Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! As some of you will know, this website has had server difficulties for a while and therefore I was unable to post before work this morning. Ah well, better late than never, right?
Whee, the new comic came out! I loved it. I was surprised at Gray Mann dying- I thought he'd go on forever. I am pleased my prediction about Medic- that he'd be the one to heal Sniper- was correct. It seems he wasn't a mole though, just a twit. Now I am wondering what Olivia Mann is going to think of all this. Considering the Administrator is dying, will it be Olivia Mann versus Miss Pauling? Interesting idea, anyway... Now have a story.
Saving Private Soldierbot
Chapter Fifteen: Robots Can Die
Scoutbot walked to the teleport room, quickly outpacing the larger, slower robot. He forced himself to slow down and wait.
"I guess you're a bit scared, huh?"
"Yes." Eagle replied flatly.
"It's ok to admit to being...uh, oh, ok then. So, here's the plan: I go through first and check no one's about. You follow if I don't come back in, um, thirty seconds." He flipped a few switches, choosing a destination on the teleport. "Then, once we're through, I go find some of the guys and let them know about you. Then they say 'Ooh Scoutbot, you're so smart and clever.', and everything's cool. Got it?"
"Yes." Eagle repeated.
"No time like the present then. Let's roll."
"Only Medicbots roll." Eagle pointed out.
"I mean, let's go." Scoutbot marched up and stood on the teleporter confidently. There was the usual flash of light and then he heard seagulls cry and the roaring of the sea. He stepped off the pad, and yes, no one was about. This place was perfect for his plan- it was one of the furthermost islands, which is why it had the teleporter. The bridge to this island wasn't even finished yet. It just had stark metal pillars jutted out of the sea at regular intervals, heading away in a line towards another island about half a mile away. The building itself had a foundation and a basement with unfinished concrete walls and, the teleporter and comms, and that was about it. Wires poked out of the walls and a naked lightbulb hung from the ceiling. Shafts of light fell down the stairwell and dust danced lazily in the air. Scoutbot wondered what the hell the Institute intended to do with this dumb little island, anyway- it didn't look too useful. Maybe stick Pyro or Demo there for time out if they destroyed too many things?
There was a whoosh and a buzz behind him, and Eagle stepped off the teleporter slowly, looking about himself silently...
...WARNING: Failed to connect to network...Retrying...
...WARNING: Failed to connect to network...Retrying...
...SUCCESS: Connected to network...
...Signal strength 12%...
...Uploading...
"Hey bro." Scoutbot said, still glancing about nervously.
"I know this place." Eagle said slowly.
"You can't, you've never seen it. You were made near here though."
"Yes." Eagle replied, pointing. "Over there. I want to go there. Home."
"How'd you know...eh, whatever. Right, you wait here, and I'll go get some of the guys."
"I want to go outside. I want to look." Eagle said.
"Yeah, that's ok. Makes sense. They'll see you're not a threat then, too."
They walked up the stairs into the sunshine, and Scoutbot flicked his wings open. He stamped his feet, and turned back to Eagle.
"Look, thanks, dude. For everything. Nothing's gonna go wrong, but...it's been a blast. You...you were there, just when I needed a friend."
"You let me out of the cupboard." Eagle said solemnly. "You...let me think and made me...be me. You're my best friend, Hermes."
"Yeah, likewise." Hermes patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. "I'll be right back, promise." He took a few steps back, fired his jets and shot straight into the clear sky with a roar.
It should have worked.
In another story, perhaps he would have soared into the blue sky, light sparkling off his wings as he flew higher and higher in the warm air.
In a better story, Scoutbot would have been welcomed back with his new robotic friend, and everything would have been happy ever after.
That is what should have happened.
But it didn't.
Scoutbot knew Engineer was smart, you couldn't miss that- but he hadn't realised that he was also devious.
He shot straight upwards, admitting even to himself he was grandstanding a bit for Eagle's benefit, getting nice and high before heading off towards the main building, and it was then that his jets coughed to a halt due his kerosene tanks having been carefully emptied by Engineer Dell while Scoutbot had been switched off in his workshop.
"Ah, craaaa..."
Hermes scrabbled stupidly at nothing for a second, as if he could get a handhold on the air and then started to plummet. He tried to steady himself into a glide, but he was designed more like a rocket than an aeroplane, and his wings were merely fins to direct his flight. All he could do was watch the world spin as he fell back towards the hard concrete foundation on the island.
He just had time to vaguely remember that he was supposed to roll into a ball when he skidded into the ground, tumbling over and over with a clang and a thump each time a new part of him hit the ground. Sparks spat from tortured metal scraping against concrete and he tried to draw in his arms, legs and wings to avoid too much damage.
Pieces of metal clanged, shrieked and broke off, pinwheeling away from him as he finally came to a halt with a groan and a flurry of swearwords. "...aaap."
"Hermes!" There was the sound of clanking metal feet. "You fell. You're broken. Can you think?"
"Yeah..." Scoutbot looked about with his one remaining eye, trying to figure out what state he was in after that. Not good- his right side was completely fucked up. His right foot lay some distance away, glowing red hot and smoking, and his arm was bent in four places and just whirred in protest when he tried to move it. His neck seemed to be bent sideways, but at least his left arm worked.
"Perform a diagnostic." Eagle ordered, picking up the crumpled robot and gently hauling it back towards the teleport. The remainder of hermes' right leg dropped off with in a shower of sparks. "Don't shut down. Keep processing!"
"Yeah, yeah, jeez." Scoutbot muttered grumpily. He felt oddly weak, like he was running out of power. He had only just recharged, though, so that made no sense. A loose connection, maybe? No...that would just make him shut down completely, wouldn't it? "I don't do that diagnostic beep-boop shit."
"You're leaking." Eagle said, putting him down just inside the building and kneeling by him.
"Don't be crazy, machines don't bleed." Scoutbot replied, before looking down at the line of bubbling liquid dripping from his chest onto the concrete floor. He reflexively pressed his working hand to the wound, and the liquid pitted the metal. "Oh, well, fuck."
"Is that your fuel tank? I could patch it."
"It's battery acid." Scoutbot said in defeat. "I'm gonna run outta power, and fast."
"Wait here." Eagle said. He straightened up and walked over to the corner, grabbing his rocket launcher.
"Hey! I told you not to bring that thing!"
"I didn't listen." Eagle shrugged and hefted it onto his shoulder. Scoutbot chuckled slightly.
"Nice one. Good timing." He said. "You learn fast."
"I can fly with this tube. I... remember it. I'll get help." The robot said, turning around to the direction of the Institute. "I'll bring the humans to fix you."
"Woah, no, wait!" Scoutbot said in alarm. "You go there with a rocket launcher, they'll shoot you down! They'll kill you!"
"I can't leave you broken." Eagle stepped away and stood outlined in the doorless entrance of the building. He pointed the rocket launcher down. "I know how to do this."
"Dude, no!"
"I'll be back soon, Hermes."
"NO! DAMMIT EAG..." An explosion swallowed the rest of his words as Eagle rocket jumped into the air.
Scoutbot growled and tried to move, squirming on his one remaining arm and leg. He knew what would happen now: The humans would see the lone Soldierbot rocket-jumping towards the Institute and shoot it down. They wouldn't bother waiting to see what he wanted and he'd be smashed to pieces before he could explain. Scoutbot, meantime, would long since have shut down due to lack of power, and nobody would know where he was, so he'd not get fixed.
Robots can't die- they can always be repaired.
That was what Violet Engineer had always said. But what if they broke down in an unknown place and were buffeted by salty sea winds for months until they were reduced to a shapeless limp of rust?
Robots could die- and he was dying.
Four years wasn't nearly a long enough life, especially when two years of it had been spent strapped to a bench and being taken to bits! His left hand bunched itself into a fist so tight his metal fingers squeaked as they ground against his palm.
"No." He stated flatly. No, he was not going to give up. Not ever. He tried to wiggle his wings and realised that, bent and battered as they were, they still moved. Using them and his hand, he squirmed across the floor, crab-like, towards a dusty comms console. Every single step made his power drain lower and lower, and he knew he didn't have much time left. Thank God this island had had its comms station set up! Otherwise he'd be screwed. He punched the buttons with wobbling fingers.
"Hey ,it's Scoutbot, get me an Engineer. I don't give a shit which one. Mayday...or...SOS...or whatever the fuck it is. Emergency!"
"Dell here. How in Sam-Hill did you get outta my workshop?"
"Just shut the hell up and listen, jackass. I'm running outta power. I'm on island...uh...4b. There's a Soldierbot headin' to the Institute, but he's not dangerous."
"A what?!" Dell's voice shouted at the other end.
"I found his head in the old headquarters and...did stuff." Scoutbot explained. "I fixed him. Now he's here. I crashed, like bad...battery cracked...and he's gone to find you. Rocket jumping along the new bridge. Don't hurt him!"
There was a moment's silence. Scoutbot wasn't sure if the hiss was backward static, or Dell drawing a breath.
"Damn it, Scoutbot, what have you done?" Dell said in a quiet voice.
"He's...he's..." Scoutbot slurred. It was getting harder to think as his power ran out. "Harmlesssss..."
"No, he's not. He's really not." Dell replied quietly. "I'll come get you later but- first, I gotta stop this fella."
"No!" Scoutbot tried to yell, but his voice just crackled and hissed. "He's...my...friend..."
"Shut yourself down, Scoutbot, 'fore you corrupt your programming." Dell said sternly. "I'll handle this." There was a click, and the Engineer was gone.
Hermes dropped to the floor with a clatter. This was it. The end. God damn it, he had done nothing wrong. He had done all the right things, and everything had gone to hell. He had one last thought before his systems shut down:
It's not fair.
"Damn." Dell said quietly. "Damn, damn, damn." He could feel his spine filling with ice and he shuddered. He had really messed up, hadn't he? In all the excitement of the robot war, he had utterly forgotten that Soldierbot head back in Alaska. This situation was nobody's fault except his own.
The batteries. The stolen radio. The wiring. Scoutbot hadn't been malfunctioning- he had been building a robot. A friend. Someone just like him.
And Dell had just assumed he was going rogue. He had judged him as badly as Soldier, hadn't he?
"Pyro, I gotta run." He said firmly. "We better keep this quiet or all Hell'll break loose. Can't have the panic."
"Whhsss gnnngh wrrnnng?"
"You just wait here, Sparkie. I reckon folks might need your help soon." Dell said quietly. He grabbed a number of different items and tools from around the workshop and quickly stowed them in his toolbox."I'll pick up a Sniper on the way to the boat house. We can't let the robot reach this building!"
"Wrrr?!"
He ran to the door and wrenched it open, before looking back at the baffled Pyro. "If he does- No...let's not think about that right now." He ran forward, straight into a white-clad chest.
"Oof! Sorry I vas just coming to...ah...vell, I shall zhink of somezhing." Medic Albrecht said.
"We thought we saw unusual bird, close to workshop window." Tiny Vlad said, tugging on Albrecht's hair. "So, we came for closer look."
"Doc! Just the man. You're comin' with me." Dell said, completely ignoring their rather pathetic excuses. He had noticed the odd couple hanging about a lot recently but he had realised long ago that all Medics did strange things sometimes, and if he pretended not to notice, he could avoid their lengthy and pointless excuses. "We got a situation here, an' if we don't act, it's gonna become one whole load of a mess."
"I zhink I might know somezhing about zhis..." Medic said cautiously.
"I'll explain on the way."
"I saw Sniper Lawrence at zhe boathouse. Maybe he vill still be zhere?"
"You've been listenin' in...ah, never mind that now." Dell led the way. He scurried off down the corridor, making Medic run to keep up while Vlad clung on tightly to Albrecht's shoulder. They reached the lift and he punched the button for the ground floor.
"An armed Soldierbot is comin' to the Institute." Dell explained. "The very one I used for the triangulation tests during the robot war- you remember it?"
"Could not forget."
"It seems Scoutbot brought it here, then broke himself real bad. It's rocket jumpin' towards the main building as we speak. I have to stop it..."
There was suddenly a rubber-gloved hand on his shoulder, holding him firmly in place, and a tiny prick of pain in his neck.
"No..." Albrecht suddenly said behind him. He heard Tiny Vlad chortle. "I don't zhink I can let you do zhat."
In Chapter Sixteen: Dell explains why he thinks Eagle is dangerous, and Sniper uses the ultimate robot defeating weapon: a... dead fish?