Act 4: Renewal
Chapter 12: The Clone Bots, the Mercenary, and the Scientists
Year 0, Month 6, Day 20
Rec Room, Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
Drifting awake on the couch was the small ghost, who spent the night snoring on it after having one too many cups of Hot Cocoa in its ghostly system.
Taking the moment to shake and stir itself awake, Gespenst turned on the nearby TV accidentally with the remote, getting the device to start playing the current channel. And as the ghost still tried to recall what happened last night…
"In other news, the holiday season proved that sales from the *static* 'company' did indeed rise. The CEO was quoted saying, "Given recent breakthroughs during our planned advertising campaign, we expect to expand our business and inventory in the new year, to deliver the finest quality items you could buy at a *static*..."
"And now that it has been 30 mins into the hour, here is the forecast for the Post-Christmas week out there…" The news channel said over the speakers, before the channel started displaying the weather forecast…
...With every day in the week saying that there was going to be some heavy snow going on.
Of course, this went unnoticed by Gespenst as it had floated over to the Kitchen to get a glass of water to drink. And once the Boo got the water ready, it drank some of it as Triple-R entered the room to get started on cooking some breakfast.
"Oh, hey there Gespenst. What are you doing down here so early?" Triple-R asked with some curiosity, as he got some cookware and food out of the drawers and pantry.
"... ...Slept on the couch last night… …" Gespenst replied back, before taking another long drink of water.
"You okay over there?"
"I'm fine…" Gespenst called back, sounding genuine as its voice started to sound like its usual state.
"Okay...Well, what you like for Breakfast then?" Triple-R kindly asked back.
The Boo took a moment to ponder, as it then started to get an idea of what to ask for...
Garage, Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
With the cold outside being mitigated by the work being done inside the Garage, Gene and Caroline took a moment to check things over on their latest project.
The project was working on finding a way to make some of the construction tools more resilient to the cold air, given that things were just on that last cusp of completion for the basement and third floor before the cold weather and the holiday spirit ate into the work.
"Hmm… ...Maybe I should go ask Nowan if he knows of any other possible methods we could use…" Gene mulled over aloud, while Caroline kept checking over the various bits of metals and chemical treatments they had available…
...When something started feeling off in the air, that wasn't just the cold-
*LOUD RUMBLE*
The entire Garage soon started shaking, alongside the main building as some of the stuff in the Garage tumbled over or fell off the workstations. However, just as soon as the quakes showed up, they just as quickly vanished as both buildings stopped shaking and settled down…
...And once it was absolutely clear it was over, Gene and Caroline emerged back into their work zone and started cleaning things up and letting their hearts settle down.
"Man, I hate earthquakes…" Gene noted aloud in an annoyed tone.
"Same here… ...But why do you hate them as much as you do?" Caroline replied back, before taking a moment to ask a bit more on why.
"I mean… ...Given where I've been in my life, I just don't like them because of the damage and messes they can cause." Gene noted over, before then beginning to say, "Then again, that one wasn't too-"
"-Sorry to interrupt things here, but Triple-R needs you right away, Gene." Nowan interrupted as soon as the Venusian Shapeshifter entered into the room.
"... ...Let me guess, the earthquake?" Gene quickly guessed aloud.
"Yeah…" Nowan simply replied back.
"I'll see you later, Caro…" Gene made sure to say over to her, before both him and Nowan ended up leaving the Garage in a bit of a fast pace.
"See you later then…" Caroline made sure to call back, before she got back to cleaning up the Garage…
… ...Only stopping for a moment as she started getting a weird feeling that she felt like she experienced before. But she decided to ignore it for the time being...
Exterior Grounds, Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
Looking around the area with some tools in hand and some snow weather clothing on top of their usual clothes, Gene and Nowan kept looking around the building to see if there was any damage to report.
They also weren't the only ones out there doing this work, given that Talma got politely asked to lend a hand in helping out. It also mainly had to do with the fact she was very resilient to the cold air, alongside her Zerg senses being good to help with keeping track of things.
So as the duo kept moving around the snowy grounds and eventually passed the D-GU as it was still in its usual spot in its deactivated state…
...They soon had to stop as they saw a familiar figure in armor out a bit aways practicing moving around in the snow and striking with their weapon as part of some form of training.
"Hey! Khadis! Is that you out there?!" Nowan ended up yelling over in that direction, before getting a dull look from Gene for a moment.
"You know, you probably just interrupted whatever he was working on over there…" Gene noted back, in the midst of keeping his teeth from chattering.
"Maybe so, but given the weather out here, I think it's better to make sure he's okay out here. Never know what can happen…" Nowan pointed back in response.
Khadis just turned and stared at them, in a way where even with his mask on, the look in his (glowing) eyes basically said 'Leave me alone'...
"... ...He's fine. So we can get back to work and get out of this cold… …." Gene noted back over to Nowan, before the two then got back to work.
And after a few more minutes and some walking through the snow…
...They ended up seeing Talma up ahead and made sure to go check with her on how she was doing with the task.
"Hello there, Talma. Did you find any damage to the buildings in the areas you searched?" Gene asked over in a calm and polite tone, despite the cold making him internally miserable.
"N-Not r-r-really, b-beyond-" Talma paused, before turning to a location that appeared to be smoking.
"Huh, is something going on-" Gene asked in response as he tried to see-
"-There's smoke coming out that way, despite it snowing like it is now…" Nowan lightly interrupted, as he started barefly seeing the smoke with the weather going on.
"W-W-While I-I w-w-was o-out h-h-here, I-I s-s-saw s-something, a-a-and n-now, I-I s-s-sensed s-something…" Talma explained.
"...Do you think we should check it out, Talma?" Gene then asked, as he made sure to hold onto his tools before storing them away in the kit he was lugging around.
The Zerg Woman nodded.
"Then you can lead us, while I make sure Gene sticks near to me…" Nowan replied back, as he made sure to give a quick telling glance towards Gene first.
"A-Alright…" Talma replied, before beginning to lead them…
...However, as they moved through the snow, someone, or something, was watching them as they trekked...
East Region, Outside Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
With the snow not letting up at all, the trio kept heading towards where Talma was seeing the smoke rise into the air…
...And as they kept moving across the powdery ground, Gene still kept feeling cold, leaving him to ask, "How far away are we, Talma?"
"N-Not f-f-far…" she replied.
Going quiet after that, the trio soon started to slow down as they reached the location…
...Which looked to be a decently sized crater, with snow still falling to cover the exposed ground as the heat around a entrenched meteor kept interfering with things.
Nowan remained silent as he scanned over the meteor from his current location, while Gene shifted over to Talma to ask, "... ...So the meteor landed here… ...Is this all you sensed, or was there more than just this?"
"Th-There w-w-was m-more…" Talma replied.
".. … ...She may be right.. … ...I've seen this before. And if I am right… ..This is an 'Venusian Meteor'..." Nowan started saying aloud, as his mind started to connect dots together.
Talma tilted her head, questioningly.
"Apologies in advance if you did learn this yet already, Talma. But I used to be part of a major alien race generally called the 'Venusians'. And one such way they traveled across space was using meteors like these to get into planets without having to rely on ships getting detected." Nowan started to explain over to Talma, before continuing with, "And since that over there is one of the usual meteors-"
-Before a series of loud robotic screams interrupted him, coming from a good distance away from a different direction outside the meteor zone.
That immediately got Gene to act by making sure to get his Build Driver and change into Build, while Nowan adjusted some of his clothing to get his limbs ready for possible combat. As for Talma...a pair of breaches appeared in the back of her cloak, and what looked like wings made of blades grew out, with a sickening sucking sound.
"... ...I take it you're ready, Talma?" Nowan asked, as his courage started to kick in and seeing the blade wings did nothing to faze him.
Talma nodded, as she raised a hand, which was wreathed in purple energy.
"... ...Let's go…" Build then replied back, before the trio rushed off into the fray...
Eastern Region, Outside Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
The ongoing scene in the area kept playing out in motion as two robotic figures were trying to flee from an entirely different figure that chased after them. The duo did everything they could with their feet and back thrusters to maximize their current speed…
...But the lone figure following after then was rushing towards them just as fast, as their long stinger tail remained poised for landing a deadly strike. This then kept going until one of the robotic duo managed to have one of their hovering feet slam into a large snow covered rock, making them lose balance and speed as they crashed into the ground.
The unfallen robot looked behind themselves and immediately diverted back to help their fellow robot, doing everything to reach them…
...But the lone figure started to get closer and closer, making the fallen robot start to scream…
...Before then, several outside factors jumped into the fray and managed to send the lone figure to slide backwards across the snowy ground after getting punched by one of the outside factors.
The lone figure then shook their horned head for a moment, before their alien eyes narrowed as they saw…
...Build, Nowan, and Talma standing guard in front of the fallen robot. Then after a split second, the lone alien figure immediately focused on Nowan…
… ...And then started saying in a warped, monstrous, female voice, "... ...I know you… ...You're Nowan, I thought I'd never see you again… … ...But just my luck… ...You'll make a great meal once I devour everyone else!"
"Yeah, I'd like to see you try that, 'Schwarz Metzelei'…" Nowan called back in a brave tone, despite internally building up a lot of fear at seeing that monster again.
"... ...I guess you will then… …" Schwarz replied back creepily, before she started emitting a source of energy that waved outward for quite a distance…
...And in the span of seconds, a large swarm of Venusian Vanguards and Crab-Tanks started rushing towards the area, coming from the direction in where the meteor was.
The monstrous alien then stared at the defending trio, before rushing at an angle to reach the robotic target with its tail ready to attack…
...Only for a hand to suddenly grab the tail, and throw the attacker away by the grip they had on Schwarz's tail.
The hostile alien then stared deeply at the one responsible, before then noticing the other robotic target it was hunting again. And with that, the Metzelei rushed off towards them, ignoring the trio entirely as she rushed towards the new target…
...And once she was getting close to closing the distance, her tail arched back as it was ready to lunge at the robotic target, who quickly reverted course to try to get away...
...Only for a purple glow to freeze and trap Schwarz, before lifting her up and tossing her aside. A look revealed the same counterer as before did it.
"Get out of my way… ...Or I'll make you my new target when I tear you limb from limb!" The Metzelei then threatened in anger towards the counterer.
Talma just posed in such a way as to brace herself to be ready for a fight.
Schwarz visually grew angrier before she then had her eyes focus solely on Talma before she then broke out into a fast sprint, this time having her clawed hands ready to strike alongside her tail.
She countered by using her bladed wings to lock the tail, while catching Schwarz's clawed hands with her own hands.
The Metzelei tried to use all of her strength to fight back against the grip, but to no avail as they remained in place. However, the monstrous alien kept in mind of what they had left available to use…
...So the Metzelei ended up trying to move forward with her horned head to try to disrupt Talma with multiple attempted strikes...
...Only for Talma to counter, knocking Schwarz back...albeit out of Talma's block.
Schwarz roared in anger, just as the other hostile Venusian forces were about to enter the fray. And with that, the Metzelei focused some of her internal energy as she prepared yet another attack at Talma...
Talma attempted to prepare for a defense against whatever came next...
...Though when Schwarz rushed forward 'seemingly' like the past times, she instead did a new manuver that allowed enough time for her tail to strike into Talma's body just barely. But as soon as the tail had landed, Schwarz began stealing every bit of energy and life she could.
"GAH!" Talma shouted, as she began to weaken…
...Before a hailstorm of red bolts of plasma shot at Schwarz, striking her multiple times and knocking her away from Talma, who fell to her hands and knees, weakened. Turning to see where the bolts came from…
...She saw a man in heavy armor, with a jetpack and a helmet with a T-shaped Visor, and a short cape. His weapon was smoking, showing it to be the thing firing the bolts.
"How's about we add another factor to this fight," the warrior declared, before charging at Schwarz, firing his plasma guns at the Metzelei.
The hostile alien did what she could to defend against the projectiles, but also charged forward as well. And given how fast she was going, it was like she was filled with new vigor…
...And soon as her tail was about to strike the newcomer's armor… ...The bladed part just rammed into it, but slid off and almost threw Schwartz off balance. Her immediate reaction was to look at the impact zone, only to find her tail barely scratched the paint off.
"How?!" Schwartz yelled as she soon tried to use her clawed hands to strike her new opponent.
"Beskar, Mandalorian Iron...I have a feeling it's tougher than what you're used to…" the warrior replied, before holstering one of his guns and, grabbing something on his hip, lashing out with some kind of technologically-augmented longsword with a ultrasonically-vibrating blade.
The impact of the augmented blade managed to send a wave of pain through the Metzelei's body, getting her to retreat towards her allies…
...As some of the many Venusian Vanguards and Crab-Tanks started firing off their salvos of lasers and explosive projectiles at Talma, the nearby new arrival, and also the defending duo of Build and Nowan as well...
..While the remaining forces that weren't immediately accounted for soon rushed into range of the stranded robot, sending their deadly projectiles their way.
The other robot seemed to focus more on that compared to her own danger, as she seemed to finally find her voice as she called out, "... … ...Abby!"
*Music Track: "Iudex Gundyr" by Tsukasa Saitoh*
However, just before the projectiles reached 'Abby', a large form slammed into the ground, crushing past the snow, and even causing a small crater in the ground...When the dust cleared… … …
"...Glad to see you got your training done there, big guy…" Nowan called out, before he helped Build protect the robot they were defending from the attacking force.
The massive armored figure of Khadis Ghagan was now standing between Abby and certain doom, with several parts of his armor smoking from the impacts, but otherwise undamaged. The figure turned his head to look back at Abby...before saying, "...Keep your head down…" before turning back to the Venusians.
Then, the towering figure of metal menacingly approached the attackers, who began firing on him...only for his armor to tank the blows...then he broke into a sprint, before stabbing forward with his massive halberd, impaling a Crab-Tank's core, then turning to kick a Vanguard in the arbitrary 'face', breaking its eye apart.
As the massive tower of metal continued to tear through the Venusians going after 'Abby', however, the other part of the attacking Venusian force soon closed in on Build, Nowan, and the robot as Schwarz quickly moved around to reach the trio with her tail on standby for attacking.
*End Track*
Build and Nowan did what they could to create space and keep their defense strong, but soon saw Schwarz getting closer and closer. She soon managed to reach Nowan and slammed him aside as Build reacted by slamming a heavy attack back...
However, just before Build could strike again, Schwarz managed to get close enough to prime her tail for striking the robot, who screamed in fear…
...Till a laser struck the tail dead-on, making the attack go to waste. Schwarz then growled in anger as she searched around for who did the deed.
*Music Track: "The Destructors (Uncut)" by Junkie XL*
The figure that fired the laser wore robes and a draconic mask. His staff was glowing at the end, revealing where the laser came from…
The individual was accompanied by two figures: one was a Satyr-like creature with a head like a goat's skull, while the other looked like it was a living humanoid glacier. While the two creatures accompanying the figure dove into the fray (pushing back Schwarz as a result), the robed figure itself began to fight to defend the unnamed robot, firing his laser staff at the Venusians that came after her…
...Only for a column of white light and white particles to appear, as a glowing figure of light and metal, resembling a knight, appeared, and protected the robed figure from anything that got too close…
The Vanguards and Crab-Tanks kept attacking, till the last one of each type fell, leaving only Schwarz as the lone attacker left. But despite seeing that happen around her, the monstrous alien wasn't ready to give in.
"I'm not leaving till my prey are dead… …" Schwarz called out in anger, as she kept trying to target 'Abby' or the other robot, despite the defenders in her way...
...Unfortunately for Schwarz, with the loss of the 'mooks' meant that the newcomers, not to mention the original defenders, could now focus on a single target…
...A target that was Schwarz...
The Metzelei kept going either way, as she tried yet again to target one of the robots in a rushing charge...
...Only to face a thrusting halberd, bolts of plasma, and a laser beam...
...And after all three landed respectfully, the Metzelei felt enough pain coursing through her that she reached the long awaited conclusion she had slowly formed.
...Namely, that she growled loudly before then storming off in a sprinting anger towards the Meteor, making sure she was going to get there no matter what.
*End Track*
Once Schwarz was out of sigh, Nowan breathed deeply in relief as Build looked to him and asked aloud, "... ...I take it you have an idea of why she did that?"
"Yeah, she finally cutted her losses and fled. She'll be using the meteor to leave the planet and… ...well, she may return again… ...But I doubt it'll be anytime soon." Nowan explained back, as the two then moved to rejoin with Talma and Khadis.
Once back together, the group looked at the new arrivals: the two robots, the warrior with a jetpack, and the masked individual...
...Although, soon, the masked individual was joined by two similarly masked-and-robed individuals, one male and one female, who teleported in like the glowing knight-like guy. The masked individual turned to the others, and moved to flank the male that just arrived.
"...While I appreciate the help, just exactly what… ...is the deal with you and your 'friends' that just showed up?" Gene asked first, once he reverted out of being Build towards the mask/robe trio.
"We just happened across what is happening, and felt it best to help out," the seeming-leader, the male with the non-draconic horned mask, replied.
"... ...Can we get your names then, if it is okay to ask for them?" Gene asked back, a bit cautiously due to the cold environment starting to get to him again.
The leader replied, "Amalek."
The male who'd taken direct part in the fight replied, "Phaeton."
The female added, "Caitra."
Gene nodded in reply to that, before then saying, "...I'll get back to you three in a bit."
And then after mentally noting their names, Gene focused the attention towards the male with the jetpack by saying to them, "... ...And now I want to know what is your reason for being out here and helping us out?"
The man shrugged. "Not fully sure myself...just found myself in this world, and saw there was an issue that needed settling...Not to mention that scorpion-thing made my skin crawl…"
"... ...Trust me, that same feeling was something I had when I saw her…" Nowan carefully commented, as he watched what he said for the moment.
"Besides that part… ...You have anything that could get you home or help shelter you from the cold out here?" Gene asked towards the jetpack user, keeping note of what was said already.
The man shrugged and shook his head. "Not really…"
"Well, we got shelter nearby and we can help sort things out later when we get there…" Gene noted back, before pausing as he had to fight to focus against thanks to how cold it was.
And after that, the Studio Assistant finally got the attention to focus on the duo of robots, who made him pause for a moment as he looked at them.
"... ...I heard one of you call the other by the name of 'Abby'. Can I ask which one of you it is?" Gene eventually started asking, as he recalled hearing the name from earlier.
One of the robotic duo nodded their head in reply, before adding in a calm straight tone, "My name is actually Abigail, but my sister here called me by a nickname we'd agreed to use…"
"I can understand… ...And what is your name, then?" Gene replied before asking the other half of the robotic duo the next question.
"My name is Beatriz, but I've gone by the name of 'Betty' several times already…" The sister robot replied back, sounding rather present in her voice.
"... … ...Huh, I think I know of-" Gene called back at first, before he suddenly cut himself off as something seemed to visually show via his red eyes..
"-Something the matter?" Abby asked back, as she seemed a bit confused at first.
"There's something with his eyes, Abby. I think they look like-" Betty started to comment, before a gasp soon followed and the robot pulled their sibling close to whisper something in their 'ear'.
And as soon as they broke apart, Abby looked a bit more closely at Gene's eyes and then seemingly the rest of him until-
"-Wait, 'Gene'? Is that you? How d-d-did you escape the Rebel Army after we used that modified Big Gate to escape?!" The robotic Abby called out all of a sudden, once she seemed to realize something on her end.
The attention immediately shifted to Gene with everyone else looking at him, leaving him to pause before he finally said, "... ...I HAVE no idea what you're talking about and there's no way I DID anything like you just said…"
Foyer, Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
After taking some time to get out of the exterior grounds far beyond the Residence, the 6 new individuals were soon settled in some of the spare rooms left around in the second floor. Though given one half of the collective six did say they had stuff in ships they already had…
...Triple-R managed to get them to agree to work out things a bit more later in a more private manner than the open air environment in the Foyer. So with that, the only people left in the Foyer currently were Triple-R, Triple-M, IceBite, Nexus, Alma, and the very noticeably distracted Gene…
"... ...Alright, so I just want to make sure I'm recalling things right. Amalek, Caitra, and Phaeton are… …'Crogenitors', right?" Triple-R started asking IceBite and Nexus first as he still tried to recall what was said amidst everything.
The two replied in the affirmative, with IceBite adding, "Which pretty much means they're from a VERY advanced civilization…"
"...Though given how Amalek was lacking in socializing compared to his peers, something tells me those three have their own quirks despite how advanced they are." Triple-M noted over, albeit more towards focusing more on the notable personalities between the three.
"Moving on from them… ...Draigr is… ...what exactly again? I can tell based on his armor and gear he is clearly from 'That Galaxy, Far, Far Away…'..." Triple-R trailed off as he looked at Triple-M afterward to see a similar mind of thought on his face.
"From what we've-" IceBite gestured to himself and Nexus. "-Been able to determine from talking to him, that armor's not just for show or a trophy: that guy's a genuine Mandalorian…"
"...And in context, what does that mean for us since he's more than likely going to be staying with us?" Triple-M asked in reply, albeit phrased to get the two to share more info on Mandalorians.
"Well, means we got another skilled fighter on our side, when we're attacked...again…" Nexus replied.
"Okay… ...And then we have those last two.. ….Abby and Betty, right? Triple-M, you said something about them reminding you of 'Clone Bots' or something?"
"Yeah… ...We actually had two 'Robots' like them living with us back when we had the Studio… …" Triple-M ended up saying back, as he looked over towards IceBite. "You remember them as well, right? Magma Bot and Ice Bot?"
Daniel nodded. "Yeah, I remember…" he replied.
"Of course, if there's anyone here who knows more about Clone Bots… ...That'd actually be Gene…" Triple-M noted as a follow up, before he looked over towards Gene…
...Who was still utterly distracted from the conversation thus far on something else.
"... ...Uh, Gene?" Triple-R asked after a moment of silence at seeing Gene in his current state. But despite what he said, the Studio Assistant didn't seem to be paying any attention.
"Hey, Gene!" Nexus half-shouted at him.
"... ...Sorry guys, just… ...Those two have me worried about… … a LOT of things. Like the possibility of there being another 'Voxl' out there…" Gene ended up saying, as he snapped back into focus in the current moment.
"... ...And what exactly is 'Voxl' supposed to be?" Triple-R asked, lacking the context needed for the name.
"An absolute FUCKWAD…" IceBite growled immediately...And surprisingly, it was Alma that had to do the calming down there...
"... ...Do I wanna know how Voxl got that status, given the severity of your response?" Triple-R hesitated to ask in reply after hearing that.
IceBite growled, but Alma rubbed his shoulder, silencing him. "He almost killed Gene and Gespenst...He also nearly drove IceBite MAD with all the stuff he did to try to mess with us during our 'final battle' with him…"
"... ...And to share one last detail...Voxl was a clone of Gene here… ...One of the smaller signs that gave it away was the fact the iris on his eyes were blue…." Triple-M added, as the room went silent for a moment...
...Only to be broken by Gene, as he started saying, "... …Beyond that scenario… ...There's something else about those two… ...Abby and Betty, I mean. If their names are what they say they are… … ...That's not a good thing on my part."
"...What exactly do you mean by that, Gene?" Triple-M asked in reply.
"... ...Long before I joined the Studio, I was 'forcibly' recruited into the Rebel Army. And it was there I met two of the worst people I've ever met in my life. A newly talented commander by the name 'Abigail' and her younger and cold hearted sister named 'Beatriz'. And even when I got away from the Rebel Army… ...I still ended up crossing paths with those two multiple times…" Gene started to explain, before catching his breath at the end…
"... ...Most of those times, I just grew to hate them more and more… ...Till one particualr moment threw all of that into question where… ...all three of us would have died if things had gone differently. I never saw or heard much of them since, but.. ...hearing those names doesn't bring back good memories. Especially since the 'Abby' and 'Betty' we have with us are also 'Clone Bots'... Gene continued once he was able to do so mentally.
"...How does that all play into the thing with Clone Bots?" Triple-R asked in reply, keeping track of everything on his end.
"Because those two are based on my design on such a robot, except that same design seemed to be heavily modified and streamlined based on what I saw of the two already. And I've designed the Clone Bots to take on the personalities of the people they are copying…" Gene elaborated, his voice sounding genuinely worried about his well-being.
"Well...do these two, based on what you saw, seem ANYTHING like the people you knew?" Nexus asked.
"... ...No, nothing of the sort yet, I have to admit…" Gene replied back, with some relief to his voice. Though his voice also still sounded partly uncertain as well…
"Which suggests one of a couple of scenarios, both of which suggesting they come from another world…" Nexus began, "One: the Abigail and Beatriz of their world are different, or Two: they've been intentionally designed to be different from their counterparts…" After a moment, he thought of, "...Or three: they're faking it, which I doubt…"
"You have a point there, but still… ...They haven't shared very much of their story yet, so whatever it is still up in the air…" Gene noted back, still holding onto a silver of concern in his voice.
Nexus shrugged. "Then...maybe ask them?"
"... ...Maybe I'll go do that then…" Gene ended up saying back, before he took a moment to gather himself and head off to the staircase to find the two robot siblings.
All the while, the conversation at the Foyer went onto a new topic about getting the basement finally finished now things were calm for the moment again...
Near Abby & Betty's Rooms, Second Floor, Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
A few minutes later, Gene found himself near the robot siblings' rooms as he looked at their doors. And his nerves started to get to him until…
...He knocked on both of their doors and waited for them to answer. And after a few moments, both of them opened their doors, revealing their robotic forms to his vision yet again.
The two looked much different given the lights and lack of snow obscuring them partly, allowing Gene to see more of the modified Clone Bot design again. And just as he noted already earlier, they did look much more advanced compared to his old friends, Magma Bot and Ice Bot...
"...Uhm, excuse me… ...Gene? You knocked on our doors for something?" Betty ended up politely asking amidst her confusion.
"Oh, sorry… ...I… ...I came by to ask you two more… ...about yourselves. Because I'm not the 'Gene' you know, but… ...doesn't change the fact I still want to learn more about you two, if you don't mind." Gene replied back in a nervous, but friendly tone.
"... ...Perhaps we should talk in my room going forward, just in case." Abby replied back, as she seemed to have figured out something quicker than Betty already.
The trio then moved into the room, where the two robots sat on the bed and Gene placed himself nearby on a chair in the room before the conversation continued with…
"... ...So I guess the most important thing to get out of the way. What was the 'Gene' you knew like?" Gene asked first, as then waited for the response.
Abby took a moment to pause first, before she started saying, "... ...He was rather extremely nice to both of us. We were created by him several years ago and despite his disdain for weapons, he allowed us to have ways to defend ourselves. We never had to use them when around him, due to just… … …'treating us like family he never had', as he once said."
"...Even when he told us that he had programmed in code that would ensure loyalty to him, he never brought it up again and treated us like people ever since. And even if I am to believe this at all times already… ...I do think it'd remain true if that code was removed." Betty ended up adding on her part, getting Gene to pause and mull over what he heard for a moment.
"...So what ended up happening that made you arrive here in this world?" Gene asked as a follow up.
"... ...Our 'Gene' told us to use a 'Big Gate' device that was heavily modified to escape when the Rebel Army attacked us. He ended up staying behind as we escaped...Though I wonder when he'll cross the gate as well to reunite with us." Betty responded back, sharing what she knew on her end.
"... ...Uhm, Betty. I… ...didn't tell you this earlier, but he… ...stayed behind to make sure the Big Gate was destroyed when we left… ...So the Rebel Army wouldn't be able to get to us. He's… … ...not going to be seeing us again, given… ..." Abby struggled to say at first, before she had to stick to the serious tone through what she did said.
Betty… ...went silent after that, as it seemed to slowly click together in her mind. And not too long after, her robotic body slowly shifted in deamour as well.
"...I'm sorry to hear that, but from what you've said already, he'd be happy to know you two are still safe and sound. And I think that's what mattered most of all to him…" Gene ended up saying in a sympathetic tone both siblings, getting their attention as he concluded his words.
Some quiet moments passed, before Abby ended up talking again to say, "... ...If you don't mind me asking, would… ...you please take us under your care, Gene?"
The Studio Assistant paused after hearing that, remaining hesitant to respond until-
"-I know it is what 'you' think you want… … ...But I have to decline. You two may be creations, but it is clear you also are people as well. And I can't accept your loyalty at the expense of your free will…" Gene ended up seriously saying back, despite having an idea of what their reaction would be.
Betty, at that point, just emotionally broke down as Abby started saying, "... ...What? You won't accept-"
"-I know what I just said, but this is to prove my point about how I dislike restrictive free will coding." Gene made sure to warn, before he then said, "Ovd-IC39 Code Override. Change Visible State."
Both robotic siblings then suddenly paused, as their internal systems seemed to activate and began changing them as the surrounding light mixed with their body formed and shifted around…
...Till it suddenly stopped, revealing the two in entirely new forms. Abby had long blue-ish hair that peaked out the back of a small hat on her head, while her metallic armor took on a design akin to a leotard with her thrusters acting as extensions of a dress...
...While Betty gained similar blue hair and beret, with a blue dress and white sleeves look to her metallic armor on her upper body, while her legs looked more like full length purple-pink stockings ending in her metallic shoes.
Both siblings then took a moment to look at each other when they were able to and immediately saw the forms they were in. And both of them just looked stunned…
"Abby, you look… ...so different." Betty ended up saying…
"The same is true for you, Betty…" Abby then ended up saying…
...Before both siblings' demeanours immediately changed for the better as they noticed they now had green colorations in what would be the 'skin' on their forms.
However, things soon shifted back to Gene, as the two quickly remembered he was still there…
"... ...One last warning, I'm going to give one last command and then I'm never doing it again." Gene quickly made sure to note, allowing the two to brace themselves…
...Before he then said, "Ovdx-LX20 Code Override. Change VC State."
Both siblings went quiet, before they became active again, this time aware of the fact that-
"-You removed your access to the verbal command state. Why… ...did you do that?" Abby ended up asking in a questioning tone.
"So no one else can do that to either of you two again…" Gene explained back, keeping a calmness to his voice by now.
The two siblings remained quiet after hearing that, leaving only their visual cues in their new forms as clues as to how they were feeling. And given what Gene was reading, they still seemed conflicted...
...The silence remained for a bit, till Gene ended up saying, "... ...Give me a minute to go retrieve something and I'll be right back."
Abby made sure to look at him, before nodding to that decision. And in the span of a minute or two, Gene returned with a laptop and a few connecting cables and port connectors in hand.
"... ...If either of you two don't mind, I'd like to ask something of a major request from both of you. Please let me change your code so you can have your own free will…" Gene ended up saying in a clear, but straight tone as he looked at the two.
Betty didn't say anything, as Abby ended up saying something instead with, "... ...No, we can't accept that. It goes against our loyalty coding and to… ...disrupt that is to change who we are."
"... ...Except your coding obligates you to listen to me, does it not? I may not be the exact same 'Gene', but your programming would consider me to be just as valid. Am I wrong or right?"
Abby took a moment to check the coding, alongside what parameters she had on this Gene in front of her… ...And given by how she reacted, he was right that he had the ability to do what he wanted.
"... ...Then what exactly do you plan on doing, Gene?" Abby ended up asking, as she felt the same coding compelling her to go along.
"Just removing the loyalty coding and placing free will in its place… ...I promise this is all I will be doing." Gene ended up saying back, being genuine with his words as he looked Abby in the eyes.
Abby soon sighed after hearing that, as she then got Betty to follow along verbally. And once the cables and connectors were set up…
...Gene scanned over both robots' codes and located the loyalty coding. He then did what he said out to do and removed the code from Abby first, before doing the same with Betty. And once the new free will code was placed inside both robots…
...The cables and connectors were removed, as Abby and Betty reactivated themselves again. And once they saw Gene again…
"... ...You kept your promise, Gene." Abby noted aloud...
"You really did…" Betty also added on her end...
...Before both siblings got off the bed and pulled Gene out of the chair…
...And then hugged him together, as their actions felt like the response they truly wanted to give on their own terms.
"Now that you two are going to be free to do what you want… ...I want to ask if you'll be my friends. You are free to accept or decline…" Gene then ended up saying towards the two…
...Before both of them simply said, "We'll accept that, Gene…"
The two robot siblings then broke apart the hug, allowing Gene to sit alongside them on the bed as they then started asking more questions about him...
...And he felt fine sharing about himself as time soon passed on by the wayside...
End Chapter 12.