Here is the chapter you've all been waiting for: what happened to Claptrap? I realized that after posting the previous chapter, I was rather vague about what I meant when discussing doing something with Claptrap. I was, in fact, talking about the one that was strapped to a rocket. Apologies for the confusion.
This chapter will be a little different. You'll see what I mean. Without any more, here's chapter four!
Disclaimer: The only things I own in this story are the eridian artifact that I made up, the planet that I made up, and the OC's that I made up. Everything else belongs to Gearbox Studios.
Spoiler alert! This chapter contains minor spoilers. Read at your own risk.
Chapter 4
From Claptrap's point of view:
I was completely horrified when I heard that the CL4P-TP product line was going to be extinguished. Apparently, a few of us had gone rogue and attempted to kill a bunch of people. How was that even possible? CL4P-TP units were programmed to be friendly and passive! The only way we would kill something is if we were reprogrammed to do it. Which meant...
Handsome Jack, the leader of the Hyperion Corporation, had done something to those rogue CL4P-TP steward bots.
Luckily for me, I was on Exyn, and the Claptraps seemed to only be affected on Pandora. Funny how things work out, huh? Hold up... how did I even get on Exyn?
*Begin flashback*
Thirteen years ago
"Mr. Robot!" the little girl called out. We were playing hide-and-seek. Apparently, she didn't understand. She kept crying out to me. That's not how you play hide-and-seek! At least, that's what my programming told me. I decided to correct her.
"This is not how you play hide-and-seek! You are supposed to find me on your own!" I shouted from my hiding spot. Suddenly, her voice came from behind me.
"Mr. Robot, I found you!" I jumped, startled. "Mr. Robot, you're the one that doesn't know how to play! You gave away your position, falling right into my trap!" she exclaimed, beaming. She gave me a big hug. "I love you, Mr. Robot."
What was I supposed to do? I wasn't programmed to experience this situation. My internal processor had begun to fail. I was forced to shut down. My microphone remained on, however.
"Dad! He turned off again!" the girl shouted.
Another voice replied. "Angel, I told you before, this one is a prototype. The engineers at the company are working on it. What happened? I have to send an error report back in case something like this happens."
"Well... I gave him a hug and said I love you, then a weird sound came from somewhere inside of him. Then he just turned off."
There was the sound of a pen scribbling on a notebook, while the voice was muttering things like "incapable of processing love" and "update required". The voice spoke up. "Alright, I'll send him back to the lab. I'm sure they can fix him up, okay Angel?"
"Okay." Microphone battery critical. Automatic Shutdown initiated.
• • •
I was rebooted. I quickly recognized my surroundings. I was at home. Specifically, I was in Angel's room. I looked around and saw Angel seated on her bed. I waved. "Hello, Angel!" I began to analyze the recording from after my shutdown. As I comprehended the conversation, I realized that I had received an upgrade to my software. Fortunately, the programmers decided to leave all of my stored memory intact. Lucky break.
"Hi, Mr. Robot!" she replied with a big smile. I felt something inside of me. I didn't know what it was, but it felt good. My internal processor determined this sensation to be happiness. Since I hadn't experienced it before, I figured I would have to adjust to it. In the meantime, I looked at Angel.
"Is there something you need?" I asked.
Angel appeared slightly distressed. She hopped off of her bed and sat next to me. "Well, it's a secret, you can't tell anyone, okay? No one."
I saluted. "You can count on me!"
"Good." Angel paused and took a deep breath. "I think dad is planning on locking me away."
I was shocked. Shock was certainly a strange feeling for a robot such as I to experience. I was about to ask why, but she had started talking.
"There was another accident in the lab." She quickly fell silent.
I wanted to know more. I wanted to understand the situation. I wanted to help Angel. "What happened?"
Angel was on the verge of crying. What was I supposed to do? With my new programming, I knew exactly what I should do. I gave her a hug.
"It's okay, Angel. Don't cry." I did my best to comfort her. My options were limited, however, since I was a robot. After thirty seconds, Jack knocked on the door.
"Angel? Are you in there?" I detected a tone matching anger in his voice. Angel didn't respond. Even a robot could feel the tension in the room.
Jack sighed. "Listen, Angel. You don't know the extent of your powers, and neither do I. The only way we can figure out how to control your powers-"
"Dad," Angel pleaded, "don't do this to me, please!"
I felt her pain. Those engineers at Hyperion sure did a great job with this whole emotion thing.
"Angel." Jack's subtle anger had grown. "After what you did to your mother, you dare beg for mercy?!"
"It was an accident!" Angel cried.
"Damn it, Sirens don't have accidents!" The door knob moved. Apparently, Angel had locked the door. "Open the door, Angel, before I get really mad." I didn't think he even could get angrier.
There was silence. After a minute of serenity, Jack said one last thing. "I think as punishment, I'm going to scrap that robot." Was he talking about me? What did I do to him? Why me? I looked at Angel. She looked truly scared.
Her gaze slowly returned to me. Her words really touched me: "I can't let you die, Mr. Robot. Please forgive me. I hope we meet again." What did she mean? What did she plan on doing? Why were the tattoos on her body glowing?
The last thing I heard her say: initiating phase shift.
Everything went black. I heard a woman's voice. I recognized it as the voice used in many Hyperion products. "Welcome to the Hyperion Fast-Travel Station. Your destination is Exyn. Remember to keep your arms and legs within the space vortex at all times. Enjoy the ride."
*End flashback*
I remember now! That girl sent me here! If only I could remember her name...
Feel this chapter was too short? Well, if I had more reviews, I might have had more to say! Please, review my story. I would like to know if I'm doing something wrong so as not to repeat the mistake. Thanks.
Noblicious Jasprite, out.
