Chapter Text
Subspace awoke to the sound of Gamma's internal alarm system blaring directly beside his head.
His first instinct was to throw something at it.
His second was remembering that Gamma was worth more than most people's homes.
With a groan, he cracked open his good eye and was immediately greeted by the sight of Gamma's faceplate staring down at him. His tail curled, annoyed.
"Good Morning, Dr. Subspace."
The robot chirped.
"You Have Been Unconscious For Ten Hours, Twelve Minutes, And Thirty-Three Seconds. This Falls Within Healthy Sleeping Parameters."
"Wonderful. Shut up."
Gamma's optics dimmed slightly, almost rolling their eyes if they could. Just as Subspace was about to drift back to sleep on the low-grade couch mattress he had slept on, a very loud knock sounded from the cheap apartment door. Subspace froze and groaned, the door opening before he could react. Who so rudely entered his 'home' without permission?
His parole officer. . .
"Subspace."
Subspace groaned in his bed, not even looking at the officer.
"What do you want?"
"Checking if you're alive."
"Well, I am now. Go away."
He waved the officer off with his good hand, but he knew he couldn't actually make them leave. He listened to them look around the cheap two-roomed apartment. He hated how they just came in here with little warning, if any at all. Subspace thought about how he even got into this situation.
The downfall of KORBLOX had been months ago, and somehow this was worse than prison. At least prison bars were honest about being prison bars. Parole came with smiling government workers and mandatory check-ins and paperwork and constant reminders that somebody was always watching and this damn ankle monitor, and Subspace wants to vomit.
He heard a half-assed goodbye after they deemed the apartment free of any suspicious behaviour as they left, closing and locking the door behind them.
Subspace waited another minute before finally dragging himself out of bed. The Rot pulsed beneath his skin as he moved, dark veins crawling from his ruined left eye and down his arm. A familiar ache followed every motion. It wasn't unbearable anymore, just irritating, like most things in his life.
He shuffled into the kitchen while Gamma followed behind him.
"You have consumed insufficient nutrients over the last twenty-four hours."
"I am aware."
"You require groceries."
"I am aware."
"You should leave the apartment."
"I am aware."
Gamma paused.
"Then why are we arguing?"
Subspace glared, and the robot wisely stopped talking.
Truthfully, he didn't want to leave. Leaving meant people. People meant questions, stares, whispers. Ever since the trial and KORBLOX's dismantlement, everyone seemed to know exactly who he was. Unfortunately, staying inside every day would raise questions too, and Subspace had plans. Big plans. Plans that required everyone believing he was a harmless ex-scientist quietly adjusting to civilian life.
So groceries it was.
An hour later, Subspace sat comfortably within Gamma's armored chassis as the machine carried him through town. The suit was large enough to protect him from both unwanted attention and unnecessary physical exertion. Most people assumed Gamma was some kind of security mech.
Subspace preferred it that way.
The grocery trip itself went smoothly, just grabbing the essentials, until he reached the checkout line.
"WOAH."
Subspace immediately regretted turning around.
An inphernalim, dressed in an outfit fit for someone about to spare in an old war, stood behind him. They had a pair of small inferior wings flaring out, staring at Gamma with the excitement usually reserved for small children and fireworks.
"What are you!? Hold on- are you a person?"
Subspace turned back around, hoping this red inphernal wasn't talking to him. Maybe if he stayed quiet they'd think he was a regular biograft. Turns out, that didn't happen
"Did you build it?"
Just great. At least they didn't seem to recognize him.
"No."
A pause.
". . . Really?"
"Yes."
"Who did?"
"I did."
The swordbearer blinked, confused at the verbal puzzle Subspace just laid out.
"Oh!- uh, oh! That's so cool."
The conversation should have ended there, but it didn't.
"What can it do?"
"Many things."
"Like what?"
"Things."
"Can it fly?"
"No."
"Can it shoot lasers?"
"No."
"Can it-"
"No."
The swordbearer laughed. Most people would've gotten the hint by now, but this one apparently lacked survival instincts. Soon the line moved forward, but the avain inphernal moved with it.
"I'm Sword, by the way."
Subspace didn't respond.
"What's your name?"
Silence.
"You don't gotta tell me."
Good.
"I just figured I'd ask. . ."
Subspace briefly considered abandoning his groceries. Unfortunately, he needed them. By the time he reached the register, Sword had somehow managed to discuss mech designs, local restaurants, weather patterns, two different birds he'd seen this week, and a story involving a shopping cart.
Subspace had contributed a total of ten words. Unfortunately, Sword seemed perfectly content with that arrangement. As the cashier scanned the final item, Sword suddenly fumbled around in one of his pockets.
"Oh! Before I forget."
He pulled out a scrap of paper and scribbled something down. Subspace watched with suspicion as Sword held it out.
"My number!"
This genuinely made Subspace question if the global IQ level of the inpherno had gone down.
"What?-"
"My number!-"
"I heard you the first time!"
Sword grinned.
"You seem like you could use a friend."
Subspace stared at him as he continued smiling. The fool was completely serious. . . After several painfully long seconds, Subspace took the paper, mostly because refusing it would somehow create a longer conversation.
"Cool! See you around!"
Then he left. Just like that! Subspace stood there, stunned, before remembering he had to get home as he moved out of the lie and out of the store.
"That Interaction Was Unusual."
Gamma observed.
"Correct."
"He Appeared Friendly."
"He appeared annoying."
Gamma paused.
"Those Are Not Mutually Exclusive."
Subspace hated when the robot was right. The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. Groceries were unpacked, and medical treatments were administered. Reports were reviewed. Eventually, he changed into sleepwear and collapsed into the sad excuse of a bed he slept in. Gamma powered down into standby mode nearby.
For a brief moment, Subspace's gaze drifted toward the crumpled piece of paper sitting on his nightstand. Then he looked away.
Some random inphernal had given him a phone number.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
By morning, he had nearly forgotten the interaction entirely.
Oh, Subspace. You're in for a ride.