[A/N: huh, i guess we're making an actual fanfic out of this. Who'dda thought this is what i'd make after all these years? The story might be a little all over the place, i'm not too sure. I have a lot of thoughts about WALL-E and the universe in that movie, which i guess is touched on here. But like. It sounds unreasonaburr.
I think a few things would be neat. 1) AUTO gets redemption. Shocking. (It's more of an understanding, but ya know) 2) AUTO gets a more mobile body (honestly looks exactly like a BnL version of E-101 Beta Mkii) 3) you know some other things, i'll get into that later lmao
And i guess????? This might be kind of a fancharacter that i'm using????? It's a GO-4, but it's not the one from the movie. So arguably a new character??? You tell me. The parenthesis mean that they're talking in beeps and tones.
TW/CW: responsibilities, realizing you need help, thinking ahead, broken robot pieces, robotics stuff, creating something new, transfer of consciousness (i guess?), waking up, medical-adjacent tests etc, anxiety, panic/attack, dread, realizations, relief, reunions, friendship/family type stuff, regaining a partner]
Considering everything, he was doing a pretty good job at being effectively the most important human on Earth. He taught people how to grow plants, he led them through this unknown planet, and he made sure that everyone was safe. Captain McCrea was an okay captain all in all.
But he was still just a captain. He wasn't used to having so many responsibilities! The most he had ever even done in that position was announce the start of the day and listen to data readouts that he didn't understand. Leading the people of the Axiom in a brand new colony on Earth, the first in almost 700 years, was stressful to say the least. Sure, the other starliners and their captains were on their way back to Earth too, but that was going to take a few months. McCrea was reaching his wit's end, and he was getting some risky ideas.
He tried to curb them. He consulted the ship's computer for advice and information, but she was just a stationary device that never did any kind of thinking the way that the robots on the ship did. He did the same with some of the other higher-up bots, but as they were robots, they were all supposed to FOLLOW the top, not give him advice. McCrea really was running out of options, and that big mechanical wheel in the corner of his eye seemed more and more tempting to reactivate.
If he was going to do it, he had to be smart about it. The first thing that should be done is to remove him from the actual controls of the ship. The last thing they needed was to accidentally set sail again and leave half of the people and robots on Earth. So McCrea had some of the mechanic robots unplug his processors and wires from the parts of the ship that actually did anything.
With that done, they now had a boat wheel with a supercomputer in it that wouldn't really be able to physically function at all. AUTO needed a new body. The most ideal would be something that would be able to float, if they could manage that. It would allow AUTO to come along with McCrea wherever he needed him, which was a lot of places.
There weren't really designers around anymore: the things that needed to be already were, and nobody was creative enough on their own yet to be of much help. McCrea took a few pictures of some of the stock photos of his robots and cut them together into something he thought would work well enough without being too dangerous. He wouldn't have guessed a literal wheel would try to taze him, but that happened once and he wasn't going to let it happen again.
Since the design looked good, he just needed to have it thrown together and put AUTO's main components in it to get it working, as far as he was aware. He wasn't all too sure how that was going to work out, so he ordered the mechanic bots to go to the repair ward to get started on the body. He called for the head GO-4 unit to come take AUTO over there to get him up and running.
But he wasn't getting any GO-4. He called for it again, but there still wasn't a response. "What the heck?! I saw, like, two GO-4s TODAY!!! Where on Earth is he now?!" He turned to look at the screens that displayed the robots that were online and their proximity to their stations. "Computer! Locate GO-4 Unit 1."
The computer showed all five GO-4 units and their distance from the center of the cockpit. GO-4 Unit 1 was said to be only a few dozen meters away, but it was offline. McCrea looked at the reading with confusion. "What happened to Unit 1?!"
"Error. GO-4 Unit 1 is offline. Damage reported."
"Damaged?! How did he get damaged?!" The computer played back the last footage that was taken of GO-4 Unit 1, which showed him being defenestrated and shattering to bits just next to a pool. Captain McCrea remembered that happening and felt a little embarrassed. "Oooohhh. That sucks, i really liked Unit 1." He sighed in frustration. "Alright, then call for Unit 2. Have him bring a transport cart with him."
"Affirmative Captain."
GO-4 Unit 2 was paged. It was just barely within range to receive the signal, but it made its way back to the ship to see if it would get the signal clearly inside. It was told to get to the bridge with a transport cart, so it quickly scrambled through the GO-4 Holes to get to his designated station to grab his cart. He hopped in and dashed off to the cockpit, trying to make up for any seconds that may have slipped him by.
He drove onto the bridge and saluted the Captain. "There you are! Listen, i need you to take AUTO to the repair ward. We're putting his insides in a new robot so that he can help me run things again. The mechanic bots have already started building it." GO-4 turned to look at the big figure on the ground and jolted a bit in surprise. This was the first time he had seen his superior in quite this manner, and it was not expected. He hopped off the cart to gather him onto the trailer. "Hey, you're stationed as the robotics GO-4, aren't you??" It tilted to denote its answer. "Could you make sure that he's gonna work??? Like… that the pieces go together right? I need AUTO to function as an assistant again, but for the things i do now."
GO-4 wasn't exactly programmed to do something like that, but he couldn't exactly disobey either. He beeped and saluted again. "Great! Okay, quickly! Get a move on! We need AUTO up and running as soon as we can get him. I'll try to meet you over there in a little while."
GO-4 hopped on the cart again and started to the repair ward. This was all a little weird to have sprung on him: he wasn't really aware that AUTO Pilot was… in this condition. He knew that SOMETHING happened, as the Axiom was now on Earth, but he didn't really know the details. He was here just to make sure that the ship's computers and robots and mechanisms were properly maintained, and details about WHY things changed to accommodate the new environment weren't given to him: he was just handed the updates that needed to be made and did as he was told.
He glided into the bay and found two mechanic robots putting spare parts together. It seemed like they were almost done with what was apparently AUTO's new casing. GO-4 looked at the sloppy plans that McCrea sent over and compared it to what the robots made. Unfortunately, they did an exceptional job making it look like the plan. "(Report design requests.)"
They looked up at him. The one that was fixing up an arm answered. "(Captain said to make it float and to NOT make it dangerous. We used some hover parts on the bottom, and didn't give him any lasers. He floats and is harmless.)"
GO-4 thought. AUTO may just be a copilot to the human, but he WAS still the highest ranking robot in the colony. It was honestly a wonder how any of them got along without him so far, but apparently they didn't need to much longer. AUTO not only required an excellent body to ambulate around, he deserved it for all that he had done before getting here and all he would do now that he is back on Earth. He was going to be put back in charge of all of the robots, so he needed to be able to handle properly monitoring all of their new jobs without sustaining damage. This body wasn't good enough. "(Needs refinement. Use sturdier parts. Weld at proper angles. Emulate original BnL robot designs.)"
The mechanic beeped. "(That's not what Captain told us. We did what Captain told us.)"
Most of him was proud that they were following orders, but at this point it took a robot to know a robot. "(Captain is unqualified to design BnL robots. Use plans as suggestions. Make new casing emulate original BnL robot designs. Make body sturdy and resilient. Use floating parts and articulated hands. Do not implement lasers.)" GO-4 Unit 2 could give orders to others, but he never liked to be too demanding if it wasn't required. He spoke dutifully, but without aggression.
The one mechanic stepped away from the project. "(Or what, GO-4??? You're not the top authority! Captain and AUTO are.)"
GO-4 never liked when robots questioned him like this. He might not have been the top authority, but he WAS their superior. "(Captain ordered me to assure that AUTO will work as an assistant again. Comply with my requests.)"
The mechanic shook its head. "(You're not the top authority. Need Captain's request.)"
GO-4 was getting frustrated. He didn't want to go fetch a projector to replay the Captain's orders, but he didn't have the same kind of clearance that AUTO did to bypass that and be obeyed. AUTO was unavailable right now, and the next highest robot authority was… oh. It was GO-4 Unit 2. He became a little anxious and glanced back at AUTO's useless condition. He knew he wasn't prepared to be the head of all of the robots, and he didn't want that responsibility even if he felt capable. He wasn't built to be a leader, but his current position required it of him. And it looked like that was the only way they were going to get AUTO back. "(Incorrect. I am the highest ranking robot authority in Colony Axiom. Orders must be obeyed.)"
Both mechanics jumped at that. Upon further inspection, GO-4 Unit 2 was absolutely the highest ranking robot around, and they just refused a set of orders. They both beeped in panic and fumbled to go gather some better spare parts to start over. GO-4 was satisfied that they recognized his position and that they went to complete their task without further hesitation. He stayed in the repair bay to continue monitoring their progress so that AUTO could have the best body that they could come up with.
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A couple hours passed before Captain McCrea showed up to the bay, and GO-4 saluted him when he entered. He was shocked to see that AUTO's old body was opened up with wires hanging out of it. This felt more surgical than McCrea would have expected, and he immediately felt unsettled. "Oh!!! Oh, are you guys transferring his parts now?" GO-4 nodded and beeped. McCrea looked at him again, guessing that this was probably going to take a while. "H-how much longer do you think it's going to be???"
GO-4 and the mechanics glanced at one another. The mechanics shrugged. GO-4 reviewed how the pair worked and estimated how long it would take for them to fully finish. He turned to McCrea and beeped seven times.
"Seven hours???!!!" GO-4 nodded. McCrea shook his head and glanced at the new body. He sighed. "Alright. I guess i'll come by again later. You guys can get back to work." GO-4 saluted again as McCrea turned to leave. It was upsetting for him to see his best friend all torn apart like that, but he knew he was going to be all better soon.
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It didn't take seven hours to get AUTO into his new casing. It took only four hours, twenty-three minutes, thirty-eight seconds, and nine milliseconds to get him fully transferred. The extra time was a cushion, and an opportunity to make certain that AUTO would be able to use this body at all. He definitely wasn't a wheel anymore, and none of them here were sure if he would be able to move as anything but that either. GO-4 asked the mechanics if AUTO was properly wired and programmed, and turned to him when they nodded. "(Activate.)"
The mechanic flipped his switch and stepped back. The new machinery whirred as it booted up. He was a big, intense supercomputer, so it took him a few minutes to start up completely. When he was able to begin thinking, his new dome optic looked around at his location and then locked onto GO-4, who saluted. "(Repair status report.)"
"(Normal functions partially online. Ship functions offline. Autopilot has been engaged.)" He paused. "(Why am i in the repair ward?)"
GO-4 felt a little nervous to tell him. Sometimes AUTO wasn't able to take news well, and he wasn't sure if all of this would be considered 'good' or 'bad.' "(Repairs requested by Captain. Physical systems check commencing.)" He paid careful attention to how AUTO handled this next part. "(Open and close pincers.)" AUTO did as he was told, and GO-4 was relieved that at least something worked. "(Optic report.)"
"(Fully operational.)"
GO-4 nodded. "(Bend arms.)" AUTO did so to all of his arms. "(Pivot bo–)"
"(Axiom location: planet Earth. Why is Axiom on planet Earth?)"
GO-4 wished he knew. AUTO seemed distressed about it, but he couldn't offer anything comforting. "(Axiom touchdown occurred 281,746.39 minutes ago. Operation: Recolonize put into effect 281,755.24 minutes ago.)"
AUTO started to beep and glance around in a panic. "(N-no. Operation: Recolonize canceled in 2110 CE. Current year is 2805 CE. D-direct-ive A-113… m-must… keep humans safe… Earth… uninhabitable…)"
GO-4 never knew that AUTO could get anxious like this. He was extremely upset, and GO-4 didn't think that telling him would help him calm down. "(The humans are safe. Operation: Recolonize is in effect. Earth is becoming more habitable as humans repair damage to plant life on planet surface. Operation: Cleanup is in effect and near completion within 15-mile radius of Axiom location.)"
"(Error. Earth uninhabitable. Humans unsafe on Earth. Must transport humans to a safe place.)" AUTO was fidgeting and beeping uncontrollably.
He knew he was going to say that. "(Humans are safe. Humans use Axiom as shelter. Life is returning to Earth. Earth is becoming more habitable. The humans are safe.)"
"ERROR, ERROR. (Earth uninhabitable. Humans will die if they return to Earth. Cannot allow harm to humans. Cannot harm humans. Must continue Directive A-113. GO-4, take me back to the cockpit.)"
GO-4 wasn't going to be able to convince him that the humans were safe, but maybe seeing that they were doing okay would help him calm down some. Unfortunately to do that, he was going to have to rile him up even more. "(Uh… m… move forward.)"
"(Error. Not attached to axle. Take me to the cockpit!)" He was very insistent and beginning to lose patience.
"(Just try to move forward.)"
AUTO beeped with irritation, but did as he was told because he knew he wasn't going to move at all. His new jets activated and flung him forward, much to his utter surprise. GO-4 caught him in his stasis beam before he hit the floor and slowly reoriented him to be upright as he gently set him down. "(Hover jets active and online. You must be careful when using them.)"
AUTO beeped in shock and frustration. "(Why do i have hover jets?! I must return to the cockpit to execute Directive A-113! Take me to the cockpit, GO-4!!!)"
There was no more time to delay the news. GO-4 was going to have to tell him right now, and he was very nervous about doing so. "(AUTO… Captain ordered for a new body to be made for you so that you may assist as he leads Operation: Recolonize. You… are no longer going to be a pilot for the Axiom.)"
AUTO paused to try and process this. "(Error. I am the autopi–)" Something interrupted his thinking. "(Black box data recovery complete. The… plant…)
GO-4 waited for him to review things, but he stayed quiet for a while. "(What is the matter???)"
AUTO turned his eye to GO-4. "(EVE Unit 1 must have placed the plant into the Holodeck. Axiom automatically returned to Earth. I was… put into manual operation because i tried to stop her.)"
"(Why did the Axiom return to Earth?)"
"(The Holodeck of the Axiom was designed to identify living plant material from planet Earth. Living plant material on planet Earth was thought to mean that it is inhabitable. The ships were designed to return to a healed planet. Directive A-113 overrides the use of the Holodeck: Earth was found to be inhospitable to humans, and starliners are forbidden from returning. Directive A-113 keeps them safe on starliners.)"
"(Why were you put into manual operation?)"
AUTO knew that he went too far with some things, but it was for the good of all of the people on his ship. "(I ordered for the plant to be destroyed. Somehow EVE Unit 1 and her yellow companion managed to recover it. Following orders, I did everything that I could to prevent them from placing it in the Holodeck. They were putting the humans at risk. Directives were at odds. I electrocuted her companion and threw them both down the trash shoot. They managed to escape and get the plant to the Holodeck. I did what I could to prevent them from doing so. I was intercepted by Captain McCrea. A physical fight took place. He was trying to assist them, therefore putting all passengers at risk: he was a threat to their safety. I tried to electrocute him. I… tried to hurt him… And he put me into manual operation… Autopilot functions were cut off, but my mechanics still allowed the ship to return to Earth. This… this is my fault… They're in danger…)"
This was obviously really heavy for AUTO to bear. He was convinced that the humans were in danger, and he was blaming himself for not trying hard enough to continue his programming to keep them safe. He blamed himself when he wasn't even in control. He was not in a good place, and there wasn't much that was going to make him feel better right now.
GO-4 turned to one of the mechanics. "(Retrieve projector.)" It scrambled to fetch one and bring it back, dropping it before getting back to him. GO-4 caught it before it hit the ground and attached it to himself to play back some recent recordings. "(Replaying hourly instances of immediate 48 hours.)"
The projector turned on and displayed some short videos of things that GO-4 had seen and recorded within that time. They were playing chronologically, and since it was the middle of the night, the first few videos showed only robots. AUTO's anxiety was getting worse because he wasn't seeing humans. A few more videos finally showed some, and the videos after that showed more. More and more people appeared in the recordings from yesterday, but it wasn't exactly relieving, as they were seen on a dusty planet with only a few tired little plants around. The place seemed like a desert, but as the plants were growing in rows and columns, this was apparently one of their farms. It just didn't look like things were going well enough to calm AUTO down.
"(Inadequate. Inadequate inadequate. Not enough vegetation. Planet uninhabitable. Must get humans to safety! Take me to the cockpit!)" AUTO was beeping and moving around, making GO-4 worried that he might fall again.
"(Please continue watching, AUTO. The humans are safe.)" He tried to speak calmly. The videos showed people happy and laughing, and it showed them moving around the Axiom after the sun went down. The view of this was different than what AUTO had most recently seen while in space: most people here weren't on their tablets or their hoverchairs, and they still seemed in better spirits. He hadn't seen anything like that in a few hundred years, and it made AUTO's processors ache. The humans seemed to be doing okay while on Earth, but all of the most recent directives that he received told him that they wouldn't be able to survive here at all.
He was very relieved that they were currently safe, but still had incredible worries that the conditions could change in an instant: an instant that he currently was not in control of. He whirred, but he tried to be composed. "(Take me to the cockpit.)"
GO-4 shut off the projector. "(I will take you to the cockpit. But i need to teach you how to move in your new body first. You will be unable to fulfill your duties if you cannot move in this casing.)"
AUTO considered. His arms and eyes worked the same way that they had before he was transferred, but jumping off of the table proved that he wasn't dealing with what he knew anymore. He beeped in an affirmative.
"(Thank you, AUTO.)"
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GO-4 took a good amount of time and was incredibly patient as he taught AUTO how to hover and move in the body that he had now. He caught him every last time that he fell, and he made sure that he didn't run into any walls while he was practicing. He made AUTO pick up and hold various sized tools with either of his two hands: some signals getting mixed because they were trying to route to the three arms that no longer existed. GO-4 told the mechanics to fix that and all of the other glitchy, iffy things as soon as any came up. He tested and practiced with the adjustments very well before he even suggested that AUTO might be ready to go to the bridge.
In total it took another two and a half hours for them to get AUTO near ready to get to the cockpit. GO-4 was just the littlest bit worried because it had taken longer than projected, but hoped that Captain McCrea would understand why. This WAS almost exactly rocket surgery that they were doing, after all. He ran through one last set of tests with AUTO before he was satisfied with what they had. He would obviously need more practice to be 100% perfect in this new body, but GO-4 was dedicated to being there to help him all along the way.
It was 4:42am when the pair left to return to the cockpit. AUTO sat close to GO-4 and nervously looked all around the ship as they passed through. He almost never had this kind of a view of it, and it was all really different to see it in this opposite perspective. The bright, colorful ads still played, and the ship's artificial day/night cycle still had it dark inside. The paths for hover chairs and robots were still lit up on the floor, but there were a few scuffed up tracks of what apparently were footprints along the ground where it had been immaculate and untouched before. AUTO made a note to get a cleaning crew to fix it when he got squared away.
Those robots were the second thing he was looking out for. The environment was pretty enough: it was his home, and it was interesting to see it like this. But what he really wanted to see were the humans. He was still extremely nervous about their wellbeing, and he wasn't going to be able to relinquish the anxiety until he knew that every last human in the colony was still healthy and ALIVE. It was very early morning, and AUTO had known them to start waking up at 6:30am at the absolute earliest, so he thought he was going to have to wait a while to see anyone.
Much to his surprise, he saw quite a few people starting to move around the ship, on their own feet. He hadn't seen that many people walk in about 150 years, and he was almost flabbergasted that they were moving quite so fast for being so out of practice as a whole. Besides the shock, he became wildly relieved that they seemed to be healthy. They were alive and breathing and moving and even talking and smiling, and it was everything that AUTO wanted to see his humans still doing as they were here on this planet. These few weren't anywhere near the entire population he left, but seeing any at all was a heavy weight lifted off of his hard drive. GO-4 glanced back at him and saw him happily watching the people as they drove, and he was glad that AUTO got a chance to see them like this so early out of the repair ward. He was thankful that the farmers did wake up so early for that kind of thing.
AUTO spied some robots along the way, too. Many were doing things that they normally would be doing, such as patrolling the area for safety or cleaning up any little messes that the humans made. But some; the ones that were following the humans; carried long poles with oddly shaped metal pieces at the ends, some had sacks of goodness-knows-what, and some were even carrying trays of teeny, tiny leaves that sat in cubes of dirt. He recognized what they were and tried to control himself. 'Plant…'
They drove through the Lido Deck and into the lobby of the cockpit, requesting that TYP-E call for the elevator. He did so, but stared at the unfamiliar robot in the trailer as they waited for it. AUTO turned a similarly-shaped eye toward him, and TYP-E waved to greet him. AUTO couldn't quite seem to recall what that signal meant, so he just parroted what he saw and hoped that it was acceptable.
GO-4 became nervous again in the elevator. The last time that AUTO was conscious when he was around the Captain they apparently had a physical fight. Captain must have moved past that, as he did explicitly want AUTO to be his advisor again; and AUTO seemed apologetic for what he did at the time; so the reunion should go smoothly. Still, GO-4 was concerned that something might go wrong: be it from AUTO still being new to the form of locomotion or from Captain not liking the shape he took, or something else entirely. He glanced at AUTO again, and he waved at him, apparently still trying to remember what it meant.
The door opened and they entered. The quarters were dark, so the Captain was probably still asleep. GO-4 wasn't too sure what he should do here, as he didn't want to wake him up and make him upset. The mechanical voice beside him spoke in human language. "Captain McCrea."
He stirred in his sleep. They could see his eyes partially open and glance over at them, recognizing GO-4 but not the robot behind him. He slowly sat upright, yawning and stretching as he did. He blinked at them as he tried to understand what was happening.
"Good morning, Captain."
"Good…" He squinted at them again, whispering quietly under his breath: "GO-4, with… and the voice of…" He jolted in surprise. "AUTO!!! AUTO, is that you??!"
"Affirmative, Captain." He saluted with his new arm.
"Oh wow, look at you!!! You're completely different now!!!" McCrea jumped up and waddled to the cart with his arms outstretched.
"Affirmative. Your body mass index is lower than previously recorded measurements. Are you eating well???" The question made him sound like a grandmother: the familial concerns being part of his programming for all captain interactions.
McCrea waved his hands. "Oh AUTO, you old softie! Yes! I'm doing fine!!!" He hopped up to be right in front of him. "What about you? How are you doing in this new body??? It looks reeeaally cooool!!!" GO-4 was relieved that he apparently liked it.
"Currently inconclusive. Functions dissimilar to initially programmed range of mobility. Hover jets are unfamiliar, but progress is being made." To demonstrate, he nervously lifted himself from the cart and floated next to it. He looked around the floor to gain his bearings, then looked back up to McCrea.
"You can hover!!! Ah, that's great! That's going to be so handy for what we've got planned! Comere, you!" He outstretched his arms to give him a hug. "Oh!" He paused and whispered to GO-4. "Does he have anything dangerous on him???"
GO-4 beeped in the negative. Captain McCrea's big happy smile returned to his chubby face and he wrapped his arms around AUTO's new frame to hold his companion close. "It's good to have you back, buddy."
AUTO was struck. He didn't realize that he missed this kind of thing from his Captains. He spent lifetimes with all of them, each new one permanently joining his memory banks for all of the generations he had been part of the ship. They were all different and they were all unique, and he had very good relationships with each of them. Almost all of them considered him something like a friend, if not family, by the time the next one came along, and he appreciated every one of them in that same exact way. It had been a long time since he had been embraced by one, and feeling it again made his components ache with nostalgia and comfort. He did his best to shakily return the gesture, and couldn't help but speak the words. "I love you, Captain."
"I love ya too, AUTO." McCrea stepped back to look at him again, very happy to have his copilot back here with him. "You're gonna be a great help to us here. I've been so lost without you."
"Universal positioning system states that we are on planet Earth." He hovered close to the ground, so he had to look up at McCrea.
He made a nervous face. "We are… Are… you gonna be okay down here??? Do you still have that, what was it? Directiiive… A-311??? Still on you???"
AUTO paused for a moment. "Affirmative, Captain. Directive A-113 is still in my programming."
"I was close." He quirked an eyebrow, waiting for recognition that he was.
AUTO turned his vision away for a few seconds, trying to configure it to something that would be useful to where they were now. He looked up again. "Modifications will be implemented to directive. I will not try to keep you away from your home planet."
McCrea sighed with relief. "Thank you, AUTO."
"Quality of air and environment will be heavily monitored. Alerts will be made if quality is lower than acceptable range. I must continue to keep the humans safe."
"That sounds perfect, AUTO." McCrea put a hand on his shoulder. "It didn't take me too long to realize that you really were trying to make sure that we were all safe. This place was a complete mess when we got here. We've been doing pretty good, all things considered! But i can't run this place alone. I need my Autopilot to be by my side again. You're the only one i would ever want to help me do this, AUTO. There's nobody in the universe that could do the job better than you." Captain McCrea held out his hand. "So what do you say?? Are you willing to be my copilot on this crazy ship called 'Earth???'"
AUTO sensed a satisfaction in his processors that felt better than it had in decades. This wasn't exactly what he was programmed to do, but it was something that seemed to write itself into his coding as the Captain spoke. AUTO made a happy tone and extended his hand to grab onto McCrea's. "Aye aye, Captain."
McCrea smiled proudly and shook his hand, relieved and happy and excited that his companion was back with him to help their colony stay safe. He released him, and the two saluted one another. "Welcome aboard, AUTO."
[Post a/n: yeah, not really what little me would have expected of myself, but… honestly not too surprising when it comes down to it. Current me says that there will definitely be more with this… whatever it is, so get set and lmk if you'd like to see anything specific with this version of AUTO and GO-4 and everyone. I feel like it'll be fun, bc this was.
I read a few fics w AUTO before finishing this one, and i know that they 100% influenced how this went down. So shout out to MatrixDream and Shadow_Wolf75 on Ao3, their fics with AUTO are really really good and you should read them.]
