Oh my goodness! Thank you all so much for all the reviews! I'm blown away. Like literally, I'm totally flying through the air because of a giant gust of awesomeness known as reviews.
What was that?
It's probably best not to ask.
So! Been a little over a week since I updated... There's a much better chance of a chapter getting posted on Fridays, so look for it then. Who knows! Maybe I'll get time and inspiration during the week and write a second chapter before next Friday! Eh, probably not. But there's hope! :D
And now... The moment you have all been waiting for... (you probably didn't read any of that up there anyway)
CHAPTER THREE OF STEEL ELECTRICITY!
(I do not own Ninjago. Nindroid Jay is an AU belong to prpdragon on Tumbler.)
SYSTEM INITIATE
POWER CORE - CHARGING
ACCESS ERROR LOG - ROTATION 90 AT 18:52:
UNKNOWN ERROR CORRUPTED MAIN DATABASE
SHUTDOWN WAS REQUIRED
ACTIVATE SYSTEM 'SAFE MODE' TO ENSURE DATABASE RESTORATION
RESTORATION WILL BE COMPLETED IN .38 ROTATIONS
ROTATIONS SINCE ACTIVATION – 91.2 ROTATIONS
DIRECTIVE – REPAIR WIRING ON L PANEL 3 OF MAIN CORE SHIELD
POWER CORE AT FULL CAPACITY AND ONLINE.
SYSTEM ONLINE
Unit 3-1-79-04-28 sluggishly raised his head and opened his eyes. Several error reports scrolled across his vision, reminding him of the strange affliction that had set in 1.8 shifts ago. Units did not usually stay in shutdown for so long after an error, providing they were not deactivated, so this was puzzling.
CURIOSITY IS IRRELEVANT
Accept it.
A perplexing sensation worked its way through Unit 3-1-79-04-28's servos, spreading from his left arm through the rest of his wires. He glanced over at the offending appendage and nodded slightly. It had happened again. The General had done it to him again. The procedure.
The procedure was simple.
Unit 3-1-79-04-28 had to lie on the table, answer a variety of questions, and have a strange red tube get plugged into a connection port on his left arm. That tube always caused a strange feeling to run through his gears, just like it was at the present moment.
For some reason, Unit 3-1-79-04-28 was not permitted to observe the procedure. It was as though his arm was infected with a forbidden code, something no nindroid was permitted to behold. If that was the case, they should deactivate him. It was Unit 3-1-79-04-28's duty to uphold Directive 4481:
UNITS MUST FUNCTION WITHIN NORMAL PARAMETERS AT ALL TIMES. IF THE UNIT IS COMPROMISED IN ANY MANNER, IMMEDIATE DEACTIVATION MUST OCCUR.
There was no option.
This assured Unit 3-1-79-04-28 that he was not, in fact, in violation of Directive 4481. Else, he'd already be deactivated. Especially since the General was at the procedure.
The General was always at the procedure. He did not meet Unit 3-1-79-04-28 at the door of the isolated Directive Chamber every time, but he was there. Always.
Standing in the shadows... observing.
It was rather unnerving.
IRRELEVANT
It was none of Unit 3-1-79-04-28's concern.
Unit 3-1-79-04-28 slid off the table silently and approached the steel doors where two medical units stood stiffly. He passed them without a word, his legs feeling significantly heavier than when he entered. Unit 4-0-11-09-35 was no longer standing guard at the entrance. A shift had passed, leaving a new security unit in attendance of the lift. Unit 3-1-79-04-28 transmitted the information of his directive to the unit, who let him pass.
Unit 3-1-79-04-28 stepped into the lift and stated, "MAIN CORE."
The lift dinged and flew upward. Like nearly everything in the nindroid facilities, the lift was composed of large slabs of seamless steel. It shone from the polishing it received from the custodian units every shift and reflected Unit 3-1-79-04-28's slightly warped image back at him.
He took the few uniks he had in the elevator to observe his appearance. All nindroids were constructed the same: with a black steel head, torso and appendages, crimson eyes, and a silver and black helmet that covered half the unit's face with a vision processor.
Unit 3-1-79-04-28 first assumed, after his activation, that this was how he was constructed, but it was not so. Yes, his body was made of steel, but only until his neck. There the metal connected with some sort of soft, peach colored material. Metal curved along the right side of his face, melding with the odd material until the steel ended at his forehead and the other continued. Steel crawled up the back of his neck until it met another baffling substance. This material moved freely and was auburn-colored. It covered the entirety of his head, though most of it was hidden by his helmet, which he always wore. Crimson lines marked the edges of the peach substance on his head, which were the circuits that were found on all nindroids.
Scarcely did he feel out of place with the other units, since they worked as one. Each unit was equally important. Make and model was irrelevant.
He stood silently in the lift, waiting.
Then he heard the whispers.
…never quits…
…A ninja never…
…quits…
Unit 3-1-79-04-28 whirled around. "IDENTIFY YOURSELF," he commanded.
…n-n-never…..er…
Nin….Ninja…g…oo…
A shock flew through his system. What was this? Who was this?
"STATE YOUR SERIAL NUMBER OR RISK DEACTIVATION," Unit 3-1-79-04-28 threatened. The whispers did not cease. Rather, they grew in volume and number.
…g-g-go….go… Ninja… go…
…quits… never quits…
...remember…
Unit 3-1-79-04-28 felt suddenly weak. His limbs were already responding a bit erratically from the procedure, and this was not assisting. Trembling, Unit 3-1-79-04-28 spun around wildly, attempting to locate the source of the sounds. Codes and negatives flew across his vision, telling him that there was nothing there to find. There was something else. A strange… feeling came over him.
IRRELEVANT
The sensation meant nothing.
Yet it had to mean something. Because he felt it. Unit 3-1-79-04-28 felt something. He didn't know how to describe it, but it certainly broke the barrier of 'FUNCTIONING WITHIN NORMAL PARAMETERS'.
…never… quits…
…just remember…
"STOP," Unit 3-1-79-04-28 hissed. His chest ached terribly.
ERROR: POWER LEVELS RISING. SHUTDOWN RECOMMENDED. INITIATE?
He did not wish to enter shutdown.
PREFERENCE IS IRRELEVANT
It did… not matter.
"NO. DO NOT INITATE SHUTDOWN," Unit 3-1-79-04-28 commanded, acknowledging the 'RELEVENCE' ping quickly without following the recommended procedure. It was not required to shut down in the event of a minor issue, so Unit 3-1-79-04-28 had basis to override it.
But was this a minor issue?
His servos burned. A warning flared red, alerting him that his power core was rising in energy levels instead of dropping.
…remember… you are the best you…
"STOP!" He yelled, clutching at his aching head and falling to his knees. "STOP!"
Silence.
The lift slid open, revealing an empty metal-paneled hallway. Panting, Unit 3-1-79-04-28 struggled to his feet, using the steel wall as a support. Error messages of all kinds and urgencies rolled over his vision. Unit 3-1-79-04-28 focused on moving one leg after the other. Why was it so hard?
DIFFICULTY IS IRRELEVANT
It did not matter.
What were the whispers? Who was that? What had caused the power surge within his core?
Something whisked through his servos. It was brief, irrational, and contained a quality he could not explain. It was like… a pulse? Yes, that best described it. A deep, surging pulse not found in his core, and not caused by energy, but by some other source far inside his gears. What… was it?
IRRELEVANT
RETURN TO DIRECTIVE
The ping brought him out of his apathy. His head snapped straight and his eyes flickered a deep red.
"ACKNOWLEDGED. RETURNING TO DIRECTIVE," his monotone voice resounded through the corridor as he marched stiffly away from the lift.
"GENERAL CRYPTOR."
The General jerked upright from his resting position and growled fiercely. "What is it?!" he demanded furiously.
Backing up, the messenger unit answered quickly. "WE HAVE LOCATED THEM."
His anger dissipated instantly. "You… found them?" Cryptor inquired, astonished.
"YES, GENERAL."
A grin spread over his metal features, outlined by red circuits. "Excellent. You may go."
The unit bowed slightly and turned, leaving in haste.
Cryptor stood and sighed in content. "Soon," he whispered excitedly, "I'll be free of them. Free to roam all of Ninjago and slay every last one of its weak, pitiful creatures. And no one will be able to stop me. Because their beloved protectors will be… dead."
And the plot begins! Oh I have some really intense ideas for this story. If you have any ideas, leave a review and I'll see what I can do!
So, remember how in the last post I said I was changing some human terms for nindroids? In this chapter, I made up a new term: unik! A unik is equal to one minute, if you're wondering. (Cause I know you guys really care about my random words/terminology...)
Please review if you liked it! Or if you hated it... Cookies to all reviewers! Well, providing I don't eat them all first... (::) (::) (::) *munchmunch*