Hey guys, welcome to the sequel to Ex Machina! I know it's been a while, but I'll be honest, I haven't been wanting to write the first few chapters (as I type this, I only have about a paragraph of chapter 2 done, and it's been sitting for over a month). Naturally, I have some planned moments that I would love to write, but I just dread having to get to that point because I'm writing in something I would almost never read myself: an important female OC that has an established relationship with an existing character. But I do want to write the story! So I want you to tell me honestly. Do you guys even want the story? I'll definitely write it if you want to read it, but if you don't, be honest with me. I don't want to write a story that no one will enjoy.
So, as established, this is the sequel to Ex Machina. This story will make absolutely no sense if you don't read that first. It needs a rewrite at some point, but I still think it's better than this (so far) is. Also, this chapter is probably at least four months old, so please excuse any poor writing.
Disclaimer: I don't own TF2 because Valve does. Heck, can I even get sued for writing this? I mean, I don't make any money off of my fics, so...
Wherever it was that the Teleporter dropped Mal off at, it was very, very bright.
The Scoutbot recoiled when he realized that his new environment was brighter than his old one, and he had to dim his eyes until they were able to auto-adjust. Once they did, he saw that he was beside a rather large building, and despite being nowhere near a door or window, he could hear the urgent commotion of hundreds of people inside. Overhead flew several odd-looking vehicles, ones loud enough for Mal to decide almost immediately that he didn't like them. He looked up to a particularly noisy one, and had to avert his gaze when he saw the sun. No wonder it was so bright. He didn't think he'd ever seen such a clear sky.
"Over here, Mal," called Engineer, peeking out from behind the building and waving the Scoutbot over. "My truck's parked back here."
"Tr... uck?" Mal asked. "What's truck?" When he rounded the corner, he noticed that the Texan had at some point before his arrival changed into a new set of clothes: a shirt and set of overalls. He still had his glove, but no insignia or even a helmet. The robot also took note of the rusting vehicle behind the man. "Oh. Truck is like car?"
"More or less," Engineer replied, hopping in on the driver's side. "I know she don't look like much, but I promise she drives smooth. Hop in." Mal had to take a moment to figure out the handle, but once he did, he got in on the passenger side. When he saw Engineer put on his seatbelt, he did the same, even though it took him a few tries. Once certain that he was properly buckled, Engineer turned the ignition. The truck rumbled to life, and Mal pressed himself deeper into the seat.
"Don't worry, that's just how it's s'posed to sound," Engineer assured him. Mal seemed a little less apprehensive, but he didn't straighten up. Instead, he decided to fiddle with the window knob, completely enthralled with the way it made the window slide up and down. Engineer had to suppress a chuckle. "Hope that can keep ya busy for the next few hours. We've got quite a drive ahead of us."
"Yeah," Mal replied absently, sticking his head out of the open window. When the truck started rolling, he pulled it back in, startled, only to stick it out again a few minutes later. Evidently he liked the window.
Mal was entranced by the sights from the road. There were so many things he had never seen before; Engineer had never heard him ask so many questions in rapid succession. "What's dat?" That's the radio. "What's dat?" A traffic light. "And dat?" A restaurant. They serve food there. "Woah... Hey, what's dat?" That there's grass. "Grass. Grass grows?" It sure does. "But... grass not grows." Well, it doesn't happen all at once.
The conversation made for an interesting trip, at least.
Eventually, Mal ran out of questions to ask, so he spent his time with his head sticking out of the window like some sort of large, metal dog. He was amazed at how quickly their path went from fields to cluttered buildings to shady forests and back again, and he found the people in the cars they passed by quite interesting, too. Mal only had about twenty-five people in his files. It was amazing that so many other people existed, and that none of them looked a thing like each other.
Soon, they turned down a road leading to another forest, with the occasional house peeking out from between the trees here and there. People could be seen doing anything from picking berries to playing games to even just walking, and a few were riding on huge creatures in all sorts of different colors.
"Woah, woah!" Mal exclaimed, pointing furiously. "Look at dose! Dose things, what are dose?!"
"Those are horses," Engineer replied lightly, slowing down so as not to startle the animals. "They're a pretty common sight around here, it ain't unusual to see some riders every once in a while. I used to enjoy it when I was a kid."
"Yeah?" Mal looked between him and the horses. "Den I wanna do dat. Can I?"
"Hmm, maybe one of these days. Gotta find one big enough to hold ya first."
"Sweet."
Engineer turned down yet another road, this one much narrower and giving way to dirt. They followed the path for a few more minutes before the trees opened up to a moderately large field. The path ended at a tan single-story house, with a big shed to one side and the forest to the other. There were a few more houses beyond, but they were far enough away to give this one adequate privacy.
"Here we are," Engineer announced. "Home sweet home."
Mal wanted nothing more than to hop out of the truck, run off, and find one of those horses, but noticing that Engineer had yet to unbuckle his seatbelt, he stayed in his seat. Sure enough, the Texan turned to address him. "Now before we head inside, we need to discuss a few things. My wife is in that house, and it'd be in your best interest to be nice to her, even if it turns out ya don't like her. But I get the feelin' ya will. Her name's Melissa."
"Mal-is-a? No, mmm... Melissa." Mal tested out the name and found it relatively easy to pronounce.
"That's right. And I know ya like to call me Hardhat, but around here my name's Jeffrey. Or Jeff, if ya like."
"Jeff." That name came quickly to him, too. Probably the name of one of Scout's brothers. "But I like Hardhat."
"Alright," Engineer conceded, "but not around the missus. And that brings us to another point. She don't know that I'm a mercenary. For all she knows, I work at a renowned repair shop out of state. So you are not in any way to tell her what it is I actually do. Understood?" Mal beeped, then nodded. "As for everythin' else, you're allowed to go where ya like, but stay where you can see the house, and the bedroom is off-limits. You can go in the shed, but ask me first. Finally, ya need to respect what Melissa tells ya, 'cause she's just as in-charge here as I am. Listen to her like ya would me, if not more. If I say yes to somethin' and she says no, then it's a no. Got it?"
Mal took a moment to process the instruction, then nodded once more.
Engineer smiled. "Well, then, let's go in and meet her. But I'd best go first and introduce ya." Mal nodded in understanding, and Engineer- Jeffrey- hopped out of the truck, gesturing for the robot to stay put. The Texan approached the front door and, figuring it would be less startling than opening the door himself, knocked three times. After a few moments, the door opened, revealing a slightly chubby woman that was just barely taller than Jeff, her brown hair in a medium-length bob and her knees covered in grass stains. She put her hands to her mouth, weeping, then pulled her husband into a tight hug. Then she held him at arms-length, shouting something that Mal couldn't make out. Jeff said something else he couldn't hear, and Melissa appeared to calm down, replying and planting a quick kiss on his cheek.
Mal had no idea what just happened.
After that, Jeff said a few more things to his wife, and then he turned around, waving Mal over. After a moment of nervous hesitation, the robot unbuckled himself and climbed out of the truck, making his way up the path to the house. The second Melissa saw him, her face fell, and she looked at Jeff, stunned. "Oh, Jeff, you didn't..."
Mal bowed his head; he'd just left the truck, and already he'd somehow managed to make a bad impression. Jeff, at least, seemed to understand. "Oh, I promise it's nothin' like that, pumpkin. He's a lil' side project I was workin' on when I didn't have a car to fix. His name's Malakai, but he also goes by Mal."
"Malakai..." tried Melissa, not quite sure what to make of the robot before her. Finally, she settled on an uneasy smile. "Well, it's nice to meet ya, Malakai. My name's Melissa."
Mal did dare to look up then, and he cautiously stuck out a hand. "Melissa. Nice to meetcha."
"Oh," Melissa gasped, taking the offered hand. "Well-mannered, isn't... he?"
"He sure is," Jeff agreed, relieved that his wife seemed to like Mal well enough. "How about we show him around, get him acquainted?"
"Of course," Melissa said, nodding and stepping aside. "Come in, come in."
The house was larger on the inside than Mal would have thought. The front door opened up to a living room with two chairs and a small television set. To the right was the door to the garage, filled to the brim with tools for any situation from engineering to yardwork to carpentry. To the left of the living room was a hallway with pictures hung everywhere of the two, as well as other people Mal didn't know. The left side housed the bathroom and master bedroom, while the right led to a combination dining room and kitchen, small yet somehow more than able to hold the fridge, oven, sink, counters, cupboards, and table within.
"You'll have to share that with Mal," Jeff joked, pointing at the oven. "He loves to cook."
The room Mal would be staying in was at the very end of the hall. At the moment, it was completely bare, the walls white rather than the beiges, yellows, and maroons found throughout the rest of the house. Jeff and Melissa found a few things to put into it, though, namely a chair, lamp, and a few small shelves. They could always put more in later, if Mal wanted, but at the moment he was more fascinated with the carpet.
"...How long will ya be stayin' this time?" Melissa asked her husband.
"Believe it or not, I have the whole year off," Jeff replied, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "Y'know, I'm starvin'. Ya think you could go get the barbecue started? I'll be there to whip somethin' up in a minute."
Melissa smiled at him. "Of course." She walked off, heading for the backyard.
Mal heard the screen door shut and looked up from his spot on the floor. Engineer gave him a warm smile.
"Welcome home, Mal."
So, let me start by saying I've never even been to Texas, let alone Homestead. All I know is that it's in Bee Caves, has trees, and has a lot of horses. Anything else and the Internet wanted me to register as a resident to learn more. I want to try to get at least one more chapter up, and it would be a huge help if you guys could share some Homestead info, events and landmarks and things like that. I'll be sure to credit you if I do a chapter on it! If you want, anyway.
Seriously guys. PLEASE take the time to tell me what you think. I don't want empty compliments; I want absolute brutal honesty. I really need to know if you guys like this or not, as it will save time for me as well as you guys. I don't want you reading a story you don't like. Obviously you don't have to comment, but it would be a great help if you did. :)
So, here's hoping there's a chapter two!