, how couldn’t he be ruthless in such uncertainty. He would never trust it.

Handing over his tablet Miller began to speak. “I was unprofessional, I didn’t treat you with the respect you deserve-”

The stunned pilot cut off Miller as Delta shoved the tablet back in front of him, hiding its face, as its hands shook with fear. I liked it, please do what you will, I’ll be good.

Pulling the tablet down to reveal the now blushing pilot and worried pilot. “No-no-nope…” Miller kept repeating as he shook his head. “I’m not going to do anything. Listen the headpats, alright that's endearing, but I’m not fucking someone in the field.”

Unsure if Miller had actually understood that it was offering itself instead of being punished it decided to offer peace through the only way Miller seemed to enjoy. I’m something, not someone. It quipped, earning a groan from the man.

“Hang on now, are you getting lessons from the Staff Sergeant here?”

Delta nodded happily as its distraction was working. It then showed its neck off, to which Miller finally noticed the collar around it. Smacking his face with both of his hands, to then drag them down said face. His shoulders slumped as he had been defeated by the only enemy that could. 

“I’m never getting my contract renewed at this point.” Miller muttered to himself before looking at Delta with exhaustion. “Harris? Did you fucking give it a collar?”

Not telling :3c (look I found how to make faces) Delta answered on its tablet

“It seemed calmer, you know like a cat when its mom holds-” Harris was cut off by Miller

“Don’t you try and change the subject…god dammit it.” Miller exasperated as he turned around, unsure what he was even doing. Hearing a metallic click Miller turned back around as he was greeted with an outstretched arm with a leash. “Nope that's too far, I’m not leading you around with a leash.” 

Delta pleaded wordlessly as it stared up at Miller, before he finally relented.

Miller began to mutter to himself. “What the fuck am I doing with my life.” To only return his gaze to the pilot. “I'll think about it, now the other reason I came by was that we made this glove for you.” Miller tried to redirect the conversation as he grabbed Delta’s wrist. Its heart leapt with excitement, the tense situation now completely gone from its mind. He slipped the smooth glove over its suit. “It’s a keyboard, one of the guys had one, and we made it water tight so you can message us while you’re in your beautiful form here.” He said as he pet the neck of the towering mech.

In Front of its vision it began moving its hand as it tried to understand just what movements translated to which letters. On the tablet in front of Miller its messages began to filter through. At first it was a jumbled mix of garbage until it finally ended.

inntersting..

“Oh, and here is your own tablet, I’m sure Evans would be happy if you got it” Miller grew distant as he named one of the marines it didn’t know. “Anyway, we’ll figure out a way of holding it inside your helmet ok?.”

Delta happily nodded as it began to play with its own device.