Chapter Text
Victim has had an idea in their head for quite some time now. It's been interrupting their work day, forcing itself into their head as they attempt to sleep, invading their train of thought as they're presenting an invention or project, even entering their mind as they talk with their roommates. Clearly they couldn't ignore it anymore, unless they want to be kept up at night constantly.
This aforementioned idea is one that they're surprised no one has tested yet, how are they the first to ask it, let alone try out such an idea that came so naturally to them? Or has every attempt failed miserably? What if this comes crashing down and never works? What if it hurts them? What if, what if, but no what ifs can answer a question like the one they have, they need to stop cowering and figure it out.
If stickfigures are programs, can a robot be made with that same sort of coding and still act normal?
That idea spells disaster. Although, there's a small chance it won't if they play their cards right, and if they do it might go well! Great even! It would be a revolutionary discovery and experiment like no other! ... If all goes well and it doesn't try to kill them. And as long as no one finds out yet.
The reason why they're hiding this idea of theirs is rather odd, but surely it's reasonable enough. They just don't want anyone worrying, or not understanding, or trying to talk them out of it, or damaging it if they go through with the project, or... you get the idea. That being said, it's safe to say no one should know about this yet, at least not for awhile.
The only thing they need to do now to start it is... decide whether they should or not.
While the idea could be wonderful, they don't like hiding too many things from others. They're already hiding their past, they don't need to hide a whole possible person. It would also take away a lot of time from work and being around their friends, and that would be lonely and boring. On the other hand, it could be a huge achievement for them, and who's to say they can't handle their job, relationships, and projects?
Maybe they should sleep on it, they're still at work right now, after all. Nows no time to be spacing out, they have blueprints to finish and present.
~
The longer they reviewed the final draft for their latest weapon blueprint, the more the idea haunted them. What if they tried installing some sort of defenses on the robot if they made it? Would that help at all? Should it be able to help with making technology instead? Should it not be made with either of those skills to see what it chooses? Should it be made with both? So many possibilities, yet Victim is far too stubborn and indecisive to even pick if they should make the robot. No matter, the blueprint is done, they should present it and prefect it then go home for the day. Looking at the time, they had... only ten minutes until they needed to show the finished blueprint for final modifications.
"... It's been that long already-?!" They muttered to themself before beginning to panic. They've spent much longer than they should have on this! It was something so simple, too! How could they have gotten so lost in thought?! They're such an idiot! Quickly collecting their materials and dusting themself off, they walked down to the meeting room, trying to make it as unnoticeable as possible that they had only just now finished.
The walk is short, nothing noteworthy usually. They did see Worker wandering around, though. They always found it funny that the Gray stickfigure was simply named "Worker." How "creative" his Animator must be. Worker was an odd person. He always just did as told and was insanely loyal, didn't show too much emotion unless he was excited or annoyed or startled. Other than that he was calm and flat. What as he doing, anyway? Just wandering around?
"What exactly are you doing, may I ask?" Victim said to him, hoping to get his attention. Luckily, after a few seconds, he realized they were talking to him and looked over.
"Walking around. I finished building everything I was assigned and got bored and he meeting hasn't started yet and I wanted to walk around, so I did." Worker replied bluntly. He wasn't doing anything wrong exactly, not at all, it's just weird to see your coworker walking around aimlessly, though. Victim stated at him for a moment, contemplating how to respond. Should they leave them to it or walk with them to the meeting? Did he know what time it was?
"There's less than ten minutes until the meeting, Worker. How about we walk over together so we're both not late?"
"Really? Wow. You took awhile to finish. You usually get done at least thirty minutes beforehand, you took really long this time." ... How nice of him to point out. He doesn't look like he means any harm in what he said, so it probably wasn't supposed to be rude, right?
"... Yes, I'm aware. Let's go, shall we?" Victim began to walk and waved him over, to which Worker soon followed without complaint.
Upon entering the meeting room, nearly everyone was there already, even Agent who usually came in last. Mitsi immediately looked over as soon as they came in and breathed a sigh of relief, some of their coworkers looking at them as well soon after. Victim began to be embarrassed, looking at their shoes and putting a hand through their hair, while Worker showed no remorse at all, shrugging and apologizing without issue.
"You both had us so worried! We thought Victim fell asleep while working again and that you were still busy, Worker. Where have you two been?" Mitsi asked, concern clear in her voice. Everyone knew Victim's relationship with sleep, that doesn't make it anymore shameful to them, though. As for Worker, he always gets caught up in the work he doesn't finish. If it's not done, they don't get up from their desk until it is or they're forced to stop.
"I finished already so I walked around until Victim and got me. They just finished the blueprints and we're on their way here, sorry for delaying us both more. At least we're not late, we made it by a few minutes." Worker sat down after finishing his sentence, stretching his arms as well.
"Took a bit longer than usual? Was something about it not going well? You could have asked for help if you needed." Agent looked over at Victim, who was now at their spot at the table getting their materials out. Victim glanced back, trying to hide their nervousness. They didn't have any time at all to properly prepare what to say and were panicking by now. It was their fault for spacing out, though. Taking a breath, they responded soon after.
"No, it went well, my mind kept drifting elsewhere is all and I didn't have much time to think about how to word all of this, but it's fine." They cleared their throat, beginning to explain the device. "As we know, we are able to use the animation tools I had... kindly borrowed from my creator quite well. They all function as they should and have been essential in most projects here. However, since I wasn't able to take everything but remembered what I left and how it worked, I was able to come up with a blueprint and some basic scripts for a recreation of two more tools I had left behind, those being the lasso tool and the line tool." They pushed their blueprint and notes to the middle of the table to be observed as they continued on with their speech. "The lasso tool selects anything within a certain area, however I decided to give it the ability to be an actual lasso as well depending on what the user needs to do. Selecting, in case I haven't explained it before, is basically to grab a certain or multiple objects or even people, either to move them, inspect their files, things of that sort. The line tool isn't too much different from the tools you all have seen before, except I intended it to be used as a weapon. They will be housed in a toolbar, and if we're able to replicate more tools I didn't bring, we could even expand it." They all passed the papers around, each of them analyzing Victim's work and either writing down their questions and concerns on their own notebooks or keeping them in their heads. Once it reched the middle again, people slowly began to speak up.
"Impressive, I must say." Builder began. "For awhile we thought those other items were gonna stay ghost stories, it's great to see that you've begun trying to make them, although, my only concern is how you want to someone to use it. Is it gonna be a set of buttons or something else? I can't really tell what you're trying to do here with some of these scripts, how would you want to it to scroll through the two options unless you make it into a set of buttons?" Builder asked. Dark Green nodded as he spoke, mumbling something about the out of place idea. Victim replied bluntly.
"Oh, no, there's no buttons. It's connected to the user through a wristband, once they put it on it latches onto their code and adds itself as an extension, they can move and control it freely from there, that's how the lasso gets to have two uses. What did you think those extra notes were for?" They said it as if the idea wasn't unheard of. Victim was used to changing their own coding, duplicating themself, experimenting with how to hide their wings, trying to remove their many scars which worked for awhile but used too much energy, etcetera. They were familiar with the idea. Most people, however, were not, which was evident now as Victim looked over them all again after saying this to find that most of them were shocked and slightly horrified. "Is that not a common thing? Messing with your programming?"
"Wha- Boss, of course it isn't-! Most people don't have a death wish!" Dark Green exclaimed, surprised that they would even think about doing that. Isn't that dangerous?! What if you accidentally remove something important?! Besides, who treats playing around with your literal existence as something nornal?!
"While that was a bit harsh, she's partially correct. Not many people actively change their own coding, and it's a rather shocking and intimidating concept. Are you sure that it's safe, Vic?" Agent added calmly, trying to ease the situation while getting his own concerns across. He wanted to support Victim, but the idea was daunting. If they were going to make this, they needed to be sure it was safe to use.
"Of course it's safe, I use a similar process to hide my wings so I can move around these hallways and doorways easier, besides, I've done worse things to my coding and I was fine."
"Oh, Vic, you really shouldn't-! Nevermind, that's a conversation for later." Mitsi sighed. They've been working on Victim's self-preservation and worth over the years, and everyone thought they were starting to improve more than ever, but it seems some old habits are hard to break. As long as they know their limits they'll probably be fine experimenting with themself and their capabilities, right? "If you want to try doing this and you really think it's safe, we can attempt to make it. Although, if you're as familiar with the concept as you sound, I think it's best that you test it's safety once it's made." Mitsi spoke clearly and confidently despite her worries for Victim's complicated situation with their programming. She was always able to handle stressful things well, and white this wasn't exactly extremely stressful, it was concerning, and yet she responded with ease... or so it appeared. In truth, while she is openly very collected, she doesn't know how she feels about the fact that Victim is so reckless without realizing it, she can't tell if it worries her or if she shouldn't pay as much attention to it as she is. She'll talk to them about this when they get home, maybe that'll help.
Victim nodded at her words, it was a fair idea and they had no problem testing the invention. "Of course, I'd be happy to. Any other concerns?" They looked over the people in the meeting room, most of them weren't as startled as before, but they were still a little skeptical.
"The tools aren't lethal, are they? I know it's meant for defense, but it's definitely not good to make someone that could kill someone, that would really hurt the brand and we might get into controversy, rumors spread fast too and people might make up other outrageous things if we make something thay could be used as a murder weapon." Cerulean asked. The question was both expected yet baffling at the same time. Victim knew someone would say it eventually, though, it was an understandable reason for disquietude, considering that the lasso could lead to the possibility of choking someone or changing something extremely important within them, the line tool wasn't as much of a hazard in that regard.
"No, they aren't meant to be lethal. I plan to limit what exactly you can do to a selected object and to make the rope loosen enough for them to be unharmed if it detects that it's around someone's neck. Speaking of, I do hope it's not used to choke someone in the first place-" Victim's face and voice betrayed them, revealing their panic at the idea of the toolbar being used to hurt some so severely. Who on earth would do such a thing without reason? Most definitely not them, they never want to hurt anyone unless it's necessary, let alone kill them!
"I'm sure it won't be, Victim. I don't think anyone here wants to do that, nor would we be able to if it loosens itself. There's no need to worry about it if you have safety measures figured out already." Agent looked at Victim briefly, trying to calm them down. They always had social anxiety, and when something they were already having apprehensions about is brought up, it gets ten times worse. Agent himself used to be like that, scared to speak to crowds and unable to respond when something he didn't expect came up. It took him ages to grow out of it and to gain his own confidence and will to speak up for his beliefs, hopefully Victim can get better at it too.
For a few seconds, there was silence. No one knew whether Victim has more to say or if someone else had a question, and everyone collectively decided awkward silence was the way to go, apparently. That is until Worker spoke up out of nowhere.
"This seems like a fun project to take on, I'd be happy building the prototype. It looks incredibly challenging but that excites me. If everyone else is ok with this weapon being made I will gladly take on the process of building it. Likely with the help of others, but you get what I mean." Worker stated simply. Things were finally going well! Victim wanted to breathe a sigh of relief they never noticed they were holding back, but they realized they couldn't just yet, or until a majority agreed.
"I would like to see where this goes as well, I think we should approve it." Agent added, putting the notes back in the middle after Worker put the blueprint back.
"Fine with me, so long as it ends up being ok to use."
"It's worth a shot."
Mitsi picked up the blueprint one last time and looked over it. Her eyes scanned the page, checking every detail and possible overlooked hazard. Writing a few notes from what they discussed and what she found to be vulnerable in the design, she passed back to Victim with a smile. "Yet another idea of yours has been approved for prototyping. Meeting dismissed, thank you all for attending!" Builder stood up and nodded, holding the door for Dark Green before propping it open and leaving as well. Cerulean pushed in any chairs that were left out and cleaned up loose and unimportant papers that were left behind before leaving too, Worker following afterwards. Seeing that Victim was packing their things just fine, Agent began to help Mitsi gather her supplies as he spoke.
"You did well, Victim. Your blueprints and notes are getting better, same with your other skills. You've had a great last few product pitches recently." He smiled as he spoke, he was truly proud of Victim's improvement since they met. While all he mentioned was tasks that they improved at, he was also proud of their ability to think and pull themself together under pressure, but he didn't really know how to tell them that.
"And your communication and social skills have gotten much better than before! You've been doing great, don't try to force anything out of yourself, though." Agent sighed lightly, thank god she said it. Mitsi began to continue, a hint of worry creeping into her tone. "I do want to talk to you about some other things I've noticed when we get home, though. Is that ok?" Mitsi looked up at Victim who had stopped approaching now that she said this. She didn't want to worry them, that's the last thing she wants! But she wants to make sure the things they do to mess with their programming aren't harmful. Victim scratches their arm and nods.
"Of course, I don't see any issues in that."
"Good, I didn't wanna make you worried about it or anything. Come on, now, let's get back home!" Mitsi grabbed Victim's hand gently and waited for Agent has he closed the door behind them before the three started walking back to their house together. Victim and Mitsi have lived together since they arrived in their town, but Agent moved in awhile after being hired by them, since the three got close quite fast and because it was less of a commute to get the facility from there. Victim had also begun to greatly enjoy when they hugged them or held their hand. It's a new concept, it has been for years, but they really enjoy it now and have for the past few months. Agent didn't do physical touch much though, he was standing ever so slightly farther away from them right now, actually. Oh well, it must not be for everyone.
Entering their house, Agent closed the door behind them once again as Mitsi sat down with Victim, joining them awhile afterwards since he got distracted greeting Tumbleweed, their pet sheep.
Mitsi put her hand Over Victim's, looking at them with more worry than they expected. Have they done something wrong? They didnt mean to if they did. If they made a mistake they're sorry, they promise. Mitsi could see rhe panic rising in them, letting out a small sigh upon noticing. "Those experiments you do with yourself and how you work, are you sure they're safe, Vic?" She looked so genuinely anxious about their health, it was odd for them even after years of being shown empathy to see someone actually care about them. They began to feel bad, they didn't realize what they were doing could cause fear for their safety. "You're not doing it to hurt yourself, right?" Mitsi was so composed and so calm, and yet it felt like she was begging them to tell her that they weren't hurting themself.
Their heart dropped in that moment. She thought they were hurting themself? Have they been worrying both of them this whole time without noticing? What they were doing couldn't be farther from that! They didn't mean to cause any of this at all! Why did they mention that they do this at all?! They should've stayed quiet! "I promise you, that's not at all what I'm doing." They answered in a panic. "I was just trying to make life more convenient for myself, and my scars were getting me a lot of unwanted pity and stares, so I tried removing them from my appearance to no avail. My wings, however, were easy to figure out how to enable and disable. I would never hurt myself, I promise you both. If I ever think about it at all, trust that I'll come to either if you before either attempt anything. All I'm doing when I change things within myself is harmless experimentation, I know my limits well. I'm so sorry for making you both so worried, I never meant to give off that idea!" Mitsi exhaled roughly, relieved that her worries were proven wrong. Agent moved closer, trying to reassure them both.
"We just want to make sure you're doing alright and everything, especially when you bring up an idea like that out of nowhere." Agent breathed. "We know you don't know what is and isn't normal very well but a its a little hard to remember all the time when there's the implication that you're doing something dangerous like that. Mitsi can also be an overthinker at times."
"Hey! That was uncalled for!"
Agent laughed, Mitsi giggling in response after getting over the initial embarrassment. Victim smiled a bit. They didnt know how they got to this point in the conversation, but it was nice.
"Ignoring that, please remember that you can talk to us if you ever need help, ok? I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions, Vic." Mitsi smiled, she wanted to hug them but didn't know if they wanted that, so she just waited for their answer.
"I'm here too if you need me, I'm not very open about my own emotions, and I'm working on it, but don't be afraid to share yours like I am. It's not a good habit to start and it's a pain to break, it's been years and I'm still trying to get out of it." Agent added, looking down slightly. He was trying his best clearly, hoping his best would be enough for them both.
"Thank you both, really. I'm sorry I gave the wrong impression, and I'll try to make it more clear with what I mean when I say things like that. I appreciate that you both are willing to hear my thoughts as well." They smiled. They could vaguely tell that Mitsi wanted to hug them, judging by the fact her hand would move towards them more then pull back every now and then. They gently grabbed her arm and hugged her, Mitsi gasping briefly before hugging back eagerly. Agent put his arm around them both as well, trying be affectionate with them as well without rushing himself.
Victim couldn't help but feel bad, though. They wanted so badly to hear their thoughts and ideas, yet they felt so inexplicably scared of talking about their idea of making a robot. Since their past few projects have gone over well, they built up the courage to attempt making the robot, but now they were so terrified of making their best friends anxious over them for something stupid. Maybe they didn't need to know for awhile, at least until they were sure the project was going well. They could hide it, right?