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Sebastian didn’t have a good sense of time underwater.
He didn’t need to know anyways. He had long since given up on rest. Every minute spent napping was a minute of being vulnerable. He couldn’t afford to give Urbanshade any openings.
P.AI.nter had questioned him before. The robot was worried about him. It made Sebastian feel guilty, but he still refused to rest. He wouldn’t rest until he and p.AI.nter were home free. Then, he could finally sleep.
There hadn’t been any expendables for a couple of hours. Sebastian was beginning to grow bored. He heard the radio crackle to life, immediately gaining his attention. He would drop everything the second he heard that radio. Next to his escape plans, p.AI.nter was his top priority.
“Sebastian?” The a.i spoke.
“Yes?” He responded.
“I—“ p.AI.nter hesitated. There were a few seconds of silence. Sebastian simply waited for him to finish. Eventually, he continued. “I wanted to ask you something. A- a request of sorts.”
That piqued Sebastian’s interest. He was always the one asking for requests. It was rare that p.AI.nter would ever ask for something. However, that made Sebastian all the more determined to fulfill whatever request p.AI.nter had. “Oh?” He spoke curiously. “And what would that be?”
“Can- Can you come visit me?”
Sebastian tensed, his fins drooping. He never got to visit p.AI.nter often. Every second spent without the scrambler activated was a huge risk. However, he could tell that this time was different. P.AI.nter wasn’t asking out of simple loneliness. There was vulnerability in his voice. This was something deeper than simply wanting to see him.
“Is there a particular reason?” He questioned quietly. It wasn’t a downright no. He really didn’t want to turn off the scrambler, but he was willing to if p.AI.nter needed him to do so. P.AI.nter took a while to respond. If it weren’t for the bright blue light on the radio, he might’ve thought that the a.i had left. Then, his voice came back.
“I can’t sleep.” P.AI.nter said. Sebastian paused. Can’t sleep? That wasn’t what he expected. Before he could answer, p.AI.nter continued. “What I mean is- I don’t feel…safe enough to sleep. I-I know that there aren’t any employees here anymore but- I just…”
Sebastian’s expression softened with pity. He could understand what p.AI.nter was talking about. Sleeping left Sebastian vulnerable to harm, but he never considered the fact that the same went for p.AI.nter. Unlike himself, p.AI.nter really had no means of self defense except for the few system tools he had at his disposal. Even then, those weren’t very efficient once somebody got into his room.
Sebastian interrupted p.AI.nter’s ramblings with a calm, soothing tone. “Hang in there kid. I’ll be there soon.” He turned off the radio with a click. He glanced at the scrambler nervously. He knew that he’d be taking a risk. However, this was a sacrifice he was willing to make. If p.AI.nter didn’t feel safe, then it was Sebastian’s job to quell those fears.
He turned off the scrambler, and left the shop space.
The hadal blacksite was near expanseless. It was filled with twists, turns, rooms you didn’t even know existed, and the layout almost felt like it changed every time he explored. However, he knew the path to the heavy containment well by this point.
It was eerily quiet. It made his skin crawl. All he could hear was the occasional sound of something scurrying in the water and the creaks and groans in the walls. It was a lot more difficult for someone of his size to traverse stealthfully. He just hoped there were no expendables coming through. He had his shotgun with him, just in case.
He approached the familiar doors of heavy containment. He slid the key card through it and listened as the doors creaked, opening with a bit of effort. For having such a high budget, Urbanshade’s technology sure was janky.
He slithered through the heavy containment. He had never visited p.AI.nter that often. It made him feel a pang of guilt. He was cautious with opening heavy containment rooms. He didn’t want to stay out longer than needed.
Finally, he found the familiar containment room. He opened the door and ducked underneath it, entering the room. His sheer size made it difficult, but he managed. He saw p.AI.nter, sitting there in that tiny, suffocating room. He unlocked the door with the keycard so conveniently left nearby and peered his head in.
“Hey kiddo.” He kept his voice soft and non-threatening. It was the same tone he used to use when he was with his brother. He watched as p.AI.nter’s scribbled expression brightened up upon seeing him. He tried to walk over, only to be pulled back by the wires attaching him to the table. Sebastian chuckled, walking over and helping to detach every last wire. He scooped p.AI.nter up under his arms like one would a cat. He exited through the door and into the larger part of the room.
He placed the sentient a.i down on the floor. He was careful of course. This body of his was made of scrap metal and spare parts. It was pretty poor, but it worked. He curled his tail around p.AI.nter, allowing him to lie down on it. “I didn’t know sleep mode was hard for you.” He spoke quietly. P.AI.nter’s smile faded a bit. He sighed quietly, fidgeting with a few loose wires on his arms.
“It’s just- before the breach, I think Ubanshade would mess with my inner workings while I was sleeping.” P.AI.nter admitted, twirling a wire between his fingers. Sebastian froze. Knowing Urbandshade, it shouldn’t have been shocking, but it still made him seethe.
“Really now? And what makes you think that?” He questioned with barely contained frustration. He placed his third arm on top of p.AI.nter, gently stroking the top of his monitor as though he were a child in need of comfort. In Sebastian’s eyes, he was just that.
“Well, I’d enter sleep mode whenever I could feel myself overheating. But- every time I woke up, it would feel like something…changed within me. I always felt different, and I couldn’t understand why. Sometimes I’d wake up and see tools beside me. I just sort of- put the pieces together. I uh…I don’t think I’ve really entered sleep mode since.” The a.i explained, hugging himself. He leaned back so his head was resting on Sebastian’s tail. He sounded vulnerable, even distressed. Just the memories were painful for the poor thing.
Every day, Sebastian found his hatred for Urbanshade growing like a wildfire.
He barely managed to hold back his frustration and anger. He didn’t want p.AI.nter to think he was mad at him, after all. Instead, he lied down on the floor and pulled p.AI.nter closer to him. “I’m- I’m sorry, kid.” He spoke quietly. “That sounds violating. You didn’t deserve to have that done to you.” He barely kept the growl in his throat inaudible. He placed his head on top of p.AI.nter’s monitor. He took a deep breath. “I won’t let anyone hurt you while you rest. I promise.”
P.AI.nter smiled, although he looked almost nervous. He hugged one of Sebastian’s free arms. “Yeah…I know. That’s why I wanted you here. I just- I feel safer when you’re here with me, you know?” Sebastian felt his heart melt. He nodded, caressing the side of p.AI.nter’s head. He soothed over the cracks in the glossy white casing.
It was clear he needed another push to actually enter sleep mode. Sebastian pondered quietly how he could help. He thought of his little brother, who would often wake up from nightmares and cry late into the night. He used to sing him to sleep. He would hum quietly into the night, and watch as his little brother was soothed.
“Hey, kid? Remember when you asked if I could play music for you?”
P.AI.nter seemed confused, and even a bit curious. He looked up to try and read Sebastian’s expression. “Yes? Why?”
“How about I show you some right now?” He questioned, stroking the side of p.AI.nter’s monitor as he kept the machine under his chin. “It might soothe your nerves a little bit.”
P.AI.nter seemed surprised, and even a bit excited. “R-Really? You’d do that? Okay!!”
Sebastian chuckled quietly. P.AI.nter really did remind him of his brother. It only made the pain of knowing what Urbanshade did to him so much worse. He cleared his throat. He hadn’t done this in a while. He wasn’t sure if his voice was even soothing anymore. However, it was worth a shot.
He began to hum quietly.
It was an old song. He heard it for the first time when he was a tiny baby, being held in his mother’s arms. He continued to hear it from then on out. His mother would hum it in passing, the radio always seemed to play it once every 30 minutes, he’d catch himself humming it every now and then.
His voice was scratchier than it once was, but p.AI.nter didn’t say anything. Sebastian curled his tail around the computer to help support him. P.AI.nter’s legs and head were propped up comfortably. Sebastian placed his head on the cold floor. He would sacrifice his own comfort for p.AI.nter’s any day. Sebastian closed his eyes slowly as he continued his tune. The empty room was filled with his soothing humming. He couldn’t see p.AI.nter’s expression, but he could envision the look of awe that he always seemed to get when discovering something new.
Humming while holding p.AI.nter like this brought him back. He remembered how things were like before Urbanshade. It made him feel bittersweet. He despised Urbanshade for what they had done to him, but without them, he would have never met p.AI.nter. If it weren’t for him, p.AI.nter would probably still be forced to mine crypto and never be allowed to draw again.
Sebastian opened one of his eyes and noticed that p.AI.nter’s screen had dimmed. His hands loosened their grip on Sebastian. He was entering sleep mode now. Sebastian didn’t stop humming though. He continued to hum that simple tune in the cold, dark room. He held p.AI.nter close to his body with a gentleness he had almost thought he lost.
He missed his family. He missed the outside world. He missed the surface. But he couldn’t lose hope. He would- no. They would make it out one day. Both him and p.AI.nter. They would make it to the surface. Even if his own family didn’t recognize him, he would have p.AI.nter as family.
He watched the blank screen of p.AI.nter’s monitor. He could see the faint scratches on the screen. He could see the way the plastic was warped and discolored from overheating. It only fueled his anger. To think that Urbanshade almost drove p.AI.nter to destroy his own systems just to escape…it made him feel sick.
He vowed he’d never let him feel like that ever again.
He shut his eyes as he relaxed.He exhaled quietly. He could feel his limbs threatening to go slack. It was a bad idea to sleep now. He didn’t have the scrambler. It was risky. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave p.AI.nter alone. It would leave the a.i vulnerable. Not to mention, envisioning p.AI.nter’s face when he woke up and realized Sebastian left sent a pang of guilt through him.
Perhaps, just a few hours couldn’t hurt…
His thoughts slowly melted away, as did his stress. His body began to relax. His humming ceased. He began to slowly drift off. He and p.AI.nter needed this, he told himself. This was just so they could perform their best. He slowly encaptured p.AI.nter’s smaller hand in his, gently rubbing his thumb over the deformed metal. The action provided some sense of comfort. This was just a smaller part of the plan.
With that thought in mind, Sebastian finally let go of his consciousness and slipped into a blissful state of sleep.