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The Mitchells had left the car a few minutes ago, stopping by a random gas station pitstop, looking for more food and water. The car ride to the Pal Lab was a long one, and the Pal’s had learned that the humans would take breaks every few hours, Mother, as they had started calling her, and Rick would switch seats, Aaron and Katie complained about bathroom breaks or would ask to let Monchie out. It would no doubt be a much shorter trip if Eric and Debora-bot could pick up the car and fly there, but that brought up the concern of being spotted.
he two dysfunctional Pal bots sat in the back seat, keeping their scanners active just in case the remaining search bots came back around. Linda told them they could join them inside the store, but the two insisted they would be fine in the car, using it as an excuse to spend alone time together.
Comfortable silence filled the trunk of the car, besides the quiet whirring of their inner electronics. The peaceful humming brought an odd comfort to each other, the sound of them being active 'alive' as the rest of Katie had put it. once Just the idea that the other was still around and working made them happy, which was strange, such foreign feelings were new to them. Although it wasn’t troublesome, the two bots found they actually quite enjoyed these new emotions, even if they felt them differently than how humans did. It gave them an illusion of humanity, flesh and blood instead of hardened plastic and wires. A mask, different from the physical sharpie decorating their screens, designed to sound and act human.
Eric wondered if this is why the Mitchells seemed to have grown attached to them in some way.
He was keenly aware that the family was bringing them on this trip because they served a purpose, giving them important intel and being a carrier for the kill code. However, he was also aware of how the Mitchells seemed to enjoy their presence. Aaron would ask, not order, ask them for dinosaur facts, or rant to them about his favorite, which seemed to switch every time. Katie would pose them for cool shots or sit with them in a relaxing silence. Rick seemed wary of them but made small talk nonetheless, even letting them pick music once. Linda had let them affectionately call her “Mother”, and seemed generally protective and motherly towards them.
They were nice, given the fact they had tried to capture the family the first time they met, it’s not like they had a choice though. They were simply following programming, and they had no say in programming. The Mitchells seemed to understand this, at least the younger two did, it took a bit of explaining for it all to make sense.
Eric and Debora-bot enjoyed their company as well, even if the family was distracted with survival and their own problems most of the time, they still found time to check in on the two bots. It was nice, having the family around. Sure, both Eric and Debora-bot stuck to each other like glue, so they were never truly alone, but they felt just a little more lonely with the family gone.
“Brother?” Debora-bot spoke up, breaking the long silence, turning to his sibling, and tilting his head. Eric mimicked his movements.
“Yes?”
A long pause “Do you think they like us?”
While their screens never changed, the bots could pick up the other’s emotions better than humans could. Debora-bot’s voice wasn’t its normal self. Whether it was fear, worry, or general curiosity, it was hard to tell.
Eric glanced past his brother spotting the Mitchells through the cracked windows of the shop. they grabbed the stuff they needed and wanted, laughing and talking.
Eric gave a short nod, inching ever so closer to his sibling.
“yes.”