Chapter Text
"You want me to go to the Downstairs Answer Department?! But why??!"
Blu didn’t mean for his voice to sound so panicked, but it slipped out anyway. He stood in front of Hap’s desk, which looked like it had survived some kind of natural disaster. His boss was answering phone calls while typing on three computers at once, barely even looking at him.
Blu had already been down there once. Once was enough. It wasn't exactly hell, but it was pretty close. The whole place was set up in what looked like an abandoned basement. All dull colors, and this weird dead and cold atmosphere that sent shivers through your circuits.
Nobody talked to each other down there either. Everyone just kept their heads down with that whole "mind your own business" mentality. Blu valued quiet as much as the next guy, but even he had limits!
So hearing that Hap wanted to send him back down there AGAIN?! That had Blu ready to drop to his knees and straight-up beg.
Was this a demotion? Did he screw something up that might’ve pissed off Hap? What did he do to deserve such a cruel fate?!
He opened his mouth to ask exactly that, but Hap bulldozed right over him.
“Because you’re the only one who’s been down there and actually knows your way around!” Hap snapped, still juggling calls. He grabbed a ringing phone, shouted “CHERRIES!” into it, and slammed it down.
Blu blinked. That... didn't really answer his question. "But why me? I don't even work down there! Can't you get someone—"
"WHAT AM I, A COMPUTER?? I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING!!"
The entire room went silent.
Blu flinched like he’d been slapped. Over by the filing cabinets, Rose jumped and nearly dropped the huge stack of papers she was carrying.
For a moment, Blu just stood there, stunned and staring at Hap like a scolded kid.
Then Hap sagged, dragging a claw down his face. “Look,” he said calmly, rubbing his temples. “Riot asked for you, specifically. I don’t know why, nor do I care. Said one of her workers isn’t doing so great—Marvin? Marley?”
“Melvin?” Blu offered.
And just like that, the name did its quiet, uninvited work in the back of Blu's mind, picturing a face he hadn't been thinking about a moment ago and suddenly couldn't stop thinking about. A tired face and hollow eyes of a StoryBot who was constantly running on fumes, yet still manages to stay optimistic. It never made sense to Blu why Melvin acts the way he does… always working with twenty cups of coffee and zero sleep. Well, maybe not zero… more like five minutes if he was being generous. Blu had even built him a gadget once. It wasn’t anything special, just a small doohickey that would keep him from completely burning himself out.
Still... He was in Hap’s office. And being called to Hap’s office never meant anything pleasant. It was either you were in serious trouble or about to be handed an assignment no one else wanted. So what exactly had Melvin gotten himself into that made it Blu's problem?
“Perfect. You know his name,” Hap rolled his eyes. “Another reason you’re the lucky pick. Now SCRAM! I’ve got bigger worries to deal with than some random employee having a bad day!”
Before Blu could argue—or beg—Hap was already shouting across the room.
“PINKY! GET PHILBERT OUTTA HERE!!”
"Aye-aye, captain!" Rose saluted way too enthusiastically. What followed was the sound of an entire armload of supplies hitting the floor at once, papers catching air and drifting in every direction along with books and staplers.
Hap groaned and covered his face.
Blu did the same, though for entirely different reasons. Of all the bots who could have been within shouting range today, it had to be Rose. He was already moving before she even reached him, rolling toward the transport system at a pace that he hoped communicated "leave me alone" clearly enough. It didn't. Rose was either completely oblivious to it or simply didn't care. Honestly, with her, it was hard to tell which was worse. Either way, she fell into step beside him like a pesky mosquito that had decided he was its favorite person in the building.
"Helloooo, Blu~!" she chirped, skipping beside him with infuriating ease. "Going back downstairs? Is it really that fun down there? Did ya make any friends? Miss anyone there??”
"No, it's not fun. No, I didn't miss anyone or make any friends. I'm just assisting Melvin with whatever issue he has." Blu kept his voice flat, speed-rolling toward the transport system.
"Ooohhh, and who's this Melvin~?" She drew the name out in that singsong way she always did when she was being nosy. She matched his speed without even trying. "He sounds interesting."
"He's just an employee who works downstairs. Nothing special."
"And that's it?" Her eyes sparkled curiously. "He's 'just an employee’ to you?"
"That's the definition of what I just said, yes." Blu's claw flew across the keypad, punching in the coordinates with a little more force than necessary. "Is there an actual reason you're following me? I don't need an escort, and I definitely don't need an interrogation."
Rose was quiet for a moment. Which was unusual enough that Blu almost looked at her.
"Just following Hap's orders." Rose sounded calmer now, almost understanding. "And I thought you might want some company? You seem pretty upset about going back there. Did something happen last time?"
Blu hesitated but remained a little suspicious. He knew better than to take Rose anywhere. The last thing he needed was her brand of "help", making whatever situation was waiting for him ten times worse.
"It's not exactly the funnest place in the world," he said finally, with a short exhale that wasn't quite a sigh. "I'll be gone for an hour or two. Don't worry about it."
Or longer, depending on whatever mess Melvin had gotten himself into...
"Well.. alrighty then." Rose stepped aside as the transport tube whooshed into position. "Have fun! And don't worry—your lab is safe with me!"
Blu's head snapped around. He shot her with the most threatening glare he could manage. Well—as threatening as a scientist with round goofy glasses can be. "Don’t you DARE go anywhere NEAR my lab!”
"Tehe—no promises~!" Rose gave a bright and mischievous laugh as she reached for the button.
"Wait—!"
Too late.
She pressed the button before he could protest, and the tube immediately suctioned him up like a vacuum. Somewhere far behind him, he could still hear Rose's delighted cackling echoing through the pipes.
This was going to be a loooong day…
[Next stop: Downstairs Answer Department]
WHAAM!
The tube spat Blu out like a piece of unwanted gum. He hit the floor face-first with a loud smack.
“Urghh…” Blu groaned, cheek pressed to the cold metal ground. His glasses sat crooked on his face. “Just my luck…”
He stayed there for a second before pushing himself up with a grunt. You’d think he’d learn to brace himself by now. Guess his brain preferred remembering equations over basic survival.
The Downstairs Answer Department was still the same gray nightmare. Rows of cubicles stretched out in every direction, packed with tired-looking StoryBots glued to their screens. The lights buzzed overhead, way too bright and somehow still miserable.
Blu hated it here...
And yet his thoughts drifted back to Melvin before he could stop them.
Melvin was basically his opposite in every way—stupidly cheerful, practically glowing with optimism, way too trusting for his own good, and apparently physically incapable of having a bad day. It was irritating. And somehow, it was weirdly comforting. Like things weren’t completely falling apart with him around.
Blu shook his head hard, trying to clear his thoughts. Focus. Fix whatever mess Melvin got himself into, then get out. That's the plan.
Piece of cake.
...Yeah, he didn't believe that either.
Blu wandered through the maze of cubicles, squinting at desk after identical desk. Who designed this place? Every corner looked exactly the same. Gray walls, gray desks, gray floors, gray EVERYTHING! It was honestly impressive how someone managed to make a workspace look this aggressively boring.
No matter. He wasn't here to judge the depressing scenery. He had one objective, and that was finding Melvin.
But where could he be? Blu had already wandered past what felt like a hundred identical desks, and nothing stood out. No signs, no nameplates, no helpful indicators of any kind. Just row after row of working bots who refused to acknowledge his existence.
He paused at an intersection of hallways, glancing left, then right. Both directions looked identical.
Blu sighed, dragging a claw down his face. Guess he had no choice but to actually be social and ask around where Melvin was.
Judging by the atmosphere down here, he had a sickening feeling that the bots here weren't going to be particularly cooperative. Yet Blu didn't have a choice.
He steeled himself and rolled toward the nearest desk. A purple StoryBot was hunched over their keyboard, typing furiously as if their life depended on it.
Blu cleared his throat as he rolled up beside them. "Excuse me, do you know where I can find—"
"Busy." The bot didn't even glance up.
Blu blinked. "I just need to know where—"
"Busy."
"It'll only take a second—"
"Did I stutter?!" The bot's voice came out sharp and annoyed, finally glancing at Blu with the most irritated glare he'd seen all day.
"Right... sorry to bother you," Blu muttered under his breath, already rolling away.
He tried again with a yellow bot a few desks over, who was just... staring blankly at their monitor. Not typing, not scrolling, not even blinking, just staring as if they were hoping the work would finish itself.
"Hey, sorry to bother you," Blu said carefully, trying to sound as non-threatening as possible. "I'm looking for Melvin."
"...Who?" the bot said slowly, as if still trying to process what Blu had asked.
"Melvin. He works here? Orange bot, round glasses, big coffee drinker, looks like he hasn't slept since the dawn of time?!"
The bot scratched his head thoughtfully, opened his mouth like he was about to give an actual answer, then closed it again. He shrugged.
"So... you don't know him?"
"Know who?"
"Melvin!"
"Never heard of him."
Then, without another word, he went right back to staring at the screen as if Blu had never even been there.
Blu felt his eye twitch. Was everyone down here programmed to be useless?!
He rolled over to a green bot who was furiously sorting through a massive pile of files that looked ready to topple over at any second. "Excuse me, do you—"
"Nope."
"...You didn't even know what I was about to ask."
"Don't need to. Answer's still nope." The bot didn't even bother looking up, just kept sorting with mechanical efficiency.
"I'm just asking if you know where—"
"Nope. Nada. No. Try someone else." The green bot waved a dismissive claw in Blu's general direction.
Blu gritted his teeth and moved on to a fourth bot, a short orange one this time, who was typing away so furiously it was a wonder their keyboard hadn't burst into flames.
"Hi, I'm looking for—"
“Oh, for crying out loud, what now?!” the worker snapped, not even looking up or pausing his aggressive typing. “I’m drowning in THREE overdue deadlines here! So make like a bee and BUZZ OFF!!”
Blu just stood there for a solid five seconds, claws clenched into fists at his sides. Deep breaths. Don't snap. Don't make a scene... You're a professional. Professionals don't yell at miserable, unhelpful bots… even if they deserve it.
For an entire hour now, Blu had been rolling from desk to desk, asking any available bot if they'd seen Melvin. Some had zero clue who he was talking about. Others stared at him like he'd just brought up an imaginary friend.
Blu found it unbelievable that no one knew who Melvin was. Either he'd gone crazy, and there really was no Melvin, or Melvin had found a different job and didn't work here anymore. Which Blu honestly hoped was the case, because this place looked depressing as hell. No offense to Riot and the other workers who actually love working here...
He was about two seconds away from just shouting Melvin's name at the top of his lungs and dealing with the consequences when a sudden voice spoke up behind him.
"You lookin' for Melvin?"
Blu spun around and found himself staring up at a tall red StoryBot wearing gray headphones, casually leaning against the water cooler with a paper cup in his claw.
The bot looked completely relaxed; not stressed, not miserable, not like every other cranky worker down here who'd clearly missed their morning coffee. Just... oddly chill.
"Uhh, yeah, actually." Blu straightened his glasses to appear somewhat professional. "You know where his desk is?"
"Oh, for sure. Everyone knows Melvin's desk." The red bot took a slow sip from his cup, looking way too amused. "It's the disaster zone just a few feet from here. Just follow the trail."
Blu raised an eyebrow. "Trail?"
"You'll know it when you see it. Trust me." He then jerked his claw toward the far end of the room. "Past the filing cabinets, left at the printer that's been broken for… I dunno, a few years? Then boom—desk looks like a tornado hit it."
Blu hesitated. Something wasn’t adding up. "Hold on—if everyone knows Melvin's desk, why does nobody seem to know who he is? I've been asking around for about an hour, and all I got were weird looks. Please tell me Melvin is real and I’m not going crazy…”
The bot let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "Ohh, he's real alright. And the workers here do know who he is. They just don't care."
"...Huh?" Blu blinked, confused.
The bot gestured vaguely at the rows of silent, hunched-over workers. "Down here, bots like to keep to themselves. Melvin's the exception. Dude's always trying to help everyone, zipping around, always finding something to do. But most folks? They don't even look up from their screens long enough to learn names. Let alone remember 'em, besides the big boss."
Blu frowned. He kind of acted like that… someone who preferred keeping to himself and not getting involved in other bots’ problems. But even he took the time to remember names, even of those he considered to be a pain sometimes. Like Rose, for example.
"That's... kind of depressing," Blu muttered, not sure how he felt about this.
"Welcome to the Downstairs Answer Department." The bot raised his cup in a mock toast. "Where communication goes to die, ironically enough."
Blu stared at him for a moment, trying to process his words. "So... Melvin's been working down here his entire life, and nobody bothered to actually know him?"
"Pretty much." He shrugged like it was just a fact of life. "He's been here longer than most, actually. Always at his desk, always answering calls, always waaaay too cheerful for this dump... Bots notice the chaos around him more than they notice him… if that makes sense."
It did. Unfortunately.
It made a lot more sense why Melvin seemed so exhausted. The guy was drowning down here, surrounded by those who couldn't care less what happened to him.
Did Melvin have any friends down here? Bots who were actually around to help him? Who knew he existed?
Before Blu could sink too far into that thought, the bot gave him a playful slap on the shoulder as if to lighten up the mood a little.
“The name’s Chatter. Ironic in a soul-suckin' place like this, I know. But hey, someone's gotta have a sense of humor around here." He shrugged and took another sip of his water. "Anywho, nice chattin' with ya, Blu."
Blu stiffened. "...How did you know my name?" he asked cautiously, momentarily forgetting all about the depressing reality Chatter had just described about downstairs.
I mean, "Blu" wasn't even his given name, just some silly nickname certain bots liked to call him. He was pretty sure only Melvin and Rose actually used it and knew about it.
"Oh, Melvin talks about you a looooot." Chatter grinned. "Like, ‘won’t-shut-up-about-you’ a lot. Got a feelin’ you two might be besties or somethin'."
Blu felt his face heat up a little. Why am I blushing? It didn't mean anything! Knowing Melvin, he'd happily yap for three hours straight about literally anyone he considered a friend! Blu wasn't anything special.
...Right?
Blu shook his head hard, trying to clear his thoughts before they went anywhere weird. "Well… thanks again, Chatter." He dipped his head and quickly started rolling past, wanting to end this conversation before it got any more awkward.
"Anytime, man. And try not to trip on your way—"
CRAASH!
"—there..."
Blu groaned from somewhere on the floor, brushing off his lab coat as he rose. "Why are there coffee cups everywhere? Have these bots ever heard of a trashcan?!”
"Heh, that's Melvin for ya." Chatter laughed with a slow shake of his head, looking completely unsurprised. "Janitor gets pissed every time tryna clean up after him." He tossed his own paper cup in the trash bin with perfect aim. "Good luck, man. You're gonna need it."
Blu just groaned. But before he could roll ahead, Chatter called out after him.
"And hey—when you find him, tell Melvin I said ‘hey’. Kid could probably use it."
Blu's annoyed look softened a little at that. It was kind of relieving to see that at least someone down here saw Melvin as an actual person and not just some workaholic ghost haunting a desk.
"I will. Thanks again," Blu said, giving him a quick nod before finally heading toward the back.