Notes: Can't stop fragging crying over Chappie even 3 years later.
.o
Deon missed being hugged.
Not only that, but the warmth and sensations that came with it.
Sensors were part of the Scouts' design to detect when something wasn't functioning properly in the robot's body, whether it be from damage on the field, or from malfunctioning parts. They were also created to register pressure, for instances such as if a heavy object fell upon a bot, if they would be able to lift the weight. It was standard and let the bot know whether or not to engage, as well as what tactics they should favour if the issue doesn't cause immediate disability.
However, the sensors weren't designed to register pain or pleasure. It would be foolish to; it would hamper a scout's effectiveness to plow through bullets, as pain is a distraction. Pleasure? The bots weren't especially sentient enough to be able to appreciate that.
But now more than ever, Deon was longing to experience that once again.
It had been a few weeks since Deon had been transferred to a new body. Humans were wired to crave touch and to be held. To be starved of it had been slowly driving him a bit mad. He'd had bits of contact here and there from his coworkers, a gentle hand on the shoulder, a firm shake of the hand, even the occasional hug and pat on the back for a job well done. Now all he could feel was pressure, but one knew that skin didn't just feel pressure; it relayed sensations like your skin being tickled, or a scratch that brought discomfort,
It was hard trying to explain to Chappie what it's like to feel more than just emotionally, but in a context that one could say "ouch!" or "that feels good". But once Deon got the point across (along with the help of the internet on Chappie's end), Chappie was enthusiastic to start on the project.
Deon figured he'd be spending weeks developing an artificial nervous system for their bodies that was compatible with their advanced programming, but with Chappie's intelligence and access to the internet, it took less than two days to devise a working template that was easy to create a prototype of with remnants of a deactivated scout's pieces. Because Deon was familiar with actual touch, he'd be the one they'd be testing on first. He had no fears. He was certain that he'd be alright as long as his creation stood by his side.
He didn't plan on it being a permanent integral function in their bodies. If a situation required, he would need to turn off the nervous system in order for Chappie to work without fear of pain. They both agreed that there'd be an internal and manual off switch, just in case one or the other failed to function.
Yolandi and Ninja were out for the night; they'd developed a surprising new habit of stargazing, which Deon found unbelievable when they told him where they were going the first time. But upon stumbling upon them a few nights later, they'd been cuddled up to each other, doing just that.
Deon figured that now would be a good time to test it, since there were no external distractions to have an effect on the results of their creation.
Deon had Chappie disassemble the metal platelets on his left hand, exposing the gears that allowed his fingers to move, as well as oil dispensers that squirted lubricant in between the moving parts to keep it from wearing down. It was amazing how quickly the error messages came up saying his hand's shell was compromised. He'd programmed it himself, but witnessing it in real time was different from witnessing it behind a computer monitor in a different body.
With the pressure sensors exposed, Chappie set to work on carefully removing them and replacing it with the new neural pressure system for his hand. It was only one piece on an entire body, but it was better to test one thing first before taking the giant leap for the whole body.
When he finished, he placed the metal back on top. Deon supposedly wouldn't be able to feel as much as when he was human, because the metal itself isn't lined with sensors, but with the sensors sitting so close to the plating, it should still transmit based on what they coded in and what the basic AI learns from their conscious responses and interactions.
They sat in front of each other, knees touching with Deon's fingertips placed gingerly on top of Chappie's hands. Deon activated the code that switched it on.
Deon could feel everything.
He could feel the oil slick between his joints, how it warmed the metal as his fingers twitched on Chappie's hands. He could feel a small draft ghosting over his metal—he was surprised the pressure sensors could pick up something that sensitive, but it wasn't a bad thing—tickling the sensors through vibrations transferred from the metal casing around it. He could feel the thrum of Chappie's body throughout his hand, and his own body's hum.
In the corner of his vision, he could see his body translating the sensations into measurable data, all of their hard work displayed before him, and yet, he could only keep focus on his hand. Feelings so familiar yet so foreign to this body, it was like seeing himself in a robot body for the first time.
He startled when Chappie closed his hands around his right finger. "Maker? Are you alright?"
It took a moment to collect his thoughts, but he slackened, releasing a tension on his pistons he didn't realise he'd been holding.
"Yes... Yes, I am alright."
"Is it working? Can you feel this?" Chappie used the hand not occupied with his left in order to lightly drag his fingers on top of Deon's hand. It was cold—the pressure sensors were correctly able to distinguish cold and hot interactions to the sensor plates. He stopped noticing his own hand functioning properly as the program learned to tune out his own mechanisms in favour of the world around him.
"It tickles... a bit." Deon was at a loss for words. Even when Chappie drew his hand away, there were still lingering sensations, much like skin tended to. "Yes. It works, Chappie."
Chappie wiggled his fingers in between Deon's sensitized hand and locked their hands together, and Deon's vision became staticky. His voice crackled and he let out what could only be described as a warbled sob. Immediately Chappie detangled their fingers and pulled away. "Did I hurt you, Deon?" Chappie carried a worried tone.
"No, no, I..." Deon grabbed Chappie's hand and entwined their fingers again. "It's just so overwhelming. To be able to feel like this again." He squeezed Chappie's hand experimentally, the tips of his fingers buzzing with output data. "...you never realise how much you miss something until you're left without it."
"This," Chappie gestured to their handholding with his free hand, "this feels good?"
Deon only nodded, letting his focus drop in favour of simply soaking in the sensation.
Chappie fumbled underneath the plating on his chin before extending a cable connected to his head. It was a cord designed to read the medical data received from a bot's internal hub in case a problem was not visible on the outside. But it doubled as a haptic relay for when pressure plates are being tested on new models.
"May I feel?"
He looked up, seeing Chappie offering the cord, and he took it with his right hand and plugged it in the port next to his own jack underneath his chin.
Chappie froze as he himself began to register the same info Deon was. His antennae twitched as he progressed through each bit of data.
"Wow," was Chappie's only response. Despite it, Deon knew that Chappie was in awe.
"This is what it's like to hug, sort of," Deon said, squeezing Chappie's hand again. It sent a jolt of pleasure through his sensors. "Okay, it does need some work. The sensors seem to be sensitive enough to replicate the sensations of skin, but the pleasure feedback shouldn't be so strong." He squeezed again. "Then again, I could just be reacting more strongly since I haven't felt in so long."
"Our hands, they are cold. This is cold," his creation noted. It's one thing to read what cold is, and how it feels, but to experience it was another.
Deon shook his hand out of Chappie's, and then probed around on his own body until he felt the vents under his torso armour—where his ribs would have been.
"This is heat." Deon commented as he slipped his fingers further into the armour. He could've cried from how welcoming his own body heat was. "This is what you'd feel when hugging someone. Or after a great run, your body would become hot.
"With these sensors, you'd be able to feel so much more. Knowing what water or snow feels like, to pet a dog and see how soft it can be. To understand why we need a soft touch when upset." Deon placed his left hand on Chappie's chest plating. "And why a warm embrace is so important."
"I want it," Chappie responded after some silence.
"I'm going to make some modifications to the program, so that it doesn't overwhelm you, but yes, you can have it."
Deon couldn't wait to share it with his creation. He wished Chappie would be able to experience all things that made being a human great, and more, amplified by being a robot. They experienced both death and immortality, the things that humanity feared and longed for.
Something as simple as feeling why a hug feels good?
It was the least that Deon could do for Chappie.