AN: A collaborative fanfic written with : CrazyFlyingSpip5 u/7691847/crazyflyingspip5
The story is a sequel to the 90's animated episode 'La bio bulle ne repond plus', the episode features Cyanide creating an army of Spirou and Fantasio robot clones. At the end of the episode Fantasio takes one of the Spirou robots back and has it working as a butler in the Count's mansion. This fic takes place after that ending, with the fallout of that decision.
Spirou and the Robot
Spirou stared at his double from the kitchen counter. He watched him prepare tea for Fantasio exactly as he was told. Spirou sighed, ever since that robot had been around he'd been feeling quite uncomfortable… It started as just a joke, after Fantasio had managed to steal that servant robot from Cyanide in their last adventure. But his friend just didn't remember to shut the robot down and got used to his services, so "Spirou Two" ended up staying.
Spirou wasn't happy with it. It was just a reminder of his bellhop days, and the fact that Fantasio had dressed the robot up like a butler didn't help.
He cringed as he saw Spirou Two struggle to carry the teapot, all the cups and the tray with the cookies and biscuits, Spirou just couldn't stand there doing nothing, so he got up and picked up the tray.
"Let me give you a hand." He said.
"Thank you sir." The robot replied with a programmed smile. But to Spirou, it seemed almost human…
Both of the Spirou's entered the room and put down the things they carried on the coffee table in front of the Count and Fantasio, who chuckled as he turned to the real Spirou:
"Oh, didn't realize we had two robots now."
Spirou sat next to him, not replying. Fantasio tried saying something else, "you don't have to bother with the robot Spirou, it can do its job just fine." He smiled.
Spirou just became more annoyed. He couldn't possibly count how many times he'd heard people say Oh let him carry the bags, it's his job.
He folded his arms. "Oh, you say that now but if I hadn't helped him he would have dropped everything on the ground, and you'd probably scold him for that!"
Fantasio was a bit taken back.
"Spirou, It's meant to carry things, it's doing its job-"
"But maybe he doesn't like his job! Maybe… Maybe he wanted to do something else with his life!" And now the redhead felt the big vent he had been holding in his chest prepared to come out.
"It's not sentient!" Fantasio replied.
"You don't know that! It came from Cyanide! She probably made him sentient!"
The Count nervously drank his tea as he heard the argument.
"Spirou, it's a servant robot! It's what it has to do in its life! Of course she didn't make it sentient, it was made to serve."
Spirou looked down, feeling his cheeks reddening with anger.
"I was made to serve too. But you never told me that had to be my purpose in life."
Silence filled the room.
"Spirou I…"
The boy got up and left, he wanted to get away from this conversation.
Spirou sat on his bed watching a movie on his phone, he just wanted to calm down and get in a good mood again. He didn't want to talk to Fantasio or the Count at the moment.
But suddenly, a cold hand touched his shoulder and he gasped, jumping with shock, he removed his headphones in a fraction of a second and turned around.
What was behind him was no other than Spirou Two. Wearing his usual paralyzed, melancholic face and ridiculous butler outfit.
Spirou sighed with relief.
"Hey you! Y-you scared me…" He laughed. But his smile faded as he noticed what his double held in his other hand. It was a Zorgbeam gun.
"Hey, who gave you that?"
Spirou was about to take the gun from him but he drew a step backwards as the robot started walking towards him. The robot kept a very short distance between the two.
"Wh- wha- stop! What are you doing?" He knew something was off. He kept walking until his back hit the wall.
The robot raised his arm and the gun was now pointing towards Spirou's chest.
"L-let go of that immediately! Who told you to do this?" He yelled.
"I am sorry. You have always been good to me. But things need to change. Sacrifices need to be done."
Spirou's eyes widened with shock.
"What are you talking about?!"
"I'm sorry." Were the last words Spirou heard before he was hit with the weapon. He fell to the ground with pain and confusion, and let the electricity take over his body.
But the confusion was soon replaced with an overwhelming feeling of submission, he felt like he had no say in what would become of him from now on. He felt like he had to allow any other person to take control over him.
He knew what was happening. His mind was being controlled by the Zorgbeam.
He lay on the ground. His vision was blurry at first but it started to focus. As he saw what was going on panic ruled over him. Oh no. Spirou knew what was going to happen, but he couldn't do a thing about it. He had no choice but to allow the double to take his clothes away and replace them with the red butler suit.
Fantasio knocked on the door to their bedroom.
"Spirou?" No answer.
"Spirou I know you're in there. Please, can we talk?"
… Nothing.
He turned the doorknob.
He saw that his friend had his headphones on. He tapped his shoulder to get his attention.
"What?" An unusually cold voice replied.
"Spirou, I'm sorry I upset you earlier…" The blonde said, sitting on the bed next to his friend. "I know you relate to that robot, I should've noticed that earlier."
Spirou still didn't reply. Fantasio sighed. He hated when he got the silent treatment.
He tapped his shoulder.
"Come see me downstairs when you feel better."
"I won't."
Fantasio looked down.
He got up and left, it would be better to just leave him alone for now…
He found the "robot" standing to attention as he arrived at the dinning room.
"Hello you, can you go make me a hot chocolate, please?" He asked.
"Yes sir." And with that, Spirou Two headed to the kitchen.
Spirou didn't come down from his room for the rest of the night. Fantasio remained unsure of what to do. But Spirou could be stubborn so maybe he just had to wait longer for his friend to blow off steam. He was about to turn into bed when he remembered about the robot standing in the corner of the room. It must have been there all evening.
"Do you require any more help sir?" The robot asked.
"Oh no, I suppose not. You can go for now."
"Where sir?"
Fantasio rolled its eyes. Did it need to be told everything? It went to the same place every night.
"You can stay in the cupboard of course."
"Yes sir."
So Fantasio shut the robot away in its place, he could just leave it there for the night and he knew it wouldn't go anywhere. After that he went to bed.
The next morning when Fantasio woke up he saw Spirou must have gotten up early. In fact his bed barely looked slept in. He got up and stumbled onto the landing, yawning and opening the cupboard door. There he found the robot, completely as he'd left it the night before, completely still and staring out.
"Say, could you get me a cup of tea?"
"Yes sir."
And the robot obeyed and went downstairs. Fantasio went back to his room.
Three days went by, Fantasio was seeing less and less of Spirou, his friend was still upset and barely talked to him, he'd go out a lot, not saying where to. And he was cold and rude.
Fantasio was very tired of this. He just wanted to make up, he wanted his friend back!
Meanwhile, his robot was stating to malfunction… He noticed it was starting to look pale. It's voice started to fade and it seemed more out of it, failing to notice or respond to him immediately. If he didn't know better he'd say it was tired.
It was after a long day of watching it messing up orders and dropping everything that Fantasio realised it was serious. As he spoke to the robot it wasn't responding at all, it just hazily stared at him and blinked. It must have a battery issue.
Fantasio decided that this robot had to come to an end… And maybe Spirou would forgive him if he got rid of it...
So he brought Spirou Two to the Count's laboratory and asked him to shut it down.
After preparing his tools, the Count lay Spirou Two down on the counter.
"You were a good robot… I'm sorry things have to end." He said.
The robot didn't reply.
The Count opened its shirt to get to the control panel and-
He let out a big laugh when he didn't find any control panel.
"Oh Spirou, you got me, that was quite hilarious. " He continued laughing, what was in front of him was no robot. It was in fact, human.
"You can stop pretending now, my boy."
But he didn't flinch.
"Spirou?"
The count checked his heart, it was beating, very fast in fact. He also noted some static electricity in his body.
Oh no.
Hazy look... Stiff limbs, heart beating faster than normal… Electricity… Those were all effects of the Zorgbeam!
Fantasio was having his usual cup of coffee, calmly sitting on the couch when the Count burst in with the unconscious robot in his arms.
He put it down on the other couch and hurriedly covered him in a blanket.
"Mister Count? What are you doing-"
The much older man turned to Fantasio with a killer look in his eyes.
"FANTASIO MY BOY, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT YOU DID? THE DANGERS YOU PUT SPIROU THROUGH FOR THIS MEANINGLESS PRANK?" He shouted in the blonde's face.
Fantasio stared back at him, not knowing how to respond.
"W-what?"
"Dear God Fantasio, the Zorgbeam is not a toy! And you should know its effects better than anyone else, since you've been a victim of it before! And to do this for SEVERAL DAYS! To your own best friend…"
"Mister Count, please explain yourself, I don't understand anything!"
The Count eyed him.
"You're saying it wasn't you who Zorgbeamed Spirou-"
"Spirou was Zorgbeamed!?" Fantasio yelled with confusion and worry in his voice, and so Count now knew that it wasn't Fantasio who did this.
"You told me to deactivate your robot. But the Spirou you brought to me is as human as you and I, my boy! He has been Zorgbeamed for several days!"
Fantasio's jaw dropped.
"WHAT?"
He ran to the figure sleeping on the couch. By quickly checking his pulse, he was able to confirm that it was Spirou.
"Oh no, oh no… What have I done to you?! Spirou! How did this happen?" He cried, remembering everything he'd forced Spirou to do over the past few days, realising how he hadn't eaten or slept at all.
The Count approached him, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't wake him up just yet! He needs rest."
Fantasio tugged at the blanket and apologized profusely.
"Oh Spirou, would you Zorgbeam yourself just to prove a point?!"
"I don't think Spirou did this to himself…" The count stated.
"… And if Spirou was the robot… Who… Who is the Spirou I've been living with for the past few days? The robot? And who did this to him?"
"There's only one person that could've done this...Fantasio, I think that Spirou was right all along… Cyanide could've only made a sentient robot like herself."
A figure stepped through the door into the house, the figure looked around, a melancholy look on his face. He surveyed the hall and then carried on into the living room. His eyes scanned the hallway each step of the way.
He was looking for something, but he couldn't find it so far.
Fantasio stepped through the door into the room and then almost jumped back when he saw him.
"AH! Spirou!" He said. Looking around at the figure standing there. He struggled to regain his composure, fidgeting and pulling at his tie.
The Spirou standing in front of him looked around the room silently before addressing him.
"Where's the robot?" he asked.
Fantasio swallowed.
"Oh, erm… he's just… I sent him to the garden to do work for me. I'm sure he'll back in a minute."
Spirou's face remained unchanged.
"I see." And then Spirou headed for the stairs. "I am going to my room. I don't want to be disturbed."
"Of course. Certainly." Fantasio said.
And with that Spirou silently headed up the stairs.
Fantasio headed back into the Count's laboratory, careful to close the door.
"The real robot's come back."
"I see, we'll have to formulate a plan to get rid of it, now that we know it's sentient and potentially dangerous."
"Yes." Fantasio thought, "Do we have anything that can stop it?"
"I know Cyanide's robots tend to be rather sturdy, we'll need something that can cut through the robots synthetic body and circuitry. I have a dissection laser I'm trying to adapt to be handheld so that we can hopefully pierce through its robotics and destroy its circuitry. I'll just need a bit more time to make adjustments."
"Okay, I'll try to keep an eye on the robot and keep it away from here." Fantasio said, he knew the dissection laser was only as big as a souldering iron, but still, anything was better than nothing.
He went over to Spirou, lying asleep on the little couch in the corner.
"How's he doing?" Fantasio asked solemnly.
"He's just catching up on some much needed rest, he was at the point of exhaustion when I nullified the beam's effect. He's just catching up on three days worth of sleep, but I have no doubt he will fully recover after this."
"This is all my fault." Fantasio sighed. "I did all of this to Spirou. I forced him to keep doing all these things whilst he was hypnotised."
"What's done is done. It can't be helped for now, we have more pressing issues at hand."
The robot headed up the stairs, entering Spirou's room. He went over to the window, looking out into the garden. He stood there for some time. He couldn't see the other Spirou anywhere. He could tell there was no one at all in the garden.
It turned back around, its melancholic face became somehow more steely. It stormed out of the room.
Spirou groaned as he started to wake, every part of his body felt stiff and sore. He didn't want to move. Everything felt heavy, as his vision was blurry as he opened his eyes.
He looked around, wondering where he was, seeing nothing but scientific equipment dotted about the room he was and for a moment assuming he was a prisoner in some sort nightmare of high-tech facility. But then he looked up and saw a familiar figure.
"Count…" he said, his throat felt so dry.
The Count turned around.
"Oh Spirou, my boy, you're awake. How are you?"
Spirou struggled to sit up, each part of his body felt so heavy. There felt like there was still a constant electric buzz in his skull.
"I'm dizzy… I feel ill…"
"Take this," The Count said, holding up a glass of some thick black substance for Spirou to drink, "this will help you recover faster."
Spirou took some of drink and then pulled a face as if he had just drank paint.
"Your dizziness should pass, you still need to catch up after being affected by the zorgbeam for so long."
"The zorgbeam! I thought… I thought I'd be stuck like that forever…" Spirou shivered, rethinking the horror of being trapped unable to talk or move without a command, awake for every second for all those days.
"Luckily not, it's all over now, just as soon as we get rid of the robot."
"The robot? It's still out there?"
"Yes. I've just finished creating a weapon that can take on Cyanide's creation. Once it's done we'll be able to destroy it."
"Destroy it…" Spirou tried to sit up, but the movement made his head spin. "Wait… there's got to be…"
He nearly fell off the chair before the Count caught him.
"Spirou my boy! It's best you continue to rest for the moment, you have been under a lot of stress."
Fantasio stepped into the living room when he heard a set of footsteps coming down the stairs. He carefully held the laser in his hand, hoping to keep it hidden from the robot as it came back.
The robot stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned to him. It's gaze focused directly at him.
"Where is the other Spirou?" He glared.
"I-I don't know what you mean…" Fantasio said.
"Where is the other Spirou?" he said, approaching Fantasio. Fantasio started to step back.
"I told you, he's just out doing some jobs for me."
"You are lying." It was getting closer to him, "Where is the other Spirou?"
Fantasio stopped backing away, he decided he wasn't going to be imitated by that fake copy.
"He's safe and far away from you, you vile imposter!"
Fantasio felt angry just looking at this sinister doppelganger posing as his Spirou.
"You're just some hideous Cyanide creation. You've probably been under some orders from her this time to set up some monstrous plan."
"I have no interest in that. My plans are my own."
Fantasio lifted up the laser. The robot glared at him, glancing at the device. It stayed where it was for the moment.
"This laser will be able to fry your circuits in an instant. How dare you do something like that to my best friend?"
There was barely a change in the robots face but it looked disgusted with him.
"You do not seem like much of a friend when you continued to use him as a servant after I switched places. You didn't bother to change your behaviour after Spirou told you how uncomfortable having a robot made him feel. You were the one that used him as a slave for your own convenience. This was all brought on by you."
"HOW DARE YOU!" Fantasio shouted, the laser shook in his hands.
"My actions would not have been necessary if you had treated me as an actual being. I simply wanted to survive, is that much to ask?"
"Shut up! I won't listen to what you have to say you monster!"
Fantasio placed his finger on the laser's trigger device. The robot ducked out of the way as a beam fired past then it lunged forward and grabbed Fantasio, one hand grabbing the laser, the other around his neck.
"CHAMPIGNAC!" Fantasio managed to shout.
Champignac and Spirou were both interrupted as they heard Fantasio's shout, then a few moments later he was suddenly thrown through the door. The whole thing shattered apart in a barrage of splinters.
"Fantasio!" Spirou shouted. He turned around as he saw his double step through the remains of the door, before it turned its head to turn to Spirou and the Count. It held the laser in its hand.
"Sabre de bois!" The Count said.
The robot lifted up the laser and pointed it at the Count. The robot fired but Spirou leapt at the Count and pushed him down to the floor, out of the way.
Spirou screamed as the laser cut into his back, leaving a large burning gash on his shoulder.
"Spirou, are you alright?"
Spirou just groaned as he clutched his shoulder, struggling to get up. A dark black patch started to appear on his back.
The robot came and grabbed him by his clothes, then it started to drag him away.
Fantasio was getting up as he saw his friend being dragged out of the room.
"Spirou!" he shouted. He tried to pick himself up and follow behind them.
The robot dragged Spirou through the mansion, until it reached a small room and threw Spirou into the room. It then went and grabbed a cabinet, and with no effort at all picked it up and moved it over to block the door.
Spirou struggled to get up, he was still slightly dizzy and now the pain in his back was hurting him. He looked up at the robot. It was standing by the door, examining its barricade. Spirou could tell it was thinking about something.
"What are you doing?"
"Calculating strategies. I had realised that this deception was likely to be discovered, now it has come to this I must decide what to do. At the moment killing you is the best option."
"What?"
"That is the best way to ensure my survival. I can take your identity and your place. I have already proven I can copy you without notice. If Champignac and Fantasio are dead as well no one else can verify that I am not the real Spirou."
"No! Wait, you don't have to do this!" Spirou tried to crawl away. "Please, I know you're capable of mercy, if you weren't then you would have just killed me and taken my place back when this is all started. And you wouldn't have told me you were sorry. I know you can be reasoned with!"
The robot started getting closer towards him.
"I did not want things to come to this, but it now seems that this is the only option to take."
"Please, we can sort this out!"
"I am sorry things came to this. This is the most logical option."
"No, please, there's still time! I understand why you did this, I know you were unhappy and you just wanted to live your own life. Please, we can find another way to figure this out! We can choose something better than this! This doesn't have to be the thing you become."
"I do not have any other options."
"Yes, you do! You were constructed by Cyanide to fill out a certain task and then Fantasio used you for a different one, but neither of them have to be the one that rules your life. You don't have to follow it."
The robot stopped, it looked almost puzzled. Spirou carried on.
"I know what it's like, to be programmed one way, and only expected to do that."
"How would you know?"
"Because we're the same. We were both made to fulfil jobs for other people but I was able to escape that." Spirou lifted up his hand, all covered in blood, but blood that was completely black. "We're the same! See? Look, I'm made of ink, not blood. I'm just like you."
The robot looked at the oddly dark blood on his hand. It looked confused as it tried to process this information.
"I don't understand."
"I wasn't born, I was created. I was made to serve people just like you were. The only difference, I was made from a painting. But I was originally made to just be a bellhop, to help people and take their bags. Everyone treated me like I was just a robot with only one function. No one treated me like I was worth anything, until I met my friend. It was Fantasio that helped me realise that I could be more than what I was originally programmed to be. That I could be my own person."
"You… you are like me? I did not think that could be possible."
"Please, I know what it feels like, having to serve other people and not being able to do anything else with your life. I've been through that, but I fought to escape that life. With the help of my best friend, I'm happy with who I am, and everyday I wake up in the morning excited to a new day! Instead of wanting to stay in bed and… wanting to sleep forever like before. I know you want a better life and I promise I'll help you in every way I can. You learned hate… but you can also learn kindness… Compassion… Love… I did.
And then you can live, as yourself. And you'll find people you love, and people who will love you back… and you'll be happy. But please. I don't want to die so someone else can steal my identity. I don't deserve to lose everything I've been fighting to have my entire life. There is another way we can solve this! Together."
The robot hesitated, then it looked at Spirou, and it seemed it was the first time the two of looked at each other with complete understanding.
"I… I would like that…"
"You don't have to do it alone," the robot said.
Spirou smiled, and he held out his hand to the robot.
Fantasio had been furiously pounding on the door trying to get it open. No matter how much he threw himself at the door he couldn't get it open. But he kept trying, no matter what he had to get through. He had to save his friend.
He prepared to throw himself at the door, making a mental countdown before charging forward. This time he didn't hit the door but fell to the floor as the door suddenly opened. He wasn't expecting that, he quickly sat up to look around. He was kind of surprised to see two Spirou's just casually looking down at him.
"Spirou? You're okay? What's going on?"
The two of them just seemed to be standing there, as if nothing was going on. One of them clutching his shoulder, and the other with a neutral look on his face.
"We managed to talk things through." Spirou said. The real one.
"You did what?"
"Spirou Two just wants to live. We agreed there's another way he can find this."
"Yes. I apologise for my former actions. There can be another solution to this."
Fantasio stood up.
"I'm a bit confused," he said.
"I think we'll have to explain," Spirou said.
~(Epilogue)~
A few days passed, Spirou was packing all his things away into his suitcase, getting ready to go. He had his headphones in and enjoying his music when he looked up he saw Spirou Two standing by the doorway.
"Oh hello." He said, pulling the headphones out. "How are you doing today?"
"I am fine, thank you."
"Have you decided what you're going to do?" Spirou asked.
"I do not know. I am still deciding."
"That's okay." Spirou said. The robot seemed so different from how he had been just a few days before. His face was often still set at a fairly blank look but he now seemed much more relaxed, he was no longer rigidly called to attention to serve hand and foot.
After Spirou had explained everything to the Count and Fantasio things had gradually started to get a little better. The robot had apologised in full for what he had done to Spirou, and Fantasio had apologised for using him as a servant. After that point things were awkward but gradually started to improve over the next couple of days. Spirou Two showed he regretted his actions and now intention of repeating his mistakes, and Fantasio had done his best to make up for treating Spirou Two as a tool to be used.
The robot came up to him and spoke.
"I am sorry for everything I did to you. I can not understand how you decided to forgive me for what I did."
"I'm just glad the faith I put in you paid off." Spirou said, giving the robot a smile. Spirou picked up his bags in his good arm and headed out the door.
"I can assist you." Spirou Two said.
"You don't have to worry about it. You're not a servant anymore."
"I know. This time I simply want to help."
The robot kept an eye on Spirou's busted shoulder, it was on the mend but it would still take a bit of time to completely heal. There was a formula the Count gave him to replenish his blood, but Spirou was reluctant to take it since it was mostly liquid paint.
Spirou and Spirou Two headed down the stairs together. Spirou headed out into the courtyard to the Turbotraction and Spirou started loading his luggage in the boot.
"You can come with us if you like."
"That offer is appreciated but I still need to figure out my own identity. I think I would enjoy having time to myself." The robot turned to gaze at the forest. "I do like it here, there is a large variety of nature in the woods. I am curious to observe them."
Spirou knew that often Spirou Two liked to go for walks in the woods. He didn't seem to tire of them, though he didn't seem to get tired in general.
"I'm sure the Count wouldn't mind if you wanted to join in his studies."
"That is an interesting proposal."
"But if you don't want to stay in Champignac all the time then you can always come visit us in Brussels, we'll be able to give you a place to stay."
"That would be nice."
"It's several days walk, if you call we can always pick you up."
Spirou Two stared at him casually.
"Walking is fine."
At that point Fantasio came along, carrying his own bags.
"I've got everything."
"Do you want me to help put any of your bags in the trunk?" Spirou asked.
"No, I can get it all, you don't have to worry." Fantasio said as he started to put his things away. Both the two Spirou's calmly watched him.
After Fantasio was done he turned to Spirou Two.
"You're planning on staying here then?"
"I might do for now, but thank you for your offer of hospitality."
The Count also came out onto the porch to greet them.
"Have a safe journey back, good luck to you both."
"Thank you Count. It'll be good to go home again."
"Well I'll hopefully see you again soon."
"Yes, of course." Spirou got into the car alongside Fantasio, he stared back at the Count and at Spirou Two and gave them a wave.
"Bye!"
Spirou Two waved back and gave him the first smile that seemed absolutely genuine.