Partners

Summary: General Miakido has claimed the Demon Crown and threatens to drive the world to ruin. Two robots have been built to stop him; this is where they first meet.

-Online.

He was engulfed in nothingness, his thoughts the only definable presence. Somewhere in his head, he became aware of a faint signal.

-Beginning initial startup procedure.

-Preparing system checks... ready.

-Beginning system checks...

-Internal computer online. Functioning at maximum efficiency. No errors detected.

-External sensory receptors operational. No errors detected.

-Engaging motor functions. No errors detected.

-System checks complete. Startup ready.

-ID: Scout02

-Password: XXXXXXXXXX

-Initiating sensory startup...

-Auditory receptors online.

There was a sudden humming on either side of his head. His first sensation of something caught him by surprise, finally giving the vaguest idea that the empty void had an exit.

-Olfactory receptors online.

Then he became aware of a smell nearby. Fresh air wafted over him, as well as a metallic scent.

-Kinesthetic receptors online.

The biggest surprise yet came after that. He didn't feel anything more specific than a mild coolness all over his body, but the important part was that he could feel anything. After a moment he realized his back was against something solid.

-Gustatory receptors online.

There was a strange sensation in his face. It was the first time that he felt aware of his own tongue, resting against the bottom of his mouth.

-Visual receptors online.

And finally his eyes opened. He was in a white room, lights beaming onto his face and body from multiple angles. Other people were also there, all staring into his eyes while their own shone in wonder and amazement. Turning his neck ever so slightly, he looked over the various engineers and scientists without a word.

"It's a boy!" someone laughed to his right. The middle-aged, pale man was in charge of the others by the looks of it. He strolled to the side of the table, looking down at the robot.

"Welcome to the world, 02! How do you feel?"

So that was his name. He took a moment to let it sink in before replying.

"I'm... fine."

At his first words, several of the researchers attending to him gasped and muttered to each other. They all seemed to be satisfied.

"Fine? Good, that's good. Do you know what you have to do?"

Now that he thought about it, yes he did. Images of a floating island and a dark blue crown with a red eye-gem on the front appeared in his mind as clear as could be.

"Destroy... the artifact," he finally said.

The man's grin widened, and the people behind him broke out into further chattering. He held up a hand, silencing them just as quickly.

"That's right. The world's in danger, 02, and we need you to destroy the Demon Crown before General Miakido uses it to begin his attack."

He sat upright on the table, ignoring the alarmed gasps from the researchers. It was then that he realized he was dressed only in simple black undergarments- not the most appropriate attire for a battle.

"Ha ha ha! Eager to get up, I see! How does your body feel? Are you used to it yet?"

"Yes."

The lead scientist chuckled again.

"You aren't much of a talker, huh? 01 was a chatterbox from the moment we activated her, so this is a surprise."

He blinked at the mention of that name. Somewhere in his head, it was registered as the identity of someone important, but he couldn't seem to figure out how.

"01?"

"Oh, you won't be alone on this mission. There's another robot just- well, almost like you a few rooms over. We built the pair of you to be a team, but you might've realized you don't know anything specific about her."

Once again, that was true. His inner computer recognized 01 as his partner, but aside from that he knew nothing regarding the other robot.

"We figured," the man continued, "that the best way to have you two work together was to let you develop your own bonds, so to speak, rather than just program them into you. You and 01 aren't like other soldier robots- you have much greater potential in you. The pair of you are, in most regards, very similar to humans."

02's mind had wandered during the scientist's explanation. He was back to thinking about the mission at hand.

"Where is my equipment?"

The man's smile twitched, lessening slightly when it became clear that 02 wasn't particularly engaged.

"Straight to the point, I see. That's... fine. I'm sure that attitude will serve you well during the mission. Now then, we're still finishing up your transport to the floating island, so you'll just need to wait a bit longer. In the meantime, you can visit the armory we've put together for you and 01. We have more than just weapons available, there's even an assortment of clothes for you to try on."

02 raised a brow at the description.

"...try on? As in, choose for myself?"

Some of the researchers were murmuring to one another in questioning tones. They didn't seem to dampen the project head's mood, as he merely grinned wider.

"Of course! You're not just some mass-produced factory drone. The pair of you are advancements in technology like nothing the world has seen before! It's important for you to stand out as individuals. In fact, we're hoping you and 01 will come up with different names for yourselves."

This was all very confusing to 02, but he decided against commenting further. He stood up from the table, feeling his legs adjust to carrying his weight as the researchers continued to inspect his progress.

"01 is inside already, so we'll let you go in and say hello now," the head remarked. "But... perhaps you should cover up a bit more. It wouldn't make for a good first impression, now would it?"

Still not entirely sure what the significance was, he simply nodded and slid into a light black tank top and red pants and boots provided by the scientists. Now sufficiently clothed by their standards, he was allowed to leave the white-tiled room and take his first steps into the world.

He had no trouble walking, being built for much more than that, but it still took him some getting used to. There were so many sensations entering his mind at once, it was difficult to focus on a single one in particular. His mission, naturally, took the highest priority, but even he found the sensory overload distracting from it.

"My first objective... I should meet 01, like they suggested."

Finding the armory wasn't difficult, as it was clearly labeled among the other branching rooms in the hallway. He pushed open the gray-painted door and stepped inside, already thinking about what he would equip himself with.

There weren't as many weapons on display as he'd expected. The small room had just one wall and a few shelves dedicated to them, with the rest of the space occupied by racks of assorted clothes and accessories. In the midst of them stood another person, her skin the same pure white as his.

"Hm? Oh, I didn't see you there! What's up?"

Her lighter blue eyes looked him over for a moment, then a grin spread onto her face. She was dressed in a pink tank top, as well as maroon pants not unlike his. Her golden hair was covered by a red hat, which she constantly adjusted as she looked herself over in a mirror.

"Are you 01?"

"Yep, that's me! You must be the guy I'm doing this mission with. 02, right? It's so nice to meet you!"

His expression remained blank, the proper way to continue this conversation unclear to him. 01 didn't appear to mind, and even approached him with that unwavering grin still bright.

"Here, why don't you try this?"

Still at a loss for words, 02 allowed her to push the hat into his hands without argument. Looking closer at it, he noticed there was a word on the silver plate at its front: "Quote."

"No matter what I do, it just doesn't look good on me," 01 was saying. "But maybe it'll fit you better!"

"Have you found your equipment yet?"

He wasn't especially interested in fashion, and had already turned his gaze back to the weapons display. Handguns, semi-automatics, shotguns, and other firearms awaited their selection.

"Yeah! I picked that red gun in the corner."

His eyes shifted to the indicated spot, identifying 01's chosen weapon as a machine gun. Inwardly he began to plan around that. If she was going to handle a rapid-fire weapon, perhaps it would be better for him to choose one with a different rate-

"...so anyway, aren't you gonna try the hat on?"

She was still smiling at him. 02 could tell that she wouldn't take no for an answer, and obliged by sliding it on over his black hair. Her face only lit up even more after a moment of staring at him.

"Yeah... yeah! That looks great on you!"

Seeing himself in the mirror caused a feeling he didn't quite understand to come over him. The hat, throwing just a slight amount of shade over his navy-blue eyes, did indeed appear to fit with the rest of his outfit. 01 was right at his side, also peering at his reflection.

"Lookin' sharp... quote? Quote! I know, what if I call you that?"

The feeling grew stronger. It was like 02 became more aware of himself in that moment, more confident that he would succeed, all from something as simple as a name. Thinking it over, the tiniest of smiles found its way onto his face.

"...it has a nice ring to it."

"Aha! So he can emote!" 01 joked, beaming at him. "Now I need a name too. I think it's fair if you get to decide that."

Suddenly her cheerful expression faltered into a more bashful one.

"Just, uh, nothing too silly, please?"

Quote didn't know what that was supposed to mean, and he was even less sure on what to call her.

"I'll think of something," he said after a moment of fruitless consideration.

They continued to peruse the clothes on display, or rather 01 did while occasionally tossing him an accessory or two. Quote himself just went along with it, obliging her by trying on some of the items she'd throw over her shoulder. After a while he settled for a basic green scarf, if only because she seemed so happy to see him wearing it.

"Oh yeah, that's a good look for you," she remarked. "None of these hats really suit me, so I might just go without one. What do you think?"

"Whatever you say, Curly."

"...what?"

He blinked. 01 was giving him a questioning look, like she didn't quite get what he said.

"If you don't want a hat, don't wear one," Quote said. "I'm not the judge of-"

"No no no, not that. What you said after! What did you call me?"

What did he call her? He'd spoken without much thought, and the words had just slipped out of his mouth before he could process them. Pursing his lips, he tried to remember.

"Uh, it was..."

To his surprise, recalling it wasn't difficult. In fact, it came to him almost naturally, as if he'd always known it.

"...Curly," he said aloud. "Curly Brace?"

01's eyes widened.

"What? Like the key?"

Quote didn't know why, but a pleasant feeling spread through his chest as he thought harder about it.

"It's your name. I've decided to call you that."

Her cheeks tinged a light pink, and she giggled at him.

"R-really? Okay, if you want... heh, I kinda like it!"

He smiled at her, his partners for the upcoming trials. Curly's beaming expression met his, and within Quote's computer she was registered as his closest ally.

"Scouts 01 and 02," a voice announced over an overhead loudspeaker, "please proceed to the briefing room. It is almost time for you to depart."

"We'd better let them know about our new names," she laughed. "C'mon, Quote! Let's not keep 'em waiting."

He nodded wordlessly, his attention brought back to the mission at hand. There were more important things than names to be focused on, after all. Once he'd finished arming himself, he followed her out of the room and down the hallway, more than ready to take on the task.

It was very subtle, but just being near Curly gave him the faintest sense of enjoyment somewhere in his mind.