Author's Note: I just realised I forgot to put the most important aspect of this chapter in my teaser note: Scoutbot gets a name. Anybody manage to guess it?

While writing this story, I discovered there was a thing called micro/macrophilia, and realised I had catered to an unusual fetish. You're welcome.

Saving Private Soldierbot

Chapter Fourteen: Friends in Low Places

When Scoutbot was switched back on, he felt he had been transported back in time.

Once again, he was strapped to a bench in a workshop. He was able to move, though, and he yanked viciously at his restraints, trying to pull himself free without success. However, he refused to stop and kept pulling until his joints squeaked and groaned and metal flakes chipped off his wrists.

"Woah, woah there, Son. You're not in any danger." Dell said, looking down at him with some tiny gadget in his hand. "Emergency cut-off switch. Worked just as it said in Ol' Violet's blueprints. Don't worry about anyone else usin' it though- this l'il tool uses an encrypted code to activate..."

"Fuck your dumb tool! Let me go!" Scoutbot spat, pulling at the chains again.

"Calm down, Scoutbot. Seems I got an apology to make."

"Now you wanna apologise? Bit late isn't it?"

"I shouldn't have let you malfunction for this long. Shoulda spotted it earlier." Dell said. To the enraged and frightened robot, he sounded disturbingly sincere.

"Mal...malfunction? What the fuck, there's nothin' wrong with me!" Dell moved to his side and seemed to be fiddling with the robot's ear. "What the hell are you doin'?"

"You don't realise it, but you've been acting pretty darn strange the last week or so." There was a loud click right by Scoutbot's ear. "So, I'm gonna take a look-see at your algorithms and see what's gone wrong. Then I can put it all right. I'll fix you, make you all better."

"What! There's nothin' wrong with me." Scoutbot protested. "I'm fine. Get the hell away from me! Is this about that stolen crap? Jeez, dude, way to overreact!"

"Not just that." Dell said quietly, plugging wires into Scoutbot's head. "I'm thinking that maybe somethin' happened to you recently that caused a logical fault, something your programming couldn't parse. That's easy to fix, though- I just wipe your memories of the last coupla weeks or so and you'll be right back to your old self."

"What?" Scoutbot tried to break free again. "No! Don't do that. I can't forget...stuff. You can't make me forget!" He thrashed in the restraints, feeling himself starting to panic and determined to break free, even if he wrenched his own arms and legs off.

"Woah, woah there!" Dell said again, holding up a hand and then throwing a switch. Scoutbot went still, dropping back to the bench with a clatter. "Sorry 'bout that. You were gonna break somethin', so I disabled your servos. Look, I know losin' memory sounds pretty darn scary, but I can fill you in on what you missed." Dell said earnestly. He patted the robot on the shoulder and gave him a supportive smile. "You'll thank me, I'm sure, once you're all better."

"You can't do this." Scoutbot said, his voice lowering to a defeated whisper. He could only see the ceiling tiles above him. White squares. One was peeling, showing a grey corner. A spider ambled across lazily. "You can't. Please."

" You won't feel nothin', and then you'll be much happier, I promise."

"Is this how it's gonna be from now on?" Scoutbot asked, his voice crackling with static as more wires were attached to his head. "Every time I act out...or do somethin' you don't like, you fuck with my mind? Make sure I don't do it again? The Hardhat I know- the guy who was my friend, who gave me wings- wouldn't do that. He'd let me...be me."

Dell breathed out through his nose and took a step back, rubbing his chin. He lifted his goggles onto his forehead, and even through his panic, Scoutbot could see genuine regret and pain in those baby-blue eyes.

"If this is the way it's gotta be, it's the way it's gotta be. You're a prototype. First of your kind. Makes you special, but...not optimal." Engineer said softly. He walked over and switched on some box covered with buttons and switches which started to hum. "I'm sorry, Scoutbot."

"No..." Scoutbot croaked. I'm sorry, Eagle. All his dreams and plans were falling apart, and it had happened so suddenly. Where had he gone wrong? Now, he was going to get his mind wiped and he would forget all about the lonesome robot in Alaska. He thought of the baffled robot, wandering about the empty building, wondering where Scoutbot was until he finally ran out of fuel and shut down for the last time. Abandoned yet again.

Engineer flicked a couple more switches and the hum got louder, more urgent. I gave Eagle a life, and he won't have a chance to live it.

Neither will I.

There was a quiet but firm knock at the door. Dell muttered something and went to get it.

"Doc? Somethin' I can do for ya?"

"Ah, I'm glad I found you." Medic Albrecht said. He looked over at Scoutbot briefly, his eyes widening before Dell moved pointedly and blocked the view. "I have to discuss zhe results of your last blood test vizh you."

"Problem?" Dell asked, his forehead wrinkling in concern.

"It is not serious- I hope- but ve need to discuss it privately." Medic said pointedly, nodding at the robot.

"Oh...sure. When's a good time?"

"How about... now?"

"I'm kinda busy here..."

"Engineer, vhen I say 'now' is a good time, vhat I mean is 'unless you vant to undergo catastrophic organ failure, now is an excellent time.'" Albrecht continued calmly.

"A...Are you serious?"

"Vell, zhat is worst case scenario." He said with a cheerful smile, grabbing Engineer's arm and tugging him firmly out of the room. "I only vant to perform a few tests and zhey von't be too agonising..." Albrecht looked back quickly at the despairing robot and gave a very quick wink before firmly booting the door shut. The sound of Medic's chatter and Engineer's protests faded into silence.

Scoutbot laid back and looked at the ceiling. He must have imagined that wink, right? Medics just didn't do that kinda thing! And yet...the nutty old bastard had to be lying. Except for that gross stuff with the needles and insulin, Dell was a picture of health. Was it just the normal Doc stuff, grabbing a random guy for one of his sick experiments...

There was a quiet tink noise at the back of the workshop.

...or was it a diversion?

Another tink. A third. A fourth. A clang.

"Leetle Scout!" A voice hissed.

"Heavy?" Scoutbot tried to look around, but he was still disabled. "Where are ya?"

A minute grappling hook suddenly flew into view and fastened securely around his arm. There were a couple of pulls, and then a grunt as the rope went tight. Scoutbot started to chortle.

"Tiny Vlad, it's you, isn't it? You crazy old dude! Where the flying fuck did you get that little grappler from?"

"Is suture silk and bent needles. Doktor says 'Hello'." The shrunken Russian's head peeked over the side of the bench Scoutbot was chained to, grinning gleefully. "Now, you want me to let you out?"

"Yeah! He's gonna mess with my brain! I've gotta get out of here." Scoutbot exclaimed and then paused. "Wait...how do you know 'bout this?"

"Hnn. Maybe Albrecht and Vlad overheard conversation with twin Scouts." Vlad said, scurrying over and removing the various wires plugged into Scoutbot's head. Scoutbot sighed electronically as his servos kicked into life again, and Vlad moved on to undoing Scoutbot's restraints. "Is possible, da? And maybe I thought 'Scoutbot is doing right thing, but is always seen to be doing wrong, because is robot'."

"Huh. You'd make a great Spy." Scoutbot sat up hurriedly, observing the new scratches on his paintwork with annoyance.

"Ha!" Vlad barked. "Could not be Spy- do not smoke. Spy is leetle and weak man."

"Dude... Do I need to say anythin'?"

"I am small on outside, but big on inside." Vlad declared, using his rope to climb up onto Scoutbot's shoulder. "Anyway, you should be glad. Tiny Vlad fits through air vents. Nobody else can do that, da? Come, we go. Doktor has many, many tests to run on Engineer. Many needles and metal tubes. Tests will take...oh, until he sees me again."

"Somehow, I don't feel sorry for him." Scoutbot said bitterly. "But... I owe you. Big time. Where're we going?"

"I am going back to Doktor. Do not know where you are going. Do you?"

"Not really." Scoutbot shook his head and shrugged in exasperation. "Hell, I got no idea."

"I could tell you, but I think you need to decide, for self, for soul." Vlad said with a shrug. "You are made to run- but is running best? Or is better to stand?"

"I can fly too."

"Flying does not work in this metaphor."

"Huh. Your English is getting better."

"Spasiba. I got to get back to Doktor, leetle Scout."

"Thanks, Vlad. Thanks...for everything." On impulse, Scoutbot plucked the small man off his shoulder and hugged him carefully. "I'll go and...and...do something awesome."

"Good luck." Vlad said as Scoutbot put him down gently on the floor. "Also, you hug like girl. Now go."

Scoutbot looked around quickly and sprinted off down the corridor. First of all, he needed to get far away from Dell's workshop. He took the lift and headed to a random floor. Could he fly off? No, too obvious. He'd be noticed in a second. He spotted a half-open door and went into a dusty supply room full of cleaning products. Getting anyone in the Institute to actually clean was always a difficult task. Sniper Mick and Spy Albert had volunteered to be 'cleaners' for the Institute, until they had found out it was the tedious, non-lethal sort of cleaning, at which point they had both hastily said no. It would be safe in here. He had a moment to think, and decide on a plan.

His first idea was to simply go to Alaska, grab Eagle and then run. Go somewhere away from all the fucking dumbass humans and their stupid mistrust. The problem was that he needed electricity, and Eagle needed gas, and possibly even Australium if his core ran low. There was no way to get those in the snowy wildernesses. Plus, they'd both rust.

Whatever he did, he wasn't letting Eagle be forgotten again. He deserved better than this. In fact, Eagle was at the heart of this whole mess, wasn't he? Anything Scoutbot decided would affect him too.

Scoutbot started to pace back and forth.

You are made to run- but is running best? Or is better to stand?

Yeah, he could run, but he was no coward. Perhaps...perhaps it would be best to stand up to Dell and say 'Screw you!'. If only he could make him see. If he knew Scoutbot had activated and rebuilt a robot, he'd be pretty damn proud, surely...

His pacing slowed and stopped.

That was it, wasn't it? He had to bring Eagle to the Institute. Show them all what he had been doing- and let them know that Engineer had locked Eagle in a cupboard for a year. Eagle was lonely and bored- he needed more company, and the guys needed to know Scoutbot wasn't nuts. Sure, it was going to cause one hell of a lot of arguments and shouting, but the guys were always fighting and bickering. One more fight would be nothing. He could face it.

He stood straighter, squared his shoulders and walked firmly to the nearest teleport room.

"So, yeah, I got the fuck outta there and came back to find you." Scoutbot finished. His shoulders slumped and he sighed.

"I will meet the humans?" Eagle asked. He glanced around himself and took a step backwards. "Will they attack?"

"Fuck no!" Scoutbot said firmly, and then hesitated. "Uh...maybe. I mean, depends. Ah hell, they will, won't they? Huh. Hey, I know: what with all the new developments, there are some teleports on islands away from the main Institute. It's just easier to get there that way. We land there, I fly ahead to let them know we're coming, then we go in. Does that sound cool?"

"Words don't have a temperature."

"Nah! I mean: you think that'll work?"

"I don't know." Eagle replied blankly.

"Oh...yeah, guess you don't." Scoutbot said sadly. "I...dunno either, but we're outta options here. Jeez, I mean, dude, it's either that or live out here in Bumfuck, Alaska, forever."

"Is that bad?"

"Yeah that's bad. I mean, what if one of us breaks down? Who the hell'd fix us? I ain't got a power socket with the right dealie on the end, and we're gonna run out of gas for you sometime, and anyway, it's real bad to keep hotwiring your motor. It'll fuck it up totally in time. And then we're screwed."

"So we have to go. Yes." Eagle squared his shoulders for a second before slumping again. It was such a human gesture that it made Scoutbot realise how much he'd changed since they had first met.

"It'll be fine, bro." Scoutbot said with a sigh. "Don't be scared. They won't...shoot you on sight or anythin'."

"Can I bring my tube?"

"Huh? What tu.." Eagle held up his rocket launcher proudly. "Oh Hell no! You turn up with that and we will get shot on sight! They'll think I'm staging some cheesy robot uprising or some such crap."

"But it's mine!"

"Yeah, I know. Just...trust me on this, ok?"

"I trust you, Name Unknown."

"So, let's go and...and... you trust me? You...do? But nobody trusts me except..." He stopped. "Ah, fuck this shit. Let's go."

"Wait." A metal hand suddenly held his scratched arm. Scoutbot looked back in surprise.

"Huh?"

"I know your name." Eagle said earnestly.

"'Course you do, numbnuts, I keep telling ya; Scoutbot."

"That's your designation. Your name is Hermes."

"What? Where the hell did you get that fag-ass name from?"

"The radio told me. The winged messenger. Hermes." Eagle said firmly. "You are Hermes."

"Winged messenger..." Scoutbot said thoughtfully, before shaking his head. "I guess it kinda fits..."

"You are Hermes." Eagle insisted. "You have no other name. Just a label."

"It's... I... uh... ok, I'll think about it." Scoutbot shrugged. "Come on, let's go."

The two robots left the room and silence fell.

In Chapter Fifteen: The robots arrive in the Bahamas, and Scoutbot finds out that Engineer has out-maneuvered him yet again...