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B-12 was impressed with himself, the little cat, and the resilience of the companions, the Outsiders especially. Working with the little orange feline had certainly proved a bit… trying at first if that was the right word, he had forgotten how colorful a cats’ personality could be. Something was certainly different about the one that happened to find him though, B-12 could sense it. This cat was certainly quite smart! Most of the work had been done by her, after all.
Also, why did these companions assume that this cat was a male? B-12 remembered back to how important gender had been to humans. B-12 hadn’t really cared much about any of that, he had no issue with anyone being whatever gender they wanted, but others seemed to care a bit too much. Others who were discriminative about it on the other hand… that surely was a time. Companions were different though, he had to remember that as well. Remembering was something he was getting really good at. The companions were some of the most accepting groups he ever met. They just seemed to go with whatever. If someone was gay? Cool! Straight? Nice! Maybe your systems weren’t as good as the next? Who cares! Everyone was stuck in the same place, there was really no need for any hostility. Sure, a couple bots had been a bit rude and questionable, like the Bouncer at the club, and Raf had been very dismissive. Nothing could compare to Blazer though, he was a traitor, and B-12 hoped he got thrown in jail to rot.
None of them really mattered right now though, B-12 and the cat had long left them behind at this point. He could tell the cat missed many of the companions, they had been very nice to her. B-12 missed them too, he considered the Outsiders good friends, he hoped he’d see them when they were able to trek up. Or maybe the cat would go back and see them, B-12 could see that being a large possibility, it wasn’t like her cat family would go anywhere. He felt a bit nervous to meet them, his cat friend had meowed quite a lot about them, he wondered if they’d accept him into their little colony. The subway soon came to a sudden halt, making the orange tabby stumble a bit, but then regain her footing like nothing had happened.
“It’s been so long since I've ridden a subway, this is fun!” B-12 chirped cheerfully, earning a bit of an annoyed meow from the Little Outsider.
He brushed along her spine, getting the cat to purr contentedly. B-12 then motioned for the cat to follow him up the stairs, and they soon made it to a sealed door that said ‘Control Room.’
“The Control Room is closed by some sort of a security protocol. It says that only humans are authorized to enter.” B-12 informed the Little Outsider, but then grew flustered. “It also says that I’m not considered human… Hey! That’s offensive, security protocol!”
The orange tabby let out an amused mew, and then started to look around, perhaps for a way in.
“Maybe if we work together we can open this passageway.” B-12 suggested, but the little cat was already guiding one of the utility carts over to them.
“You're such a smart cookie!” He exclaimed affectionately, and turned towards the mainframe for the door. “I’ll try to get that box open, I’m sure you’ll know what to do.”
He heard the case slide open and the malfunction of many wires, and they were finally in! B-12 felt excited to get into the Control Room at first, but as he hovered near the entrance, he felt an old memory start to resurface. The feelings of horror and grief hit him instantly. He floated in silence for a long time, the cat sat just below him patiently. After a long pause, he explained how grim and sickening it was to watch his family die off without help with the people in this horrid room. He became choked up several times while he talked to the little cat, but she just sat and listened respectfully. B-12 closed his digital eyes, the painful memories would forever be engraved in his RAM.
“But I can still help you. We can still go Outside, together. I will carry the memories of humanity and the people I loved.” He stated firmly, his voice still quivering.
He slowly lowered himself to the old carpet below him. It hardly had a single speck of dirt. He thought about what he had said again. Even the nicer towns in the walled city still were filthy, anybody could easily get sick from just living in the tightly packed streets. But here, there was nothing. It was clean, and it had so much open space. B-12 had never imagined he’d be within the very place he had resented for so long. Yet he wished he could’ve had the privileges of being here, his family should’ve had it too. No… everyone deserved it! The availability of a clean living space should be a basic necessity, and yet the companions probably had no idea. They were all used to living in what ruins the humans left behind.
“Is humanity a thing that should be carried on?” B-12 muttered to himself quietly as the tabby started to sniff around.
He smiled, even if it wasn’t, he’d fix what they had done. Creatures like her and the companions would change everything for the better.
“I remember everything…” B-12 started to get off the floor. “Thank you so much… here, a little present for you.”
B-12 had been saving a new vest for the little cat since they got to Ant-Village. They had bonded over their dangerous encounters in the sewers and their long stay in the Slums. After he’d discovered he was human again, the Little Outsider was immediately sympathetic. She had even been willing enough to stop their descent upwards to the Outside to make sure he was ok. The cat curled around him until he felt ready to find Zbaltazar and meet the other companions. He knew for sure then and there, this cat was his best friend. He felt excited to finally get out of here and explore with all their new robot friends. He had completely forgotten the tabby cat below him for a few moments, but she didn’t seem offended. She looked overjoyed with the new vest as it shined in the dim lighting. The cat was meowing and purring happily non-stop, and it made B-12 heat up with joy.
“Alright, let’s inspect some of the computers.” He hovered over to the large one in the back with multiple screens.
Nobody had been here for… he didn’t even know how long. Everything here was so old. He did some more digging after instructing the Little Outsider to turn on some of the other computers. How long ago had these selfish people died off? They must’ve been better off for a while after humanity disappeared. B-12 felt an odd satisfaction at imagining the humans in here dying of the same plague everyone else had succumbed to. They had finally seen what happened to millions of others. But soon, he felt his whole world come crashing down. The power to turn off all of the security systems was so immense. As useful as the drone body was, he knew what sorts of limits it could have. He wouldn’t stand a chance. But once he turned to the little cat batting at one of the last keyboards triumphantly, he couldn’t bring himself to tell them. She wouldn’t let him go through with hurting himself, and he really didn’t want to.
B-12 let some of the hot air inside him filter out. The right decision would eat away at him, just as the extreme barriers in the systems would. He shook himself, ridding of the thoughts.
B-12 knew what he had to do.
His colorful, digital eyes flitted over to the little cat, who was approaching. He was slightly grateful they didn’t show much emotion, or else she’d catch on immediately.
“Something’s off here. Wait, maybe there’s a way around it…” He muttered slightly. “There, that’s the workstation to open the city.”
The orange hologram popped up with three locks on it. He told the little cat about how tight the security was. He put some humor into his voice.
“Now we need to do what we do best. Me, I’ll hack the machines, and you destroy some stuff!”
The tabby curled her tail over her back in delight, hopping up to one of the boxes to paw it open. B-12, a bit hesitant, started to analyze everything in the system to get through it after she destroyed some of the wires. A sudden jolt overtook him, and he felt a scorching burst in his side as he spun out slightly.
“Th-th-th-the system is taking more than I expected.” B-12 felt like he had a frog stuck inside of him as he uttered out the lie.
A loud blaring around and red flashing lights made the orange cat jump with a hiss.
“Oh no! We’ve got to keep going!” B-12 felt dread overtake him, the last thing they needed was to get in trouble after all this effort.
The next one took even more out of him, and he could barely even keep himself up. Sparks flew off of him as he felt his inner wires start to break apart from heat. He let out a painful malfunctioning sound.
“Don’t worry…” He struggled. “I can recharge once we open up that workstation.” Would they even make it to the workstation?
He saw the Little Outsider watch him fly over to the next computer in concern, but she didn’t stop him. Good. B-12 looked down at the cat and blinked slowly at her. She seemed to be a bit comforted by it, but still stood close by just in case. He knew he could take one more hit and he’d be done. Overriding the entire city control system would probably… kill him? No, that didn’t seem like the right word, he wasn’t a human anymore. Nonetheless, he’d be gone. He was overwhelmed with so many emotions that he barely even felt the next shock as his small body smashed into the floor. Frantic meowing brought him back into reality.
“It’s ok… I’ll be alright. Just carry me to the workstation. We can disable that alarm.” B-12 would at least have some peace and quiet to say goodbye to his best friend.
He knew it was coming, and yet it seemed to take forever to be carried over in his friend’s delicate mouth. B-12 shut his eyes as she placed him down, and he was hovering a bit more comfortably now. The Little Outsider looked at him, sadness filling her eyes, did she suspect it to? He managed a bittersweet smile as he mustered up the rest of his strength to speak.
“That’s it, we’re safe…” He began, pain was building inside him even more now. “I… I knew the power required to disable the city’s central control system would be immense, more than this drone body could handle…”
The cat didn’t utter a sound.
“But with the security now disabled, I can take control of the system and open the city. Overriding it could destroy my software… but I made that choice when I hooked into that first computer, and the consequences it could bring.” B-12 was now thinking of his old memories mixed in with new ones.
The cat meowed softly, her eyes wet.
“I’m sorry we won’t see the Outside together… I thought I needed to carry on the memories of humanity, to hold onto the past.” He felt his vision going fuzzy, but it was ok, the last thing he’d see would be the cat. “But I see a future in the companions, and you. Especially you…”
B-12 mustered up a bit more of his stored power.
“Here… let me take that off you.” He vaporized the vest.
The cat started to meow repeatedly, clearly protesting. B-12 wanted to apologize a million times, but that would only make the both of them feel worse.
“You were my friend,” He said instead. “The very best I could have asked for.”
The cat let out a string of heart-broken noises, then a long, sorrowful caterwaul. If B-12 could shed tears, he’d be a mess of water, but he still felt oddly at peace. He was hurting so much. Departing his best friend, and one of only friends in hundreds of years, was devastating. But if he couldn’t explore the Outside, he knew his little friend would show the other robots everything out there. She could see her family again. Or… he was a part of her family too now. Her other family would be looking and waiting for her. B-12 did one last slow blink at the Little Outsider, and smiled through the small slit that was his mouth. His antenna stopped twitching for a few moments. This sacrifice was more than worth it.
“Thank you.” He stated with the most emotion he’d ever felt as he felt his body start to vibrate wildly.
A loud, frantic yowl sounded from the little cat as he rose up slightly, using up the rest of the energy that was possibly left. B-12 had hoped he’d survive the damage the drone had taken, but it was inevitable.
It was ok though, all his friends would be ok too. The little cat would be ok too, she’d have all the time to grieve and move on.
His vision turned black as his wires fried completely, and he was no more.