entry_4
1925 hours, Thursday, February 1, 1973.
I met another team member today and learned more things that I did not necessarily want to learn.
It started when the Scout entered the workshop this morning. He seemed so excited when he entered, looking over his shoulder almost constantly and rubbing his hands together. I was going to ask him what he was doing but he spoke first.
Scout unit: Okay here's the deal Champ. You know how you were asking about what Medic and Engie were up to, yeah?
0031: Ah... yes, but why are you-
Scout unit: Well I was just in the doc's room, see, and there's something in the back he's got kind of covered up with a sheet. I figured since you're fixed we could go see what it is. I bet you anything it's the secret thing they've been working on.
I watched him closely for a moment, confused. It seemed very odd for him to approach me on this matter for some reason.
0031: Why didn't you look for yourself when you were in his room?
Scout unit: With him right there watching me? I thought you were supposed to be smart! I'm not giving him an excuse to cut me open!
0031: Oh. So he would not want you to look at this unknown object.
He rolled his eyes.
Scout unit: Why the hell would he keep it covered up if he wanted people looking at it?
The realization of what he was suggesting materialized in my processor. I stared at him.
0031: You wish for me to assist you in looking through your Medic's things without his knowledge or consent.
The Scout grinned.
Scout unit: Yeah, something like that. Let's go before he gets back from lunch.
He turned toward the door. Wishing to prevent rash actions on his part, I took hold of his arm.
0031: But human Scout, bitte, won't we get into terrible trouble with your Medic? This seems foolish.
The Scout pushed my hand off his arm. His face made a scowl at me from annoyance.
Scout unit: We'd only get in trouble if we got caught. That's why you're gonna keep a lookout for me, see how that works?
0031: But-
Scout unit: Look, if you want to help me then stop being a wuss and come on.
I did not like that. Wuss was not a term I was familiar with, but it sounded like an insult.
0031: I am not weak, if that is what you are saying- oh!
I said "oh" because Herr Engineer had come in through the back without us noticing. He stopped walking and stood very still when he noticed me and the Scout talking. I fidgeted with my hands as I watched him. His arrival made a feeling of guilt start inside of me even though I had not done anything.
E-001: What do you want Scout?
Scout grinned at Herr Engineer as though he weren't doing anything wrong. I should try that sometime. Except my face doesn't work that way, so never mind.
Scout unit: Oh hey! I just wanted to say hello and stuff, you know, check up on Champ. I was thinking maybe I could take him to see Medic since he ain't met him yet.
I looked at Herr Engineer, not sure if I wanted him to allow this or for him to tell the Scout to go away. All the same it did not seem like a good idea to tell him what the Scout had suggested. I did not want to get him into trouble. I was surprised though, because Herr Engineer didn't do either of these things.
E-001: Actually I was gonna take Thirty-One down there myself. Got something I need to talk with him about. You can tag along if you want.
Scout's smile stopped very quickly.
Scout unit: What? But, uh, we were kinda gonna make it like a... a thing, you know?
E-001: No, I don't know. What I do know is that Medic's gonna tan your hide if you go poking around down there without permission again, and as fun as that might be to watch I don't reckon it'd be good to have a team member laid up because he pissed off the one person here who can patch him up. You ready Thirty-One?
Scout scowled again. I watched the human's agitated reaction out of curiosity. I was rather pleased with the disruption of his plans; the thought of being sneaky and trying to do things without being noticed when Herr Engineer and everyone had been so nice to me made me very uncomfortable. I swung my wheel stalk over the side of the workbench.
0031: Jawohl! But, ah, I will still need help.
E-001: Right. Maybe before we leave tomorrow I'll be able to fix you the rest of the way.
He pulled me off the bench then held my arm to make sure I stayed steady. Scout watched with that scowl on his face still. It made him look a bit silly I think, but my opinions on facial expressions do not mean much. I will need to study them more closely before my opinions on such matters can be considered.
Fortunately the trip to the human Medic's improvised surgery was not a long one. There was a flight of stairs which needed to be negotiated as it was a basement room, but it was only comprised of 14 steps, and Herr Engineer helped me considerably. The Scout tried his best to help also, so that much can be said for him even if he called me a "fricking fatso" and almost dropped me numerous times.
At the bottom of these steps stood the door to the basement-surgery. It looked old like the rest of the abandoned building-turned-base, with white paint mostly covered by dirt and dark stains where it didn't peel away from the door in long strips. The wood underneath was turning gray. Such an odd place to practice medicine, especially when compared to the stainless steel of the tanks and the smooth, well-cared for interior of Gray Gravel Company headquarters. If I did not know that the human Medic had to be very good at his job, I would question whether or not the location was sanitary.
Herr Engineer brought his fist against the door twice to knock. The second time his fist penetrated the structurally compromised wood and caused it to splinter.
E-001: Dammit!
Medic unit: Ach, what is it now? Unlike SOME people I have work to-
Scout unit: Yeah yeah, whatever. Engie wanted to talk with you about something. Oh, Champ's here too.
Medic unit: Champ? Did you get a dog?
Scout unit: Heh, no, I mean the robot. I figure Champ's a good name for him anyways, and since I can't call Engie Rex anymore-
E-001: No, you damn well can't.
Medic unit: Well if Engineer und the Machinenmensch are with you, I suppose that is another matter. Give me a moment to tidy up.
We could hear the sound of drawers rolling open and closed along with the clangs of metal objects being thrown into a bin, or perhaps a sink. I felt as though I should say something to announce my presence at that point, except I couldn't think of what I should say. It seemed a daunting task, to address the man one was designed after. In the end I decided to simply stand up as straight as I could given the circumstances so I looked more presentable and wait.
He opened the door. The human Medic was in his shirtsleeves instead of the laboratory coat I always saw him wearing into battle. Somehow the lack of his uniform didn't make him seem any less imposing. This may have been partly due to the blood on his hands, which suggested that we had indeed interrupted him in the middle of something, and also because he looked quite cross. I know the cross expression somewhat better than the other ones; Herr Gray has it on his face often enough when he has to deal with us robots sometimes.
He looked at me, and his frown became more pronounced. I stood up even straighter and forced myself not to wring my hands.
0031: Ah, hallo Herr Medic. I am-
Medic unit: I know perfectly well what you are. Engineer, can I have a word in private?
I looked to Herr Engineer, feeling a little... perhaps the correct term is disappointed. The Medic's reaction was not what I had hoped for. Meanwhile, Herr Engineer shook his head.
E-001: I already know what you're gonna say Doc, and you know full well he's our best bet if we want to pull this off.
Scout unit: Pull what off now? What'd I miss?
Medic unit: Egh... fine then. Come inside- touch ANYTHING Scout und I will make your next death a particularly unpleasant one!
The Scout muttered several insults as he followed Herr Engineer and myself inside, but not very loudly. The Medic either didn't hear him or pretended he didn't and went on with closing the door behind us.
The basement was not very large, at least compared to the surgeries I am accustomed to. He had several gurneys crammed into the space along with a good bright light and a heart monitor and all the different machines one needs for surgeries. This left only a little room for movement, but this was good for me because it meant that wherever I might go in the room, there would always be something to use as a support. I held the side of an industrial sized metal sink near the door, which held some trays with fragments of a recent project still on them. It looked like skeletal muscle with accompanying connective tissue. I wanted to get a closer look but was quickly distracted.
Scout unit: Whoa whoa whoa, what the hell is that thing?
I looked up. The thing the Scout was referring to lay out on a gurney directly under the light, with the beam from the Medic's healing gun aimed onto it. I didn't know how I missed it before.
A human arm lay there on the brushed steel surface. It was miniature, bloodied, and there was something wrong with its proportions. It seemed to be shifting slightly under the medigun's bluish glow, the fingers reaching out a bit longer by fractions of centimeters, then retracting again in a pulsating pattern. A stained sheet was draped on one end of the gurney with an icebox sitting on top of it. My best guess was that this was the covered object the Scout had wanted to examine surreptitiously.
The Medic's brows rose a little, and it looked like he might smile. I think he was excited about the project.
Medic unit: Oh, that? That is an arm, mein Freund, which I have been growing myself. I took a sample of tissue from the RED Engineer (he was most accommodating) und by exposing it to the healing effects of the medigun was able to replicate a section from around the area from which it was harvested.
Scout unit: That's freakin' sick man. It's moving and stuff.
Medic unit: Oh it is not only moving; it is GROWING! That is the entire point, you see! Now, ah, unfortunately I do not think I will be able to grow the entire body out from the arm. It is taking a long time to just regenerate this much, as you can see. Apparently being detached from its progenitor und lacking a steady blood supply makes a difference in these matters.
Scout unit: Why the hell-
E-001: He's growing it for me. We're trying to make me human again.
Scout unit: Oh.
It was quiet for a moment as we watched the thing expand and contract. It must have been getting bigger by minuscule increments of measure. I could not see that it was really getting any larger at all.
0031: But what use is a single arm going to be, if it does manage to generate skin und the other necessary bits?
He stopped smiling and gave me a look that was decidedly annoyed.
Medic unit: I am going to take other samples from the RED Engineer, of course. It should not be difficult to stitch them together once I have everything grown. We may still try cloning as we had originally intended, but that would take a decidedly longer amount of time.
0031: Oh, I see. I am sorry if I seemed-
Medic unit: But some of those involved in this project don't seem to think I am capable of the final stage of operations, for some reason.
Here he glared at Herr Engineer. I looked between them, an idea of why Engineer had brought me here happening in my head. Herr Engineer only shrugged at the Medic.
E-001: I just figure that since it's my brain, I'd like someone who's experienced with brain transplants involved in the operation.
Medic unit: Bah, brain transplants! I put in your uber-meter didn't I? I have held your heart in my hands and you were perfectly fine with that, but for some reason you do not trust me enough to work with your brain?
E-001: For cryin' out loud, just because I want 0031 to help with this don't mean I'm underestimating your skill! You're still in charge of putting everything together and all; I wouldn't let you do that if I didn't think you were up to scratch.
Medic unit: Hmmph. I would think you would show it better than I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH ANYTHING!
The Scout jumped back from where he had been poking the arm with his index finger. A moment after he moved, the Medic's bonesaw came crashing down onto the gurney right where his hand had been. The arm bounced slightly from the impact. I jumped and clanged against the sink.
E-001: CAREFUL WITH THAT THING!
Scout unit: Geez, I was just looking!
Medic unit: You do not look with your HANDS you stupid boy! Didn't I just tell you not to TOUCH anything? Sie haben die Aufmerksamkeitsspanne einer Mücke!
I pushed myself fully upright again as the Medic sank into incomprehensible muttering and the Scout said swear words under his breath. Herr Engineer had stepped toward the arm to make sure it was undamaged. I imitated the sound of clearing a throat.
0031: Ah... ah, perhaps we should leave, Herr Engineer. I do not want to disrupt Herr Medic's work further.
He straightened and nodded.
E-001: Yeah. Yeah, we'll get out of your hair doc, and thanks. Scout?
Scout unit: I'm coming, I'm coming.
Medic unit: I will talk with you later about the project, Engineer. And next time, do not bring Scout.
We left the room. No one said much during the ordeal of carrying me up the stairs. In fact I didn't bother saying anything until Scout had stalked off and Herr Engineer and I had arrived at the workshop again. I leaned in the corner.
0031: So... so you have found a way to turn yourself back?
E-001: Medic and Spy came to me with the idea first. They were just gonna clone the RED Engineer, but then Medic reckoned he found a faster way to do it.
I looked at my hands and tried to process this information fully.
0031: And you wished me to assist with the final operation, to put you back into your body?
E-001: If you're willing.
0031: Your Medic does not seem thrilled with the idea.
E-001: He'll get over it.
0031: Still... I was rather looking forward to meeting him. I didn't think he'd be so offended by my presence.
Herr Engineer did his sigh again.
E-001: He'll get over it, Thirty-One. He's a grown man, and since you've done the reverse of this surgery before it only makes sense that you help. Medic knows that.
I nodded.
0031: I will help then. It is a gut thing, to be back to how you were originally manufactured, and I am... happy for you.
E-001: I appreciate it.
0031: It is no trouble. Really it isn't.
As he turned away to work on something, though, I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like when I was the only robot left at the base. Hopefully nothing will change, but the fact remains that the Scout is the only human who seems to like me much.
/entry_4