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Something was different when Captain J reactivated them after the fight with Bunk Bed Junction.
But Rin couldn’t put his finger on what.
Even with Captain J declaring a pause on touring, their routine seemed the same as before.
Working with the Captain on new songs, dance practice, planning and doing meet & greet events for the fans. Nothing changed there.
The factory had been destroyed during the fight so Captain J had to fix him and the rest of the band on his own. Maybe that had something to do with it?
Rin couldn’t help but think of that moment when the explosion had exposed their exoskeletons.
Sure the self-destruction from the fan’s reaction was unpleasant but honestly, Rin felt more guilty for frightening them…
Wait…
He felt guilty.
He felt guilty.
He FELT guilty.
HE FELT…
And all of a sudden, everything simultaneously made sense and just further confused the android.
Were the others like this too? Were they feeling things!? Rin was scared to ask…
SCARED!
HE WAS SCARED!
What do humans do when they're scared? Oh right: scream.
He wasn’t sure just how loud or long his screaming was but almost immediately, Rin heard the door nearby slam open, revealing Captain J at the ready for whatever crisis that had risen.
“SOLDIER! STATUS REPORT!”
Now a new feeling came over Rin. One that kept him from telling the truth to the Captain.
It was kind of like being scared but more personal if that made any sense?
Whatever it was called, it just made him hesitate. How was he supposed to explain to Captain J that that scream wasn’t from an emergency but some kind of existential crisis?
“Rin? Status. Report!”
“S-sir! I- there… is… no emergency.”
Rin’s sure if the captain had eyes, he’d be glaring daggers at him.
“One doesn’t let out a scream like that for “no emergency,” soldier.”
Now Rin was feeling worse which just added to his current panicked emotional state which made him feel worse which added to his current panicked emotional state which made him-
“ATTEN-SHUN!”
The Captain’s order thankfully seemed to break Rin out of the loop he was falling into and saluted.
“...Alright. Start from the top.”
“...You see, Sir… I-I was recalling the battle with Bunkbed Junction and the moment they destroyed the factory. Well… I was more recalling what happened in the aftermath, when the explosion took off our face plating and the fans’ reaction to our appearance.”
Captain J nodded, “Yes that was unfortunate. Though thankfully the damage in 1010’s image and popularity has not seemed too drastic.”
“It’s not so much the publicity damage as more…”
H-here it goes.
“I… felt bad for scaring everyone.”
There was a pause and if the Captain’s posture was any indication, he immediately recognized the key word in that sentence.
“You… “felt?””
Rin nodded.
“I knew something was different but I only realized it when I thought of that moment. And from there, I panicked, sir.”
Again even without eyes, Rin could feel the Captain staring at him and he could feel his earlier guilt overwhelm him.
What he didn’t expect however was Captain J approaching him and placing a hand on his shoulder.
“How long was “something different?””
“Ever since you reactivated us, Sir.”
“And the others?”
“I do not know.”
Captain J then looked contemplative, mumbling something to himself that Rin could catch only so much of.
“This is… hm… not something I was prepared for… suppose it was always a possibility…”
“Sir?”
“Rin, go to the studio, I will order the others to join you and we will all discuss our strategy from here.”
Rin saluted, “Sir! Yes sir!”
The five members of 1010 gathered in the Barraca Mansion studio as they were instructed.
Once Neon J entered the room, each one of them gave a proper salute as they always did.
Looking over them, he could tell that Rin was trying his hardest not to act suspicious or nervous. Likely to avoid the others from reacting and then proceeding to panic over their realized self-awareness like he did.
He needed to get straight to the point now.
“Troops. At ease.”
Now comes the difficult part.
How the hell was one supposed to explain emotions to someone who probably doesn’t even know they’re developing sentience in the first place?
Perhaps Rin’s initial phrasing was as good a start as any.
“Men… have any of you experienced… anything… different since your reactivation?”
There was definitely a reaction from his troops, subtle as it may be. Thankfully before Neon J could further guide the conversation, Haym spoke up.
“Permission to speak, Sir?”
“Permission granted.”
“Sir! There have been moments where I seemed to be under the effects of a glitch. Except no harm came to me and whatever effects this glitch had quickly vanished.”
Neon J then looked to the rest of the band.
“I see, has anyone else experienced what Haym is describing?”
Eloni was the first to speak up, “Y-yeah that’s been happening to me too! Uh… Sir!”
Purl-Hew was the next to confirm with a wordless nod and while Zimelu appeared hesitant at first, (perhaps elements from their old pre-programmed personalities were influencing their new developing ones) he did confirm that he was experiencing this “glitch” as well.
Zimelu then looked over to Rin, noticing his silence.
“What about you, Leader?”
“Rin was the first one to bring this to my attention… men, this is more complicated than a mere “glitch.” I believe you all… are developing beyond your programmed limitations.”
All of them (Rin excluded) just stared at him. He was trying to avoid just throwing them into the deep end with this revelation. But he’d be the first to admit that he didn’t consider “intelligence” to be the highest priority for their different “roles” in the band and the “ideal boyfriends” image.
Hm… perhaps after all this, he should speak to Yinu’s mother and ask if his troops can join the girl in her tutoring lessons.
Neon J shook his head. He’ll get on that later, getting 1010 to understand their newly acquired sentience was a more pressing issue.
“It means you are all becoming more self-aware. You are becoming individuals rather than one group unit. You will be developing your own unique quirks, personalities, and opinions rather than what I have programmed for you. This also means experiencing proper emotions which is likely what this “glitch” you all are experiencing right now is.”
A tense silence hung over everyone and Neon J couldn’t help but worry. Had he given them too much information too soon? Were they all going to scream and panic like Rin did?
The tension finally broke with Purl-Hew looking at Rin.
“Was that you screaming earlier?”
Rin cringed as he nodded and explained what led to his epiphany.
Perl-hew brought his hand to his chin, “I’ll admit that there was… something during the first meet and greet after our reactivation. Seeing that the fans didn’t abandon us after… what they saw in the battle, it… made doing the event easier for me. I think the word is… relief?”
“YEAH! I felt that too! And when they cheered, I felt like I just finished a recharge session, ya know like I could do anything!” Haym excitedly recalled
A look then crossed his face that Neon J could only describe as “mischievous.”
“Oh! And what about when that fan gave Zimelu some fanart and his speech malfunctioned!? What do you think that was?”
“Hey! Forget about me, are we gonna ignore the fact that Rin screamed like a baby!?” Zimelu angrily shouted
“Unlike all of you, I actually recognized what was happening! Can you blame me!?” Rin said defensively
“Our brave leader, everyone.” Perl-Hew remarked, sarcastically
Neon J let out a simulated sigh as his men proceeded to bicker about their first emotional reactions.
So this is what being a parent actually feels like.
He knows that he should probably stop this argument. But this seemed more a silly squabble among siblings rather than anything to worry about. Perhaps he should just accept this as another step towards their developing awareness.
That and… something about the sight of a bunch of young soldiers riling each other up and laughing made him a bit… nostalgic.
However Neon J’s reminiscing was interrupted by someone tapping on his shoulder. He looked to his side to see Eloni, looking nervous and tapping the ends of his fingers together.
“Something you need, Soldier? I can understand that something like this would be overwhelming for all of you.”
“Well it’s just… I don’t know which emotion this is so I figured I’d ask… Sir? …What does it mean if a girl smiles at you and your circuits are suddenly going faster and your cooling malfunctions?”
Everyone in the room suddenly became silent, there was a beat… and the room became a cacophony of shouts and screaming that Neon J feared could be heard throughout Metro Division if not the entire city.
“OH MY GOD ELONI’S GOT A CRUSH!”
“DUDE!? WHEN!? WHERE!?”
“WHO!?”
“WAS IT A FAN OR…!?”
“GUYS! WHAT IF IT’S THE CHICK FROM-”
“ ATTEN-SHUN!”