Rene pondered Ruth's seemingly out-of-nowhere warning,
'As distrusting as always... but what does she mean that things may not be as they seem...?'
The proposition of 'what could she mean?' troubled Rene, even more so when he thought about it from a different perspective—
"It's clear out here."
A voice knocked him out of his contemplation; Rose announced their safety.
Only when Rene passed through the door did the once-gentle pitapat of rain intensify into a thunderous drumming.
Heavy rain pelted the world outside.
Droplets of water raced down the store's glass front, and mist began to rise from the ground.
"Hella rain, huh..." Rene commented.
Meanwhile, the interior of the liquor store was quite lacklustre compared to the storm outside.
"The rain likely won't slow, and delaying our departure will be detrimental to us." Ruth glanced around, eyes locking onto the front door.
"Let's leave now. Cleaner Rose, you'll be going ahead first."
"...I understand, Overseer."
The female Cleaner passed through the store's door, glancing down the roads, before heading across to the other side of the street.
Ruth turned to Rene and instructed,
"Get this door off its hinges."
...
A veil of rain and mist covered the streets, and even the alleyways weren't spared from the downpour.
Sharp, crisp drumming filled the air.
Rene held a pane of glass overhead, shielding him and, more importantly, Ruth, from the relentless rain.
The once-glass door served to shelter Ruth without restricting their vision; granted, the rain cast a blurry veil over the glass.
Together, they braced the rain as they crossed streets and found some respite in alleyways.
'We'll have to enter one of these buildings eventually...' Rene thought to himself, casting a tentative glance to Ruth's side, to the area where her injury blossomed as a small patch of red.
"Overseer, how is your—!"
Boom—!
A low, resounding boom echoed from the distance.
It roared just the next street over.
"Overseer!" Rene grasped the smaller woman, hauling her to the side as they dove for cover.
Pressed against a wall, Rene shielded Ruth as he cast his gaze over his shoulder.
The sounds didn't stop, shaking the air and rousing the mist, but gradually became distant.
"Rose must have encountered an enemy...!" Rene muttered.
"And she's directing it away..." Ruth added.
Her gaze narrowed, then she addressed the taller man shielding her,
"Do you want to help her?"
"Overseer...?"
Rene's eyes met Ruth's, his gaze questioning, an arch in his brow, but she didn't reply.
"..." He looked towards the direction the sound came from.
Confliction shone dimly in his eyes, warring between his responsibility for looking after Ruth and a faint but sure desire to aid a fellow Cleaner.
'She must be asking me for a reason...' But Rene also knew of his Overseer's mindset.
His thoughts clashed against one another, sparks birthing an idea which beckoned him to speak,
"If I help her... we can eliminate some of the enemy, potentially acquire resources, and keep Rose by our side, retaining our battle strength."
"Suppose you do go help Cleaner Rose, her charge is low, and if the enemy is too numerous, she'll only deplete her energy quicker, and eventually leave the burden completely on you."
"That's why I want to help, to make up the difference before that happens."
"And suppose that both of you fall, do you intend to leave me alone?"
"..."
Rene's silent gaze met Ruth's, then flickered back towards Rose's direction, sparks warring in his mind, but gradually died down as he pondered his own choices.
"I... Ultimately, the choice is yours to make, Overseer... If you demand that I stay here, then I won't leave."
"..." It was Ruth's turn to go silent, but the usual frown she wore against Rene's disobedience was not present, "I don't wholly agree with this, but your logic is sound. At the very least, your programming hasn't been compromised."
"Compromised? Wait, Overseer?"
"Hurry on, now. If you show up the moment Cleaner Rose falls, your proposition will completely fall apart."
Ruth urged him forward with a small push.
"I'll remain back here. If you finish, return here. If you fail, let me know."
"...Will do, Overseer."
...
Boom—!
The sound of a collapsing wall echoed through the rain, a small cloud of dust rising, only to be pelted down by the rain.
A silvery figure was revealed amidst the debris.
Rose leapt backwards, boots scraping against wet stone as she twisted her body. A deep, low groan emanated from her joints as she hurled a chunk of concrete and rebar.
The debris smashed through the air before colliding with the silver figure. It raised its arm to protect its head, simply allowing the debris to crumble against its sturdy body.
Bang—!
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!
Orange flashed through the mist, cracking like thunder, as a relentless spray of bullets tore through the air.
Pivoting on her feet, Rose evaded the bullets, letting them fly into the endless wall of rain.
'Scum...' Rose cursed them internally.
The volley of bullets ceased as the silvery figure moved.
Standing at an oppressive height of three meters was a half-horse, half-human automaton. The centaur was composed of lustrious, silvery material, with a sleek yet robust body.
Each step it took caused the ground to shudder, and its gallop resembled the low drumming of war.
'Another charge...' Rose readied herself.
She was already familiar with the repetitive cycle of 'charging' and 'shooting'.
She had the intention to run, but her eyes glanced to the side for a brief moment.
Thus, Rose sidestepped, running into one of the nearby buildings, the centaur following suit and crashing through the walls.
"Pursue them! Stay vigilant, men!"
A voice called from the mist, followed by the hurried steps of heavy boots, chasing after the fleeing party. But the sound of something whistling caused one to—
"Argh!"
A steel bar penetrated one of the men dressed in a reddish-brown overcoat.
"She's— No! There's another one!" Another man called.
A low thud resounded on the street; Rene made his appearance.