Chapter Text
She boots up, and immediately tenses. The feeling of something around her, locking her into place with determined firmness, causes her to shake off the haze of sleep mode twice as fast as usual (which is already quite fast.) She half yanks herself free from whatever's got her trapped in place, and throws her visor up to get a better look, prepared to wrench herself free with brute force -- only to be met with N's blacked out visor.
She feels herself visibly relax, a mixture of relief at the fact that it was N and a twinge of something terrible at the idea of stopping herself even a second too late and accidentally hurting him. She supresses her sleepy confusion and scans the situation with suppressed confusion.
His head was resting against the wall behind them, and he's half hugging her, half hugging himself in his sleep. She glances down, his tail trailing across the sheets and wrapping around the leg of the bed. Doll, having observed the Disassembly Drones from afar for quite a while, learning all of their mannerisms and weaknesses, realizes this is sort of how the Disassembly Drones usually slept. Upside down, wrapped around themselves, with their tails coiled around something.
Hm. I know more about them than I want to. It reminds her of those old shitty human documentaries Lizzy used to make her watch. Sports history was more Doll's thing.
An amused huff escapes her over the fact that he didn't seem very comfortable, half sideways on a bed rock-solid with oil stains. She pries herself free from his headlock/half embrace, his arms much heavier than they look, and brushes herself off. She slides off the bed as quietly as possible and rolls her shoulder joints, readjusting them after still so long in such an uncomfortable position, quiet clicks and pops filling the lonely silence of the room.
Well , she thinks, passively shooting a glance to the sleeping form behind her, not that lonely.
Her gaze wanders elsewhere, the dim light of the sun in the distance painting the snow and sky a beautiful palette of purple, blue, and soft orange.
A whole day? she muses, the corner of her lip perking involuntarily, I don't think I've slept that well at any point during my product lifespan.
Once more, she glances down at the form below the window, fast in sleep mode, just out of reach of the sun's final dwindling rays. His vents work slowly, a steady churning of air pulsing in and out through his system to cleanse any heat that may interrupt his functions. His core hums as well, a quiet pulsing thrum but just loud enough for her to hear at an arm's length away.
He seems peaceful, she observes, I hope he really is.
It was scary. Feeling an attachment to something so dangerous. She was dangerous herself, but was it enough?
She hated the fact that it was the first thing that came to mind, the level of danger she was in. She truly did care though, she didn't like lying about things like that.
...But what exactly was care? Something she'd not known for long enough to have the concept completely formulated in her files. It was frustrating, and yet...
She admired N for his ability to care. It seemed to come so easily to him -- kindness. Despite his sharp teeth, claws, wings, and acid that could defy even the most powerful healing abilities, he made it work, so effortlessly nonetheless. She wondered if it was simply hardcoded into him.
Or if maybe, he'd needed to learn how to care just as she would have to.
It dawns on her, after a couple minutes of silence, she's been observing him longer than socially acceptable.
She can't help but huff a laugh at the idea, what would I know of social norms?
She watched and waited, at least for a few more minutes. At least until the sun set.
She sees the last of dusk hand itself off to night and teleports away. She needs to think alone.
--
And think she does. Her internal fans run at overdrive, the flesh gunk in her system not even stopping them from trying to expel the overwhelming heat from her chassis.
It was odd, and concerning , that something other that physical trauma or anger could make her nervous enough to cause near overheating. She'd need to look into that, but for now this was more important.
The crunching of snow beneath her frantically bouncing boot became irritating enough that it drowned out the rapidly forming thoughts in her head.
The vast expanse of snow, wrecked buildings, and trees had become something of a companion to her during her days of solitude. The time spent here often blurred between hours to days to weeks -- maybe even months.
But now... it just felt cold. Empty. There was no longer comfort in this place, not after being spoiled by the uncommon occurrence in her life that was having company .
She reminded herself that she was welcome to return after she finished her thinking ( which was still very odd to her to be welcomed somewhere, ) so she wouldn't be alone for long. Perhaps after this, she could ask N how long it had been since the Prom incident. His memory was not often to be trusted, but she trusted him .
She... trusted him.
She paused her pacing, using one hand to fiddle with the long hair that framed her faceplate, then teleported again.
The old, worn down shop she'd taken refuge in during her time on the tundra was just as unwelcoming as it had been before she'd made her first real friend. Its sign long faded, its contents long ransacked.
She grimaced as she took a look around the small space, ground littered with oil stains from when she had repaired herself. The empty spaces on the walls were smeared with black, where she had taken down shelves to haphazardly board up the empty door frame and shattered windows to protect herself from the harsh elements.
She doesn't let herself dwell on them too much, making her way towards the cot laid out on the ground, having put it down ages ago. She plopped down on the threadbare surface with a sigh, rearranging herself several times (it was much less comfortable that she had remembered,) before simply crossing her legs and holding her face in her hands, silent in contemplation.
Her promise. To N.
She had to keep it, right?
Some dark, distant part of her mind she thought she'd stamped out for good reared up at the idea in disgust, sneering as it told her; [Keeping a promise with a murder drone? Who are you?]
A much more powerful presence asserted itself in its place in her mind, so jarringly strong it startled her head out of her hands.
Yes. She had to keep her promise. She would keep her promise. She said she cared, she promised she cared. She would try as hard as she could to stay true to her word.
Such a simple sentence she'd uttered in the heat of the moment weighed heavy on her core an entire day later.
Her head falls into her hands once more, a burdened sigh pushing its way out of her vents. Her digits press into her visor, threatening to crack the fragile glass under such intense pressure -- both hardware and software.
And think she does. She thinks so intensely she nearly causes her wires to fizzle out, her internals churring with the rushing of her thoughts. the tundra, which had become something like her only companion during her time in it, feels colder after experiencing hours unconscious in the warmth of her apartment. She opts to curl up in the abandoned building (a shop of some kind, its sign long faded and contents long ransacked,) she'd taken refuge in after the prom incident. There were still oil stains from when she repaired herself, slick across the shelves she'd taken down to board up the empty door frame and shattered windows. She ignores them in favor of the makeshift cot she'd put together ages ago, plopping down and crossing her legs on its threadbare surface and cupping her face in her hands contemplatively.
Did she have to keep her promise to N? Some dark, faint part of her sneered at the idea of keeping a promise to a murder drone, but a much more powerful presence asserted itself in her mind, so much so that it startled her; yes , she had to keep her promise. she would keep her promise. She would try, she would care. Her digits tensed against her visor, threatening to crack it under such intense pressure -- both mental and physical. Slowly, hesitantly, she allows a huff of air to escape her vents and pulls her hands away from her face. In doing so, she takes notice of a coffee-stained sheet of paper, tucked carefully under some wooden boards so as to not be blown away in the wind. She pulls it out with a flick of her wrist and a flash of red light that seems so harsh in the darkness. It's reminiscent of children's scrawlings, words and figures barely comprehensible to her logical robot mind, but in her core she knows what it is. Lovingly made sketches crafted by a hand who knew only destruction. Someone, short and red and purple with a button over her face, next to someone else, tall and yellow and smiling brightly, so brightly she can't help but smile in return. Above the two of them are barely comprehensible descriptors -- "N, Doll, friends." She feels herself choke up a little. She's terrible at this, she knows, how in the hell did she get a friend as wonderful as him? Robo-god knew she didn't deserve it. Which is exactly why she'd do everything she could to make sure she became someone who did. She stood up, folded it up and slid it into her pocket, patting it for good measure. She would make things right, she would stop the solver -- this time, with help. But first things first, she had to check on N. She looked around the room, allowing herself to soak it in for a little bit. slowly she turned away. She didn't need to miss this, she didn't need to miss any of it. She would never be this alone again.
And on cue, she teleports away. With a few pulses of red light, she was back in her apartment, a place she'd come to find was less daunting to simply exist in with company. However, she looks around to find that the company in question was gone. she figured he would have flown off after realizing she was gone -- perhaps having gone back to the spire. So she teleports out, another flash, she's in the spire, another flash, she's at the pod's door. She knocks this time, less cautious in disturbing them, and waits. There's some scrambling around behind the door, then a bang, and the telltale shout of someone in distress and/or pain. Doll flinches back upon realizing the voice came from none other than Uzi. Had N not gotten back yet? Uzi, being left alone with V, had the disassembly drone done something to her only remaining family? Anger and fear roil in her gut, and with a flick of her wrist, the door's been wrenched free from the pod. she rushes in without a second thought, teeth bare and hair raised along her back from the telekinetic force radiating off of her body. " What the fu - DOLL? Oh, thank robo god . Help me with the bodies."
The WHat? Doll's brain shouts, but before she can protest, a heavy, hot heap of something is hefted into her arms, which had spread open from surprise. she catches it on instinct, then looks down to see it -- him. N, visor shattered and sprinkled with oil. She yelps in surprise, but doesn't let her grip falter, instead hefting him up by the belt with her solver powers. She feels something sick coil within her gut, she doesn't know whether she wants to cry or kill the nearest person or both, but either way it's an unpleasant feeling she can only quell by keeping a hand on his wrist -- drones don't have pulses, but she can feel the humming of his core much clearer now that she's made contact. Suddenly, hands clap in front of her face startling her back to reality, "Dude, are you listening to me? We need to get going! chop chop."
Uzi seems to follow through with Doll's idea, using her powers to wrap v up in a blanket and hold her in the air. doll shakes herself, suddenly fully understanding the gravity of the situation, [Uzi, what happened? why are they-] Uzi interjects with a single raised palm, as if to say shut up. I'm talking.
"Can't you teleport? take us to my room." Doll seethes at being interrupted, and opens her mouth to reply- but Uzi cuts her off again, "Oh and, after this -- do me a frickin' favor and teach me how to do it too. You can't keep all the cool edgy powers to yourself!" Doll grits her teeth in irritation, slaps her hands against her visor and lets her head fall into them.
She lifts her head up again when she hears Uzi take in a breath, [Uzi, I don't even know if i am capable of that. I've only managed to teleport myself and small objects before. Another drone, let alone a solver drone is out of the question...]
Uzi grits her teeth and makes several frustrated gestures with her hands before groaning, "Well, now's as good a time as any to find out."
Doll growls, supposes she can't argue with that, and grabs Uzi by the wrist and yanks her forward. With monumental effort, the whole room is engulfed in red light -- and they're no longer in the pod. Doll feels the world spin around her from exerting so much effort, and she tumbles to the floor. Her grip on N falters and he's on the floor too. Uzi shouts something that takes Doll longer than it should have to decipher, "Oh, what the hell! my coordinates are all screwed -- Doll, what are your coords?" Still dizzy, she pushes herself to her feet and manages to croak out a random string of numbers that seems to personally offend Uzi, "They- what ? Doll, does this happen EVERY time you teleport? Eurgh, I'm going to need to recalibrate my lat-long later... On second thought, i'll pass on the teleportation lessons."
Doll grumbles and regains her balance, propping N's unconscious body against a wall, [I never offered you such a thing... either way, we need to tal-] Uzi raises a hand once again, head turned and eyes focused elsewhere.
"Later, bitch. we've got some epic hacking to get to." Uzi hops into her spinny chair and cracks her knuckles, booting up her pc. [Epic- what? Does anything you say make sense? Can you please just explain to me what is going on!]
"Glad you asked! to that I say..." Uzi raspberries, shrugs and spins around in her chair. Doll lets out a frustrated keen and stomps forward, but is stopped in her tracks as some objects start swirling around the room while Uzi rifles through her belongings with her solver. Two white circular objects that almost look like kitchen timers whiz through the air and onto N and V's heads. Doll briefly recalls seeing Uzi use those instruments to return torment she'd received from one of their classmates -- the timers somehow connected to a drone's cpu via some sort of wireless connection, allowing uzi to have total access to a drone's functions, movements, and even memory. Doll begins to piece together what's happening on her own, deciding to stay silent.
Uzi seems to fill the silence on her own after the chaotic swirling of objects around her room ceases, "Me and V were finishing the movie after you guys left, and then V started to just-" Uzi's expression turns sour, and she waves a hand rather frantically, "freak out. I thought she was pissed at you but then suddenly she was OUT. Some... error started showing up on her visor, and then N came in and he freaked out and- doesn't matter, they'll be fine cause we're going to fix it." The furious clacking of Uzi's digits against the keyboard ceases for just a moment as she takes an angry, loud sip from her bottle of oil and slams it against the desk with unnecessarily dramatic flair.
(606 error)
[The solver. It must be trying to do something. that does not just happen .]
"Congrats on using your think-pan, that was exactly what I was thinking." Something about the tone of Uzi's voice doesn't convince Doll that that was actually what she was thinking.
Before she can voice the thought, Uzi tosses a pair of headphones at her. Doll catches them and holds them up into the light with a befuddled expression, [...What?]
Uzi winces, then shrugs, "Yeah, I know, sorry. They're my old ones so they're kinda beat up -- the left speaker's kinda shitty too."
[No, I mean- Uzi, what is this for?]
Uzi puts on her own headphones and plugs Doll's in, who puts them on obligingly as well. "What else would they be for? We're epic hacking our way into their memories of course. can't let those things go poof, they're too precious."
Doll begins to understand, but one detail still throws her off, [And... What help exactly will i be in this 'epic hacking' process?] Doll sits on the chair next to Uzi, which is lacking both in comfortability AND spinnability,
"Moral support!" Uzi does jazz hands with a too-wide smile, before gritting her teeth, "No, dipshit. what do you think you're gonna be doing?" Doll seems at a loss for words, and Uzi rolls her eyes and continues, "Well I can't epically hack two drones at the same time, can I? I'm taking N, you take the edgelord."
Doll pauses, grasps for an answer, then something clicks in her brain. A truth she will not accept, [ NO. Uzi, let me take-]
The drone cuts her off again , "Too late, I called dibs on N half an hour ago. Should've got here sooner, you take V." Before Doll can get another word out, Uzi plops her headphones over her ears and is immediately fully engrossed in whatever she seems to be seeing. Doll groans for what feels like the hundredth time in the past hour, and begrudgingly cranes her neck towards V's unconscious form, then at the computer.
Do you really have to do this? A voice in her head mutters.
You promised. Another voice hisses back.
Doll damns whatever remains of her shattered moral compass and turns up the volume on the spare pc.