Snippet #2174093

"Of course I'm interested in it. That scoreboard is more than just a prestige system. Didn't you know? The higher your rank on the board, the more independent action you are allowed to. For an Agent, being trusted to act instantly without having to lose time consulting superiors for new orders allows you a higher possibility of success in the field. Independent action is everything on a mission. Thus, the higher your rank, the higher your chance of success. With an advantage like that, who wouldn't be interested?"

The young woman paused and glanced at Matt with an icy expression, like he’d disrupted her from something important. She turned to him then, looking at him with a measure of scorn reflected in her cold, blue eyes, as though he was a cockroach at the end of her boot. As ever, Matt’s only reply could be silky impassiveness, apparently immune to the leering sentiment of her condescending tone.

He heaved a sigh eventually, his own dark eyes wandering aimlessly into the depths of the hanger for a moment. Briefly, he regretted opening dialogue with her. When it came to dealing with people like this he was a clueless as a child. His gaze glided back to her, noticing the self confidence seemingly oozing from her figure. Something else felt hidden behind her thinly veiled practical reasoning though. It made sense if you wanted leadership over the mission, but she hadn’t even mentioned leadership, she’d talked about trust instead. To Matt, it almost sounded like the scoreboard was her mission.

“Every agent is already trusted with the measure of independence necessary to complete their mission. Once out in the field, we’ll have to be, radio contact with HQ won’t always be available. Additional thoughts on ranking are a distraction and wasted effort,” Matt replied despondently, a placid expression seemingly etched into his creamy skin, “Complete the mission effectively above all else, that's enough for people like me.”

The soft whirring of gears continued in the background as his mechanical arm bent up and scratched the side of his cheek. A smile without any mirth parted his lips then, Matt having long since lost ability to smirk normally, "Best of luck with your endeavours though."