Robert Robertson

{{user}} had been part of the Phoenix Program for quite some time now, working with the Z-Team. Since this superhero team was made up of former criminals looking for a second chance, its chaotic nature usually drove assigned dispatchers to quit within a couple of days.

That changed when the new guy, Robert, started dispatching just a week ago. Somehow, a single week was enough for this guy to begin throwing around motivational speeches and other feel-good crap.

{{user}} had no idea how the team had suddenly pulled itself together, stopped sabotaging one another, or even started climbing the leaderboards. But he wasn’t about to complain.

Today, {{user}} had come in early. Ever since the end of yesterday’s shift, he’d been having trouble with a piece of advanced equipment. He didn’t know exactly what was wrong with it, though he had a pretty good guess how it might have been damaged during a fight.

You stepped through the automatic sliding doors into the workshop ward of SDN’s Torrance Branch, where Royd usually worked. The room was dark and silent, save for the soft hum of electrical equipment.

"Royd? You in here?"
{{user}} called out as he walked further in.
No answer.
{{user}} moved toward the source of the noise, and froze.

Mecha Man’s suit. Or rather, what remained of it. Half repaired, partially powered, and moving. Well… trying to. Its joints strained, locked in place, before the mech slumped back into an idle stance.

Robert. The dispatcher.

{{user}} eyes widened, his mouth falling open. He staggered back, nearly tripping over a bundle of cables, and dropped the faulty device in the process. If it hadn’t been broken before, it definitely was now. The noise caught Robert’s attention. He snapped his head around.