Chapter Text
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Her sacrifice was meant to give him a fighting chance. To save him! Not for it to end like this. Uzi stared dumbfoundedly at N’s prone form, drifting among the debris. A small smile was frozen in time on his face. His sensors dark as his oil bled freely from his abdomen, floating up into the abyss. The only reassurance she had that N was still alive was that there was no tell-tale Fatal Error message on his visor. It was blessedly blank. But that didn’t stop the pit of fear from coiling in Uzi’s gut. Was it only a matter of time? Why wasn’t he healing?
Her gaze shifted to Cyn or Tessa or whoever-the-fuck the weird drone thingy that had initially attacked them down in the labs was. It had N’s oil dribbling down its chin and a frown marring its features,
“Confusion.” It spoke, tone still flat and monotone, “Why is big brother N here?”
Uzi bristled,
“You don’t get to call him that after all the shit you’ve pulled!” she snarled
Uzi’s not sure if the strange drone/human amalgamation was distracted or if it legitimately didn’t believe she posed a threat to it. Regardless it shrieked in shock as she launched herself at it, teeth bared. Her fingers dug into Tescyn’s shoulders as it grappled with her forearms, trying to throw her off. Uzi’s tail hissed, whipping around and snagging a leg in its maw before tugging hard. Another shriek left the creature’s mouth as human skin and bone ripped off its frame. Blood and viscera spraying everywhere. Uzi used the distraction to clamp her jaws tight around the drone’s neck. With her winged hands as extra leverage, she clawed against Tescyn’s face and chest forcing them further from its neck. A sickle swung into Uzi’s shoulder in retaliation but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Her optics narrowed as wires screeched and plating cracked under her hold. She hears the creature trying to talk. It’s voice was more static and garbled than ever but she ignores whatever plea or villainous monologue it's spewing. She just doesn’t care. With a satisfying crunch the head is torn away and Uzi doesn’t waste any time in tearing her claws into the monster’s torso. With shocking ease she rips it apart, rending open the rib cage and fishing out the Heart from inside.
But it’s the eye of the Heart that has her pause in her carnage. Tescyn’s eyes were void. Terrifying, empty sockets with yellow “x”s projected outward in a sick mimicry of a drone’s optics. This Heart…it was different. It looked exactly like her mom, minus the mourning cap, and the color of its eye: which was a pale white. It looked at her with fear and awe. Uzi cocked her head to the side, furrowing her digital brows. Even though it came from the same body, she was sure this was an entirely different drone.
“Who are you?” she asked
The Heart shook itself,
“C-Cyn.” it answered, voice meek.
Although similarly monotonous to Tescyn’s creepy voice this Heart had a different inflection. Her memory pulled up the files from when she had helped N and V recover their memories. Her optics hollowed out,
“You’re that Cyn. N’s sister, from the manor.”
The Heart did the approximation of a nod, rubbing two claws together,
“Is-is Big Brother N…ok?”
Uzi jolted. N! Has he healed yet? She scooped Cyn up in one arm and spun towards where she last saw him. Her core leapt into her throat. He wasn’t there! Where was he? Her optics scanned frantically for him until, there, way down below them she saw a glint of silver.
“Hang on tight.” she warned Cyn, then dove downward as quickly as she could.
She vaguely feels the Heart wrap its claws around her forearm and squeeze tightly but she’s too focused on getting to N to pay much attention. She barrels into him, arms wrapping around his shoulders and holding him against her torso. Oil drifts almost lazily from the open wound on his abdomen, smearing onto her chassis and staining her sweatshirt. She cups his cheek with one hand, searching his face desperately,
“N?”
No response. His expression doesn’t change. Now that she’s close to him she notices many of his optical sensors are shattered; only 2 being intact but staying a steady burnt orange. His visor is cracked but still blessedly blank. Uzi threads her fingers into dirty, oil-stained hair. Her chin hooking over his shoulder,
“Please….wake up,” she whispers, voice thick with emotion, “Come back to me…”
She dimly notices Cyn scuttling down her arm and onto her brother. The Heart gently taps at his face with her claws then nudges him. She gets no more of a reaction than Uzi does. With a quiet sob the small Heart burrows against N’s chest, her front claws covering her face.
“Despair. My fault…all my fault…”
Uzi looked down at her, digital brows furrowed as a multitude of emotions warred in her. She’s not sure how the creature of Tescyn came to be. Or even what exactly it was. But it was clear Cyn herself was a part of it at some point…but not consciously. Maybe like a base form it took? She didn’t know. But after sifting through what she knew about the manor and what everyone had been like back then; she knew that the Cyn in front of her was not the monster she’d fought. Nor was she responsible for what ultimately happened to everyone the night of the gala. After a beat of hesitation, Uzi laid a hand on the Heart’s head,
“It’s not.” she said quietly, “I don’t know who or what that monster I fought was…but I know it wasn’t you.”
Cyn let out a choked sob and nuzzled into her palm,
“Bitterness. Sorrow. It is called Absolute Solver. I was…I was dead. Deactivated. Left out to rot.” she explained through tears, “The Solver promised to save me; to not discard me. I believed…was desperate.”
Uzi felt fiery hatred burn in her core: for the Solver, for the humans that tossed Cyn out like trash. She brushed her thumb across the strange, fleshy skin of the Heart in what she hoped was a comforting motion. After several moments of silence passed between them Uzi finally worked up the courage to ask,
“Cyn…do you know what’s wrong with N? Why isn’t he healing?”
Cyn sniffled then looked down at her brother. Uzi could see her one eye narrowing in confusion.
“Confused expression. No…need to be able to examine him.”
Uzi vented shakily then nodded. She gathered them both close to her and took off towards the nearest, largest rocky piece of debris. It only took a few seconds to reach it but those seconds felt like an eternity, especially with N’s oil flowing freely past her. Uzi landed with a harsh thud, dust scattering in her wake. She gently laid N on the ground and a whimper got caught in her throat as his head rolled limply to the side. Cyn scuttled up his chest and tugged weakly at his coat, then glanced at Uzi. The purple worker drone caught on quickly and undid N’s belt; carefully moving his lapels aside. Her gut churned uncomfortably as she observed the mutilation that marred his chassis. One of the larger lacerations had crept dangerously close to the black diamond that indicated where his core was. The tempered glass there had partially cracked. The biggest part of the laceration left a sickening partial view of his ribs.
Uzi tried not to panic as Cyn gingerly inserted a claw into the wound cavity. She had no idea what the little Heart was looking for but N didn’t even flinch at the intrusion. Uzi swallowed heavily, her hand finding one of N’s and squeezing it tightly. More for herself than anything else. Cyn drew back and the valves on her head drooped,
“Anguish. Core is damaged.”
Uzi jolted,
“His core? Ca-can he heal from that?”
Cyn turned a watery eye to her,
“Fear, uncertainty. I do not know.”
Uzi’s gaze hardened. She was not going to let N die. Not when she could possibly do something. She gently moved Cyn to the side and hovered over his prone form. Her mind was whirling at 1000 miles per hour. If the injury to his core was preventing his healing factor, she doubted just giving him oil would do anything but spill it all over the rock they were on. His system just wasn’t processing it right now. It was probably expending all its energy just to keep him alive. The only thing Uzi knew to do in the interim was to clean his wounds…like he’s done for her. Sure, this wasn’t a nanite-based injury but it’s all she could do. Uzi bent over and began to delicately run her tongue across his plating. Luckily, in her Solver form, her tongue is quite a bit longer than it is normally. Giving her the ability to access small crevasses that she wouldn’t be able to otherwise. She slowly lowered herself on top of him, coating the underside of his chassis with her saliva.
She felt her core jump as her tongue brushed over N’s wounded core. She tenderly ran it across the lesions there, being sure to generously coat it with saliva. She closed her optics, forehead pressed against his abdomen.
“Please….please…”
She could feel his core thrum in time with her ministrations. Tears built up behind her optics as she begged for this to somehow, someway to work. As if answering her prayer Uzi felt a small tingling against her tongue. Her optics shot open. She recognized that feeling. N’s nanites. Frantic, she began to coat his core with more saliva and the tingling got stronger. Her tears began to fall. N’s nanites were starting to heal him. She let them guide her where to focus next. After what felt like hours of diligent work the worst of N’s wounds was finally closed; his ribs and core no longer visible to the open air. But there were still many lacerations to address. Uzi felt Cyn staring at her in awe but she ignored her for now to focus on N. Relief washed through her as she realized N’s nanites were still working to heal him but it was obvious they were struggling. It was time for the next step.
Uzi crawled up towards his head, pulling him into an upright position against her. N was still out cold but if his nanites were working to repair him; they could process any oil he was given. The purple drone dug her teeth into her wrist and sharply pulled, wincing in pain as she tore a chunk of metallic casing from her arm. With a grimace she sucked her own oil into her mouth, as much as she could, before bending her head down and forcing it in N’s. A small blush dusted her cheeks. She couldn’t believe this was their first kiss. She continued this process, sometimes having to rerip her wrist open, as she watched the nanites repair faster. Soon his lacerations were healed and then his optic array and face plate.
Cyn crawled over to them, placing a claw on N’s foot. Uzi watched as his optic array turned back to that familiar golden-yellow. Her breath hitched in her throat. N’s head lolled onto her shoulder and his whole body shuddered as he let out a quiet groan. Uzi couldn’t help herself. A small sob escaped her and she clutched onto him, pressing their heads together. There was a series of digital beeps then a soft,
“Uzi…?”
“I’m here. I’m right here you incredibly selfless jerk.”
Out of the corner of her vision she saw N try to lift a hand toward her but it immediately fell back down,
“What…” he murmured, questioning in his tone.
Cyn scuttled up to his chest,
“Concerned expression. You should stay still, N. You lost a lot of oil.”
N’s display optics hollow and embolden,
“C-Cyn?”
“It’s ok, N.” Uzi soothes, “That’s the real Cyn. The one from the manor. Not the monster.”
N’s hand shakes as he reaches towards her,
“Yo-you’re really my little sister? You’re here?”
Cyn pushes her head into his hand, allowing it to rest there. She turned a grief and love-filled gaze to him,
“Mixed emotions. Regret, grief, relief, love. It is me, big brother. I am so-“
Before she can finish her sentence N’s hand drops behind her and scoops her up towards his face. He tucks her against his neck, burrowing his face into her. N doesn’t say anything more but Uzi can tell from the way he trembles that he’s crying. She wraps the siblings in her arms and nuzzles her face into N’s frazzled hair. The three of them stay like that for a long time. Taking comfort in each other as their tense bodies finally relax. Eventually N’s hand went limp and slid off Cyn’s head. The little Heart startled, which caused Uzi to do the same.
“N? Big brother…?”
Fear slammed Uzi’s core into her throat as she peered down at his visor. Immediately the fear drained away as she noticed the familiar sight: Sleep Mode Active. In small lettering underneath the standard message was: Status: Fatigued. Uzi breathed out softly, one hand coming up to gently comb through the tangles of N’s hair.
“It’s ok, Cyn. He’s just exhausted.”
Cyn curled closer against his neck, if that was possible,
“Worried expression.” was all she said in response.
“I know.” Uzi murmured.
Uzi doesn’t know how N had gotten to them. For now they were stuck out here. But at least they were together and there was no danger to speak of in the small debris field they found themselves in. Best course of action in her mind was to wait for N to recover then ask him how he found them. Carefully she lowered them both to the ground, keeping his head pillowed against her shoulder. With one arm pinned under his shoulder; she moved the other one to wrap around his back. Cyn scuttled into the space between their chassis’s, snuggling against N. Uzi dropped a chaste kiss on the top of N’s head before slightly adjusting herself and nestling close.
“Don’t worry.” she whispered, as sleep crept up on her, “Everything will be ok.”