Chapter 2: Adjustments

Author's Note: Long time no see huh… Been through a lot of crap the past couple of months, but now that it's summer, I can finally have a moment's peace! I literally have no idea where this story is going since I'm just the type of idiot that starts stories on a whim and never actually plans ahead…

I'm developing the plot as I write further. Hopefully I'll be able to produce something decent XD

~…~

Jake stared at the ceiling from the crib he placed in. After blacking out, the two robots, whom he now realized should be considered his new 'Parents', thought he simply fell asleep, rather than have a panic attack. He woke up much later, and spaced out as he began trying to digest all of what happened.

'Ok, I take it this is what she meant by it won't be the same thing.' He thought as he lifted his tiny, robotic arm. No matter how he went about it, he couldn't even begin to understand his current situation. When he agreed to the contract, he assumed he would be revived in a parallel world where the school explosion never happened. He never imagined he would be sent to an alternate universe dominated by robots… Another puzzling factor was the fact that he was basically an infant. Why couldn't they just place him in a robot closer to his actual age…? Perhaps there was some hidden meaning to it all, but Jake couldn't really see it.

He attempted sitting upright, but all he could manage was squirm around his crib. He deduced that his body was developed enough to accomplish anything. As to be expected from a baby. He wondered if Robots aged as slowly as humans did, for if that were the case, it was going to be a long time before he could try and figure out the circumstances of his current situation. On the bright side, being an infant means he has virtually no responsibilities. He supposed he would think of it as something of a break. The room started lighting up, and Jake looked out the window to be greeted by the sunrise. Well, the robot equivalent of a sunrise anyway. Still, the view was somewhat calming.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from somewhere, and all of a sudden his 'mother' peaked in on him. With a smile plastered on her robotic face, she leaned in and slowly caressed Jake's cheek. He had a rough time stopping himself from flinching at the sudden contact. As far as he knows, the concept of flinching should be foreign to babies, human or otherwise. She then went away to who knows where, leaving Jake alone again with his thoughts. Jake thought he might as well try to go back to sleep, for there was nothing else he could possibly do. He hoped with every fiber in his being that robots age faster than humans, otherwise, he'd be royally screwed.

That didn't really last long since, a few minutes later, his 'mother' came in and picked him up, successfully surprising him. As soon as he saw what she had in her hand, he felt fear's chill running through his spine. There in her hand was something he had not anticipated, a tool of a catastrophic nature that he wished he wouldn't have to face: a baby bottle. Except, it had some sort of dark liquid inside, instead of the usual milk.

"Open wide, little one!" said Mom-Bot cheerfully, not paying attention to the look of horror plastered over Jake's face. He knew that it should theoretically be the robot equivalent of baby milk, but how did she expect him to willingly drink something that looked like unfiltered poison! There was NO way, there really wasn't… but…

'Avoid Suspicion… Avoid Suspicion… AVOID THE FREAKING SUSPICION'

Those were the words that echoed through Jake's mind as he slowly, yet reluctantly opened his mouth and allowed Mom-Bot to feed him. He was so glad that he lacked any form of gag reflex, because he could not handle the sharp, metallic taste that filled his mouth, which, judging by the smell, is actually oil. Under normal circumstances, he would never have dreamed of even considering oil as some sort of nutritional beverage. But… but… he doesn't mind it?

'HOLY SHIT! This… actually tastes ok… What the hell is going on here?'

The fact that he felt a strange sense of rejuvenation after the drink did not help matters one bit. Deciding to side with simplicity, he deduced that it was probably due to the fact he was no longer human… In reality, this entire event managed to accomplish one thing: finally make Jake accept the fact that he is now a machine. Granted, a fully aware machine surrounded by other sentient machines, but a machine nonetheless. His days as a human being ended the moment that gas leak caused the explosion. In that moment, he felt a sudden wave of sadness engulf him. Had he known he would cease to be human, he would have gladly chosen to move on. Perhaps this is the universe's way of getting back at him for his stubbornness.

When Mom-Bot placed him back in the crib, Dad-Bot also passed by. "How's my little trooper doing?" he asked, not that he was expecting an answer. Jake looked at him, and when Dad-Bot noticed the unusual sadness and looked at him with worry, Jake faked a yawn and pretended to go back to sleep. He was relieved to see that it was sufficient to alleviate his suspicions. Regardless of his current swirl of emotions, Jake could not afford to have his Robo-Parents worried something's wrong with their child. All babies his current age could and should do is sleep, whine, eat, and release wastes. So for the time being, he will suppress his feelings and try to act as much like a normal baby as he possibly could.

'Maybe… Just maybe I could figure out a way out of this mess…'

With that thought in his mind, he fell asleep, hoping his current life would somehow get better.

~…~

And so from that point, Jake and his parents continued to play his game for the next couple of years. He'd pretend to be a baby as much as he could, while his Robo-Parents stopped noticing the slight discrepancies between an actual baby and a reincarnated one. In all honesty, Jake quite enjoyed all the pampering he was getting. All he had to do was lie there and cry when appropriate. Of course, no plan is ever perfect. It was around the second year after his reincarnation. It was a normal day, Dad-Bot was out at his job. From what Jake could piece together from the times he eavesdropped on his oblivious Robo-Parents, Dad-Bot was a lawyer at Rivet Town's Agency for Attorneys. All his eavesdropping has been most beneficial, since it gave him a rough summary of his surroundings, which he hopped to enlarge once he was physically old enough to learn more.

After time has passed, he learned what certain feelings meant. Every time he felt sleepy, he felt a strange whirring sound in the back of his head. It always occurred when he went to sleep, which was involuntary more often than not. He also deduced that when he reached his hunger limit, he would feel a sharp pain in his stomach. That was the signal that he should ask for food. No matter how many times he attempted forming a proper sentence, all he would ever manage were baby cries, which prompted Mom-Bot to rush to him with his oil bottle. He still couldn't get over the fact he enjoyed drinking freaking oil, but that was something he would figure out later. One day, while sitting next to Dad-Bot in their somewhat glamourous living room, he felt the sharp pain and sighed. It was really annoying, having to deal with this every time he felt hungry. He decided to simply get the process over with, uttered the usual words. Except, something was drastically different this time…

"Dad I-"started Jake, then immediately halted, realizing with horror what just transpired. He stole a peak from Dad-Bot, who was just as shocked, albeit for a completely different reason. For the first time since his reincarnation, he actually uttered words rather than cries. It was… strange. His voice was nothing like it actually was. It was slightly high-pitched, which he attributed to his under-developed voice-box. He immediately remembered that when he turned two, his parents brought some type of upgrade, and installed it while he was sleeping. His throat did hurt for a few days, but even then, he'd still cry instead of talk.

Dad-Bot, on the other hand, was just glad that his son finally started speaking, and went ahead to get Mom-Bot, who ushered Jake to speak again. Jake just couldn't find it in him to deny them that request when he looked at their pleading eyes. With a heavy sigh, Jake spoke once more.

"Dad… Mom…" he said, respectively pointing at each of them. They then started aww-ing, and Mom-Bot when so far as to hug him.

It was weird, being able to suddenly talk when he couldn't do so the day before. One thing was abundantly clear however… In order to comprehend this world, he had to discard most of his knowledge about human development.

The difference between Robots and Humans was nothing short of astronomically great…

~…~

Author's Note: I apologize again for the delay, and I also apologize for the slight shortness of this chapter. To be honest, I just wanted to finish up the baby, and possibly Toddler, stage of Jake's new life. After all, rarely anything happens to children at that age. So, starting next chapter, Jake will have grown into a normal child, and will finally start attending robot school.

I am not sure when I will be able to update again, but I really appreciate the good comments that were made on chapter 1! So a major Thank you to everyone who reviewed and/or favorited/followed.

Be sure to tune in for the next chapter!