Revised on the 18th of October 2017
AN: Well this chapter took fucking longer than it should've. Sorry for the delay!
Watchpoint: Gibraltar, Mediterranean
2076
Nathan did not have fond memories of the block he was in, memories that were not eased by the armed escort walking alongside him. However, for the sake of a friend he still chose to walk through the halls of the prison block once again. He wanted to check-in on Bastion, to see if the security team were treating the Omnic and his bird all right. Also, to see if he could get them out of that cage and give them some degree of freedom once again. Must have been a drastic change from being in a forest for most of its life to some dingy, concrete cell.
The guard leading him was Mirembe, the agent he met on the landing platform when he got back from Germany. Also, the one who took Bastion away in the first place. Nathan wasn't exactly happy in present company. Didn't stop her from speaking up, though.
"So, let me get this straight," she began, looking over her shoulder at him. " You're requesting that we hand over custody of the Bastion Unit over to you, temporarily at least. Am I correct, sir?"
"Yup," he confirmed, looking down at her. "Is there a problem?"
"Of course, there is. You are basically asking to babysit a Bastion Unit – a very dangerous robot designed for war – when there is no basis for the security team to entrust you with such a responsibility. What are you even planning to do with it?"
"Take him out for a walk. Show him around. Get his servos checked. Anything to get him out of that cell and not be cooped up like a rat. I'm not exactly comfortable putting Bastion through all of that."
"That's not your decision to make. And it's a machine, not a dog. Bringing it all over the base poses many security risks and I doubt the personnel will feel comfortable having it walk around. If it were up to me, you would only be able to visit it on a set schedule."
However, after that long-winded and emotionally charged rationale she gave against him, Mirembe let out a deep sigh as she continued leading him through the halls.
"Unfortunately, it's up to Security-Chief, Captain Amari, not me," she lamented, not eager to let the Omnic out.
"Amari?" Nathan questioned. "Do you mean Fareeha? When did that happen?"
"Not too long, ago. She knows how to run things around here. Not really surprising given her mother."
"Right…"
Finally, they had reached the cell where the Omnic was, along with his bird-friend. Through the glass door, they saw him sitting on the concrete cell floor, like a human. However, Nathan didn't expect to see the Omnic Monk in there as well, also sitting on the floor and facing the larger Omnic with his hands splayed to the side in that typical "monk pose". Bastion turned his head to their visitors and let out a few announcing beeps. Zenyatta followed, rising from the floor, and turning to greet them.
"Ah, it is a pleasure to see you both," the Monk said, sounding genuine. "How may we help you?"
"Hey, Zenyatta," the Waster greeted. "Just came to see how Bastion's holding up and if I can take him out of that cage, for the day. The bird, too."
"That sounds wonderful! What do you think, my friend?"
Bastion jumped up, letting out a series of joyous beeps as he bounced with apparent excitement. The bird seemed to share the same sentiment, flapping in circles around the small cell as it sang a song. Nathan would've felt the same if it wasn't for the fact that he saw Bastion had his right arm missing. With a heat building up the back of his neck, he turned to Mirembe.
"Where is his arm?" he demanded. "What happened to it?"
"We had to remove it and store it away, for safety precautions," she responded, maintaining a professional visage against his. "We removed the minigun and its cannon, as well."
"I hope that's all you've removed."
Before the Courier could go further, hovering over her, the guard's radio went off with the voice of the younger Amari through the speaker.
"Mirembe, it's Fareeha," she announced over the comms. "You wished to speak to me?"
"Yes, Captain," the guard responded, putting a finger up to her ear. "Brin is here at the prison block and is requesting that he… Takes care of the Bastion Unit. Watching over the Omnic for the day, at least."
There were a couple of moments of silence after that transmission. On Amari's end.
"Any reason for why he wants to do that?" she questioned.
"He wishes to…"
She glanced at the Nathan, who is patiently watching her with his arms crossed over his chest. Bastion and Zenyatta are watching through the glass, too.
"…To take the Omnic, and I quote, 'out of the cage'. He apparently doesn't want to leave his friend alone in the cell, ma'am."
"Is that so? What does he plan to do once it's out?"
"He wishes to take it for a walk, show it around, fix it up, like a pet. His words, ma'am."
"I see… Okay. You can let the Bastion go under his supervision."
"What?!"
That caused a reaction in the three watching her, seeing Nathan perk an eyebrow and Bastion tilt his head.
"You did disarm the unit, yes?" the Captain asked over the comms.
"Y-yes," the guard responded. "But Captain, is it wise to let him watch over the Omnic, taking it around the Watchpoint?"
"Nathan hasn't given me a significant reason to doubt him, yet. And there will be eyes all over if anything happens. Besides, we're stretched thin and I may need to assign you to another post."
"I-I see… Should we assign an escort, at least? In case the Omnic…"
"Brin's capable. I'd know. Anything else, Mirembe?"
"No, Captain. Thank you for your time."
She lowered her hand from her ear and turned to see the three, all staring at her in earnest. Nathan could see, from her annoyed expression, that things didn't pan out the way she wanted.
"So, does that mean Bastion can come out now?" he asked, not really attempting to hide his smirk.
"Yes," she merely said, motioning to another guard to open the cell door and let them out. "The Chief is putting a lot of trust into you, and I don't know why. You better not break that trust."
"I'm surprised she even let me get my way. And here I thought she didn't like me that much."
The glass cell door slid open, Bastion strolling out with the bird on his shoulder and Zenyatta just behind him. The Siege Automaton's mood seemed to gain a huge boost from simply walking out of the cell.
"Bee doo beep boo dee boop boo boo!" he said, elated that he wasn't confined to the concrete walls for now.
"You're welcome, Bastion," the man responded, looking over the Omnic's still mossy form. "Good thing severed limbs don't nearly affect robots as bad as people. They could've bothered cleaning you up, though. At least I know where we're going first."
"Bwee?"
"The workshop. See if I can give you a proper once-over. Come on."
The man took point, leading the Omnics and bird through the cell block and eventually out onto the rest of the Watchpoint. As they strolled through the base, Bastion looked around in wonder again, while Nathan noticed all the glances and stares they were receiving. He rolled his eyes and tried to not pay attention to the unwanted attention, keeping his eyes on the Pip-Boy to lead them to their destination.
Brigitte walked, with a toolbox in hand, into Watchpoint: Gibraltar's workshop - a spacious room filled with an assortment of tools and equipment serving an equally varied number of tasks to anyone in Overwatch skilled enough to use them. Whether the space was used to maintain agents' weapon and armor, build new gear, or be a testing ground for experimental equipment, it served the Watchpoint well and was rather frequented by the base's engineers and mechanics, her included. Though, the task she was returning from wasn't nearly as glamorous as she came back from a simple maintenance run trying to keep the place running without a hitch. Despite the Watchpoint being a state-of-the-art facility, it saw serious disuse and disrepair in the past few years. She was pretty good at her job, but it was demanding and monotonous most of the time.
Her day got a bit more interesting, however, as she walked in to find the towering Bastion Unit sitting in the middle of the room. Brigitte nearly dropped the toolbox but controlled herself when she spotted Nathan scraping some green stuff off the machine's armored hull. The man noticed her, looking up from his work.
"Howdy," he greeted, immediately going back to grabbing more moss and grass.
"Um… H-Hey," she greeted, too, but keeping a wary eye on the Omnic. "What are you doing?"
"Giving Bastion a once over and cleaning him up. He kinda needs it."
"He?"
"Yeah, figured it would be tiring to constantly refer to him as 'it'. Plus, he kinda acts like a boy-robot to me."
"And what does he think of that?"
Nathan looks up again at Brigitte and looks to Bastion. Bastion looks back and forth between the two, before shrugging and giving a rather indifferent series of beeps.
"He doesn't mind. And you just learned to shrug. Good job."
"Bee doo beh!"
If Brigitte was being honest with herself, this was a very unusual exchange the mechanic was witnessing, seeing the usually brooding Wastelander talk so casually with a Bastion Omnic that technically should be extinct. An Omnic that also didn't speak a lick of English, yet Nathan could still understand it. Hopefully, they wouldn't be too much of a headache for her.
Electronic humming made Brigitte look to her left to see the former Shambali Omnic, Zenyatta, blissfully working on something at a table. Setting the tools down where she found them, she went over to the floating machine and peered over his shoulder to see him placing some colorful flowers in one of the empty cans lying around the workshop. Lying next to his project was a bird's nest, occupied by its yellow owner.
"And what are you doing?" she asked, examining the tiny bouquet.
"Giving these flowers a proper home," he stated, delicately arranging the plant life. "It would have been a waste to throw them away after they were removed from Bastion's body, otherwise. Of course, the bird's nest will stay, also."
Brigitte couldn't help but smile at the kind gesture the monk showed. She walked to the other side, closer to where the bird was in its nest. Carefully and gently, she stuck her right index finger out, offering it as a perch for the bird. It looks at her curiously, turning its head to the side like a confused puppy. Letting out a small chirp beforehand, it quickly hops up and plants its twiggy feet on her finger. She raised her hand to eye-level, observing the friendly little bird with a smile still on her face.
"Well, aren't you a pretty little thing?" she said, gently rubbing a finger across its feathered head. "Does it have a name?"
"Not yet," Nathan answered, looking at his Pip-Boy as he searched for the right tool. "If you have one, feel free to say it. Can't think of anything to call the critter."
"I'm sure you'll figure something out soo-"
"Just what in the hell is going on here?!"
The bird flew away from Brigitte, startled, and both Nathan and Bastion rocketed up to their feet. The bird then landing on its metal friend.
At the entrance of the workshop was Overwatch's premier engineer, Torbjörn, with a look of obvious displeasure on his face. Brigitte's eye widened as she realized what could've caused that interruption, looking back and forth between Zenyatta and Bastion. Nathan walked forward, an irritated scowl on his face.
"What's the problem?" he questioned, his eyes narrowed at the Swedish dwarf.
"What are they doing here? Or more importantly, what is that doing here?!" Torbjörn demanded, pointing a finger at Bastion.
"Bastion? I brought him here to clean him up and give him some much-needed maintenance. Is that a problem?"
"Is that a problem? Is that a 'problem'?! You do realize that thing has killed countless amounts of people in the past and shouldn't be outside of its cage! Who authorized this?!"
Nathan's lip parted and started to bare his teeth, a low growl emanating from the back of his throat. The mechanic next to him was warily eyeing his mannerisms.
"Amari, the Security-Chief, did. If there's a problem, you should take it up with her. Bastion hasn't done jackshit to you or anyone on this base! You don't see a pile of bodies behind him, do you?"
"Why are you even doing this?"
"I owe him for saving me back at Germany."
Torbjörn looked as if he was caught aghast by that statement, a look of disbelief before it quickly got replaced by a very angry expression.
"Germany?! That's the same country his kind ravaged and killed their way through! You're a fool to trust it after seeing everything they did when you were still stuck in Eichenwalde! Urgh- I might as well whack both of you in the head with my hammer to knock some sense into you."
"Try that and I'm going to choke you with your own mechanical claw you little shi-!"
"STOP IT! ENOUGH! THE BOTH OF YOU!"
Brigitte ran in between them, yelling at the Engineer and the Courier to stop their bickering. She was clearly distressed but maintained a firm and calm attitude as she glared at them both. She addressed the shorter man first.
"Pappa," the Mechanic started, earnestly but sympathetically. "I know you have a terrible past with Omnics and with what they did in the past, but look at Bastion! He's practically like a child! And Nathan's only doing what he thinks is best."
They all turned back to look at Bastion, his one hand hugging tightly to his chest and acting anxious as its head swiveled around the room nervously. Its friend also showing signs of distress, jittering across his shoulders. The Swede only crossed his arms and huffed, his face still rigid.
"Children usually aren't armor-plated and have built-in automatic weapons," Torbjörn fired back, sternly regarding her daughter.
"And engineers don't usually shy away from a problem and wait for it to disappear," Nathan piped back in, looking the Swedish Engineer dead in the eye. "They try to fix it. Improve it. Surroundings themselves with the best tools they have at hand. Can't think of a better place for a robot like Bastion to be than a workshop. Don't you agree?"
Torbjörn's face hardened but thought flashed across it. As much as he hated those Omnics being there, he couldn't deny that logic.
"Fine," the dwarf relented. "You can work on your little pet project. Just don't expect me to share the same space with you."
With that, he turned around and left, leaving the four alone in the workshop.
Brigitte sighed deeply after he had left, rubbing her hands over her face. She didn't think she would have to play mediator when she woke up that day. Fixing up people wasn't nearly as easy for her as fixing up Rein's armor. And it wasn't a guarantee either. Her eyes opened as Nathan walked past her and back to Bastion, who let out a few worried tones. The man reassured the machine before he went back to his tools and started going to work.
Brigitte's face twisted before she walked over to Nathan and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, er- Look," she started, her tone again sympathetic. "I'm sorry for what happened back there-"
"It's not your fault," Nathan stated, cutting her off as he focused on the task at hand.
"I know, it's just… It's been a long day for my pappa and everyone's been a bit more on edge than usual. He's not always like that. He's a great guy when you warm up to him."
"If I wasn't made of metal, that is. So, he has a history with Omnics, too? Must've been bad for him to act like that."
"It kind of is. He actually created some of them."
Nathan abruptly stopped, setting his tool down and slowly getting up. He turned to Brigitte, a look of disbelief on his face.
"No shit?" he let out, genuinely caught off guard.
"Yeah…" was all Torbjörn's daughter said, looking down as her hand worryingly rubbed her other arm. "It's not exactly a secret."
"Old wounds like those are not easy to shed," Zenyatta spoke up, gliding up to the woman's side with the "flower pot" in hand. "The sorrows he has felt… One can only imagine. But I hoped they haven't been too much of a burden for the Engineer."
The room reigned in silence, none of them have the inclination to speak out. Nathan especially, learning that the man he was going to suffocate just minutes earlier created the very thing that tried to kill off humanity.
It was then that Nathan just wanted to finish what he was doing.
Hours passed, and Brin had been summoned to Winston's office for a briefing on an upcoming mission. As always, it was at an inopportune time, as he was still in the middle of fixing/cleaning up Bastion. So, rather than taking Bastion back to the cell and leaving him there, the Courier decided to prolong their little escapade for a few minutes more and brought him along to the briefing.
Winston and the others he called-in for the briefing were surprised to see the hulking Omnic following less-hulking Nathan into the office. Fareeha, Ana, Jack, and even Angela were present for the meeting and must've been waiting for him to arrive. They all regarded the Omnic with surprised and wary looks, who naively returned a simple hello with his hand.
"Beedo beedo!"
"Just don't mind him," Nathan reassured them, walking up to the desk and ending up beside Dr. Ziegler. "Shall we move on?"
Winston fumbled a bit before going back to his computer and organizing some things.
"Er- yes," he said, as he typed on his keyboard and began to bring multiple holoimages.
"Thanks to Fareeha's friends at Helix, they were finally able to gain some information from the data files we had given to them. However, due to Helix's jurisdictions and restrictions, as well as the means of which they obtained the information, they are unable to go where they suspect Hakim is. So, it looks like we'll be handling this for them. Fareeha, if you'll please."
With a nod, she stepped forward and faced the group assembled as a large holoimage of a city in an arid climate formed above her. The buildings had very interesting and advanced-looking architecture. Some of them were quite imposing in their size, too.
"The data my men retrieved had led us to believe that Hakim maybe hiding out in the city of Oasis, in Iraq," she explained, regarding the group with the professionalism of a soldier. "As some of you may know, Oasis is a city of great technological and scientific advancement, so why Hakim is supposedly here raises some questions. He may possibly have gotten here with the assistance of Talon. To what extent, we don't know. Thankfully, by a stroke of luck, we have an opening."
She then gestured to Dr. Ziegler.
"Angela has been invited by the Ministries of Oasis for to be honored for her work in the field of medicine and for what she has been doing recently in the Middle-East, even though she is now 'unofficially' working for Overwatch. So, the plan will be that Angela will travel to Oasis under the guise of visiting but to collect intel on where Hakim is."
"What about the rest of us?" Morrison spoke up, his expression unchanging because of the mask. "What do we do?"
"You'll sneak in through customs and stay at the same hotel Angela will be. Scouting the city and trying to find any information you can about Hakim's whereabouts will be the priority. Oasis's surveillance systems are advanced, but it shouldn't too much of a problem for you two."
"And when do find him, what then?"
"We seize him as inconspicuously as we can and hand him over to my men back at Giza. They'll take over the rest, and while Helix's head will be spinning from the questionable affair, they'll be more than happy to have Hakim in custody."
She then turned her head to the Medic and Courier, catching their attention.
"As for you two," she spoke, observing them both. "Since Angela was invited to be the guest of honor, it seemed reasonable to have her escorted by personal security. For obvious safety concerns, Nathan must be assigned to you as a bodyguard."
"Again?" he asked, perking an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Notoriety. While the entire world is looking for Soldier: 76 and the Shrike, your face hasn't been revealed to the world. Only your helmet. So, you're going to go undercover again, like in London."
"I see. Same deal with my gear, too? Keep 'em stored until needed?"
"Of course, but, you may need to pack lighter."
Nathan held his breath as he heard that. Didn't like the sound of that.
"What?" he seriously asked.
"As I said, Oasis has very advanced surveillance and security systems. While Jack and… My mother will be sneaking in through less than legitimate means, you and Angela must go through customs. We have ways of sneaking in what you need, but it is limited."
"How so?"
"A sidearm and some armor should be able to get through. Anything as large as a rifle will be a no-go. Angela will be able to bring in all of her equipment because of the event, so you won't be completely without help."
"I'm still more naked than I'd prefer to be…"
As the implication and the worry of worst-case scenarios instantly being raised in his brain, he felt a hand grace his arm, and look down to see Dr. Ziegler giving her a reassuring expression.
"Don't worry, Nathan," she said with a warm smile. "I'll take good care of you."
"Won't be the first time," he admitted. "But… Thanks. I think I'm supposed to be your bodyguard, though…"
"So," Fareeha said, bringing all eyes back on her. "With that all said, is there any questions? No? Dismissed."
The agents began to file after having their fill from the briefing. Nathan and Bastion who were the last ones out from the lab and he began to escort the machine back to the cell. Begrudgingly, of course.
"So, what do you think?" Nathan asked the machine, looking up at him as they walked side-by-side.
"Boo doo?" Bastion asked.
"Of today, so far. How's it feel being out of the cage and walking around and seeing the sights?"
"… Wee doo boo che boo woo woo?"
"Amari? The younger one? What about her?"
"What about me?"
The sound of boots walked up to Nathan's side, looking to his right to see a glimmer of a gold flash across his face.
"Amari," Nathan greeted, not expecting the Egyptian to walk up to them "Bastion was just talking about you. Care to finish what you were saying, Bas?"
The Omnic's head snapped to either side, fidgeting and blubbering. A series of blathering doops and boops came out in a hushed tone. He faced forward again, trying to avoid eye-contact. Who knew robots could get embarrassed?
"It's fine," she said, holding up a hand. "I just wanted to check-in, see how you were doing with the Omnic. I did authorize your permission to babysit it, after all."
"Thanks for that, by the way," he expressed. "Didn't think you'd do it, though."
"You haven't given me much of reason to deny you. Besides, Lena and Reinhardt spoke highly of you after King's Row."
"…Did they now?"
"You're making a name for yourself here, believe it or not. Just don't let it go to your head."
"I'd prefer not to."
The Security-Chief and the Waster eventually escorted the Bastion back to the cell block, before turning in for the day.
Unknown Facility, somewhere near State Route 127, California Wasteland
2285
There was a big flash when they escaped through the relay, but then there was blackness. However, Veronica's eyes fluttered ever so slightly, trying to stir herself awake as faint light reached her eyes. In her disoriented state, she thought she could hear a series of worried whimpers and the faint sensation of something sniffing here. It wasn't enough to wake her, but the flurry of sloppy, gross licks that followed was more than enough to get her up.
"Uh- Er- Hmm?" she groaned, almost immediately scrambling and trying to push away the hunk of metal and fur. "Urgh- Rex? S-stop! I'm up! I'm up!"
Veronica sat up, immediately wiping the slobber off with her Followers coat and rubbing the dreariness from her eyes. She looked around, noticing it was night, but had bright lights of blue nearly blinding her. Rubbing her eyes again, she sees the lying form of Boone next to her, almost unconscious and with a scorched shoulder to boot. The sound of someone dry-heaving made her spin around, to see Parmley hunched over a railing and sending his Pork N' Beans over the balcony.
"Ugh, you were right…" the Ranger lament, wiping a bandana over his mouth. "There was going to be some vomit…"
However, Veronica's mouth was agape as she slowly got back up and went to the railing, paying little mind to the retching man next to her. Instead, she looked out from the platform they were on and her eyes scanned the land surrounding them. A collection of Old World facilities around them, still glowing bright and churning smoke from their concrete and metal shells. She even noticed a blue energy field emitting from the balcony's ceiling. Looking down, she could they were atop a huge white dome, a large research facility in of itself.
"Woah," was all the astounded ex-Brotherhood Scribe could say.
Pained groans and whimpers made the two turn around and see Boone trying to get up as the dogs worriedly pace around him. The burn on his shoulder made his face contort in pain as his hand clutched it, and further contort into more pain as it was still sensitive to the touch. Veronica went over to him and helped him up to his feet.
"Let's find an entrance to this facility," she said, picking up his rifle for him. "There's gotta be something here to help him."
Parmley nodded, wiped his mouth, and gathered the rest of their gear. The group rounded the rest of the balcony until finding the one door that led to the inside of the facility. However, before Veronica could get her hands on it to open, Parmley stopped her.
"We don't know what's inside," he said, bringing his rifle up and checking to see if a round was chambered. "Let me take point first, then I'll let you know if it's okay to follow."
The Scribe nodded graciously to the Ranger, before setting Boone down on one of the benches on the balcony. With his rifle leveled forward, Parmley operated the door and made it mechanically open, revealing the interior. He slowly walked into a metal room, sweeping, and checking the corners with the muzzle of his rifle. In the room he was in there was a massive circular computer in the center, along with what looked like a pod and garbage disposal mounted to the wall. They were open doorways that lead to other rooms, and after checking them, he found they were all alone in this metal room. He called out to the others.
"Come on in! It's all clear," he reassured as he slung his rifle over his shoulder.
The dogs walked in and watched as Veronica helped Boone, now walking on his own, but still stayed by her side. He soon walked over to the huge computer in the middle of the room and sat down on the screen with more help from Veronica. After that, she stood up and looked around the interior, even more impressed and awestruck by the technology she saw. Without a doubt, the Brotherhood would've had a similar reaction if they had gotten through.
"Huh, so is this where Nathan goes to on those long 'vacations'?" Veronica questioned, gawking at all the cool tech. "It's pretty cozy. Not a bad place all."
"Cheers, sir. I am delighted that sir possesses such positive judgments regarding this domicile."
They all jumped at that noise, Boone physically getting up and looking around, trying to find the source of that voice.
"What the?!" Parmley exclaimed, pulling out his rifle again. "I thought this place was clear?!"
"While sir has made a valiant and thorough endeavor of investigating this domicile, I regret to inform sir that said domicile is inhabited by a collection of personality matrices. I hope this does not disrupt the sirs and hounds excessively."
After a few moments of trying to figure out where that sound came from, their eyes eventually landed on the huge central computer in front of them as that was the closest they heard the voice come from.
"Are you…?" Veronica asked, her eyebrow furrowed.
"Salutations and felicitations, sirs and hounds, and a most jocund welcome to the Sink," the computer greeted, in a very posh foreign accent. "I am the electronic valet and household central processor. May I be of service, sirs and hounds?"
"First, who're you calling a 'sir'? Second, where are we?"
"Primarily, sir, it is with a great lugubriousness that I must disclose that my programmers installed only the masculine honorific, sir. As for the location that sirs and hounds have chanced upon is the 'Big Mountain Research and Development Center'. Regarding the building, this geodesic dome has been classified as 'The Think Tank' and is the command center of the research facility. As for this accommodation, it has been imaginatively called 'The Sink'. I hope this passage of information is of an adequate quality, sirs?"
"So, we're in Big Mountain? The place with advanced tech?"
"Irrefutably. Now, how may I be of service, sir?"
Another pained groan made Veronica turn back to see Boone struggling with his shoulder, again, Parmley removing the pieces of burnt cloth from his uniform to reveal charred skin.
"Well, first, we need to get my friend some medical help," she lamented, not sure if she packed the right supplies for such for laser burns.
"I'm sure I can patch him up real quick," called out an aged and western voice coming from some kind of metal pod with the faded markings of a Caduceus staff on it. "Pop him in and he'll be fixed in a jiffy. Oh, I'm the Sink's Auto-Doc by the way."
Veronica and Parmley exchanged glances, unsure that they wanted to put their friend in what looked more like a metal coffin. The Sniper stood up, however, and began walking towards the machine.
"If Nathan's been here and used this thing before," he said, gritting his teeth through the pain. "I ain't got a whole lot to worry about, then."
"That's the spirit! Now climb on in, son. Let the good doctor take a look you. Hmm… Yup, that looks like a laser burn. Ain't the worst thing I've dealt with so you'll be just fine."
The Sniper climbed into the automated physician, the metal door sealing him off, and it wasn't long until they heard the machine begin to work on healing their friend. Hopefully.
Not wanting to get sidetracked even further, Veronica turned to the Central Unit to start getting answers.
"Okay, we're here because we're trying to find our friend, Nathan," she explained, eager to get some answers. "Do you know him?"
"'Course we know him!" responded, not the C.I.U., but a tiny little Securitron at her feet, barely at knee-level and with a cartoon coffee mug as a face. "He practically lives here! Eh, sometimes. Name's Muggy, by the way."
"Uhm… Hi, Muggy…"
And here she thought the motley group of weirdos the Courier rounded up back at the Mojave was a colorful cast of characters. The sooner they went down this rate, they might as well meet a talking toaster. At least the little guy was kinda cute.
"Is there anyone here that could help us?" she asked, earnestly. "Give us any advanced technology that can lead us to our friend?"
"Sure is!" the little robot enthusiastically answered, as he pointed to a door with blue glowing lights in the other room. "If you go through that door and down the hall, you'll find this band of crazy floating brains in jars that call themselves scientists and they should be able to help ya'. You just have to say you know Nathan and it'll be easy peasy!"
"Really? Just like that? Well, that's pretty straightforward."
"Yup, and might I say, you guys sure are friendlier than that last group that came through here."
Veronica's sense of relief disappeared as fast her eyes opened, and she swiftly crouched down to the little Securitron.
"What?" she questioned in a serious tone. "Another group?"
"Yup," Muggy confirmed, still sounding jovial. "Through the same door you guys came through, this group of weird looking robots walked in and started looking around the place. I was excited at first, happy to see we had new people over!"
Muggy's ecstatic tone then turned darker and more vehement as he spoke.
"Then I learned they were a group of ASSHOLES, and one of them punted me like a football! I mean- I was only gonna ask if they had any cups that need cleaning, but noooooooo! Apparently, that isn't enough for some robots! Like, it's not my fault that I just wanna polish some cups and plates! It's in my nature! And I hate it! God-fucking-damn it Dr. O you monkey-molesting shitlicking lobotomizing egghe-"
"Woah! WOAH!" Veronica exclaimed, concerned by the amount of hate and rage generated by something so deceptively small and cute. "Calm down! Let's get back on topic… Where did these robots go?"
"Don't know. They did knock me out for a while," Muggy admitted, somehow sounding automatically calmer than he did a few seconds ago. "But they did probably go in there; Where the crazy kooks are. Would suck if they ended killing anyone in there. Except Dr. O, of course. Fuck him."
Veronica stood up and looked at the door, contemplating whether to go in there. They had already gone this far, and if those robots kill what could possibly be their only way of finding Nathan, she had to do something fast. She looked back at the Ranger, who was doing an inventory check.
"Parmley, stay here and make sure Boone's okay," she ordered, grabbing her Power Fist. "I'm going to check if those scientists are okay."
"Are you sure about that?" he asked, not liking the idea of her being left alone. "At least take some of these. And holler if you need help."
He handed her a couple Pulse Grenade, which could be useful if she was going to deal with unknown robots. She then whistled to Rex, whose ears perked before he went to her side and walk with her to the door.
Veronica stopped, reading the painted letters that read 'Think Tank' before reaching forward and pressing what she assumed was the doors controls. It opened, revealing a metal hallway leading into a large room. Walking through it, lightly and to not make a noise, she eventually reached the doorway. Looking around and saw that it was a large laboratory, the ground floor littered with equipment and large computers. There was a second level with stairs leading to it, a series of doors that lead to rooms behind metal doors. There wasn't anyone, and she certainly didn't spot any of the "floating brain jars" that little Securitron mentioned earlier. She slowly crept in, wary at the amount of noise she was making. Then, one of the doors hissed open. Spotting a pylon rising from the hexagonal flooring, she ran to it and took cover, her back pressed up against the wires and metal with Rex next to her, creeping low to the ground. They listened to the hydraulic door close and it wasn't long until they heard footsteps that sounded like metal clanking against metal, accompanied by mechanical whirring. Curiosity getting the better of the Scribe, she slowly peers from the corner to look and sees the robot Muggy was referring to. Her eyes widened in awe and shock at what she saw.
What she saw had to be one of the most humanoid-like robots she had ever seen. Well, not quite, but had some humanoid traits. It was clearly bipedal but walked normally and fluidly on two legs. It also had two arms, which it was using to carry a weapon she was not familiar with. However, the limbs were thin and segmented with circular pivots. The torso, or chassis, in this case, had a white hull but show some of it gray machine core, showing jagged edges and protruding parts. Finally, the head was just a prism, two red-colored glowing lines on the side that curved up to a little "ear" tip, and a single red light for an eye.
'Whatever that thing is, it has to be responsible for why nobody else is here…'
Growling caught her attention, and she was about to tell Rex to be quiet until she noticed he was facing the other side, and directly at another one of those robots that she failed to see walk behind them.
Rex was a quick dog, fortunately, and immediately jumped and lunged at the robot, knocking it to the ground as it fired into the air. Before wrapping his jaws around the neck and shaking it violently with his cyber-dog strength. Veronica looked back around the corner and saw the other robot was approaching her spot, weapon drawn. She ducked, waited a few seconds, and began to shuffle around the pylon in the other direction, hoping to take the robot by surprise as she eventually rounds the corner. As she had already cleared half the pylon and was ready to surprise the machine with a pneumatic gauntlet to the head, a noise made her head snap to the left and spot another robot on the railing. She ducked behind the cover of a nearby console, bullets peppering her position. The woman heard another bark and saw Rex barreling towards a set of stairs that led him up to the robot. It saw and tried to fire at the dog, but knocked down to the ground. Rex didn't immediately latch onto its neck like the first one, but it didn't stop him from trying.
Unfortunately, Veronica had her own problems to worry about and saw that the robot she tried to ambush now approached her with its weapon at the ready. Swiftly, she ducked gunfire and delivered uppercut to the machine, sending it flying to its back. It had a crack on its chassis, but before Veronica could finish it off, it rolled out of the way of her fist and got up as fast as it fell. Then, it delivered a metal fist of its own to her face. She stumbled, hitting the pylon with her back, before two metal hand wrapped around her throat and forced her feet off the ground. As she choked, the red eye of the machine got closer to her, as if it wanted to examine her pain. She snarled as she kicked it in the torso with her two legs and sent it stumbling back, before delivering a right hook to its head. It spun around, still on its feet, and looked back seething with a cracked eye. However, its head exploded as a rifle went off and fell limp to the black floor, revealing Parmley and his rifle to be there. Gunfire rang out from the other side of the room as a fourth robot fired as it ran down a set of stairs, but the Ranger swiftly fired back and sent it crumbling to the floor from a well-placed burst from his rifle. After a few moments of silence, everything was over.
"I told you to holler if you need help," the Ranger iterated, walking up to her. "Shouldn't have brought a fist to a gunfight. You alright?"
"Never better," quipped the woman as she rubbed her neck.
After recuperating, she walked to the center of the room, Parmley with her. They met up with Rex, carrying the severed head of one of the robots before dropping it to the ground with a wagging tail. Veronica bent down to pet him for a job well done.
"Well, no one else seems to be here," Veronica lamented, standing back up. "Where could they have gone?"
Before Parmley could respond, a huge screen from behind them came to life and made them turn around to see what was being transmitted. On it was one of the "floating jars": a brain encased in glass and goo with a series of limbs that had monitors displaying the images of an eye and a mouth, while the other eye was just a cracked black screen. The lab's speakers went off with a raucous.
"Hello, it is I! MOOOOOBBBIUSS!" he declared, making the group want to cover their ears. "And I am here to-"
"WILL YOU PLEASE STOP THAT INCESSANT YAMMERING?!" spoke another brain that floated into view, one that had all its monitors functional, one eye being smaller than the other, and wasn't nearly as grimy as the other one. Unfortunately, he was louder. "I SWEAR TO GEIGER IF IT ISN'T YOUR DEBILITATING ADDICTION TO MENTATS AND PSYCHO IT'S YOUR UNNECESSARY USE OF THEATRICS IN THESE TRANSMISSIONS!"
"Oh? Says the man who has his voice module's speakers set to the highest possible setting? And there's nothing wrong with Mentats."
"I TOLD YOU, THE STATUS OF MY VOLUME KNOB IS BECAUSE OF INTERFERENCE WITH MY COLLEAGUES!"
"Oh, yes. Blame the problem of your knob on others, not accepting the problem to be yourself. I've expected butter of you, Klein. Especially since I graciously let you into my Forbidden Zone."
"DON'T YOU-"
"HEY!"
Veronica screamed, getting both scientists to shut up. The woman in the white coat had just about had it and wasn't going to let a bunch of bickering geezers in brain jars make it worse for her. From being chased by her own ex-family while carrying a wounded friend, meeting a group of characters straight from an old Pre-War comic book, and being almost choked to death by a mysterious robot, she just had enough. Enough of this bullshit.
"As much as I'd like to listen to you argue, we're kinda on a schedule!" she exclaimed, her arms gesturing her frustration. "So, the sooner you help us and find our friend, Nathan, the better!"
"Nathan? Friend?" Mobius questioned, his visors getting closer. "Do you mean… Oh, you must be Veronica! You are exactly like what Nathan describes. Hello, I am Dr. Mobius."
"AND I," the other one started, prompting them to lift their heads to use as muffs. "AM DR. KLEIN! CHIEF HEAD RESEARCHER OF BIG MOUNTAIN AND-"
"Yeah, that's nice to hear," Veronica interrupted on the behalf of everyone. "I'm Veronica. This is Parmley and that is Rex. We have two others with us: a guy named Boone and a dog named Cooper. Now, since we share a mutual friend. Is there any way you can help us?"
The two scientists regarded each other, before turning back to the screen.
"Well, as much as I'd like to help friends of a friend," Mobius said. "We are, unfortunately, in a predicament of our own. Tell me, have you encountered strange, bipenal robots on your way here?"
"Yes, we did. They attacked us."
"AS THEY DID TO US," Klein spoke up, taking center stage. "AT FIRST, WE DETECTED A TELEPORT TO THE SINK AND WHEN IT GAVE THE SAME ENERGY SIGNATURE AS NATHAN'S TRANSPORTALPONDER, WE THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT. HOWEVER, INSTEAD OF OUR LOBOTOMI- ERGH, FRIEND - WALKING THROUGH THOSE DOORS, IT WAS THE METAL ABOMINATIONS WIELDING GUNS. THEIR PROCESSORS THEN HAD THE AUDACITY TO TAKE US PRISONER AND MARCHED US OUT OF THE THINK TANK AND INTO THE OUTSIDE WORLD. HOWEVER, THROUGH A COMBINATION OF THE POSSESSION OF HIGHER INTELLIGENCE AND CUNNING, I WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE THEIR METAL GENITAL HANDS."
"W-what?... Actually… Nevermind… Do you know why? Where they came from?"
"I'M AFRAID NEITHER OF US POSSESS SUFFICIENT EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE TO ANSWER EITHER OF THOSE INQUIRIES. A PITY, REALLY. BUT ONE THING IS FOR CERTAIN: MY NOT AS CUNNING COLLEAGUES NEED HELP, AND YOU SHOULD BE THE ONES TO PROVIDE IT. AS WE ARE BOTH INCAPABLE OF AIDING THEM OURSELVES."
Veronica and Parmley exchanged looks, both with a cautious heed.
"What do you mean 'incapable'?" Parmley asked, shaking his head. "You can't do anything?"
"We have bodies of science, not war," Mobius explained. "While our metal shells have been meticulously crafted for the porpoise of science, your fleshy bag bodies have been perfected for survival in the outside world. Everything from your eyes to your genitals."
"That's… Okay."
"Anyways, my scanners show their signals coming from the X-2 Transmitter Antennae Array south of you," Mobius went on. "Why they are there is a curiosity, as that array had been disabled ever since the X-2 antennae was ripped off some time ago. Nonetheless, they are being held hostage there."
"AND IF INTRINISTIC FEELINGS OF KINDNESS AND POLITENESS ARE NOT ENOUGH TO MOTIVATE YOU, THE PRESENCE OF THE ENTIRE THINK TANK MAY BE THE ONLY THING TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR FRIEND. SO, GO! GO WITH HASTE ON YOUR MOBILE PENIS-TIPPED FEET AND RETRIEVE MY NOT AS CUNNING AND NOT AS INTELLIGENT COLLEAGUES, FOR THEY ARE STILL MARGINALLY USEFUL!"
"Uh… What he said. Good luck! Uhm. Goodbye."
The screen finally blinked off, leaving the three alone in a hauntingly silent room. After getting so far and seeming so close, they still had some ways to go before they could find a way to reach Nathan and finally figure out what happened to him. As they stood there, dumbfounded and ears ringing, one thing was for certain.
"This is fucking weird."
AN: Writing the dialogue for the Think Tank and the C.I.U. is more difficult than writing for Ulysses. Ain't that some shit?