[A/N: Something i thought of with the Scantron from Scantron Love, S1.6b. I had no idea where it was going, then i did and didn't write it down, and after a hundred years i finally got back to it. Essentially, no character is safe from my angst.
Female pronouns for both, yay. Auto, my fc, goes to a different middle school than Robot does, it's called "Beaumont." And i guess RJ's presence in the fic actually falls off by the end, oopsies. It has more of Scantron interacting w Auto, and i guess maybe things get a lil Sue-ish for her. Ah well.
TW/CW: anger, frustration, scheming, nervousness, anxiety, stress, sadness, sudden confrontation, apology, identity crisis, factory/warehouse setting, job interview?? mini celebration]
Auto marched off angrily. She had just been told about a time when her best friend took advantage of another AI to help his good-for-nothing human classmates. The worst was that it resulted in the machine malfunctioning and being replaced by a "better" model.
("Yeah, sometimes my classmates ask for help with schoolwork. Uh, there was one time when our history teacher was big on scantron tests, and Cubey and Mitch suggested that i talk to the machine to get the answers, which i did."
"Wow, it still had the answer sheet in it??"
"Uh, well, actually i talked to it for a little bit and it printed off the answers for me."
"Oh. And that helped you guys??"
"Yeeeaahh, until they told our other classmates about it. Then they all wanted answers for those tests."
"So what did you do?"
"I talked to the scantron machine again. I actually had to do that a few times over so that we wouldn't all fail the semester."
"And it just gave you the answers every time?!"
"Well, yeah… i think it had a crush on me…"
"Oh."
"But it saw that i was sharing the answers with the humans and I got upset at me."
"That sounds fair enough."
"I-it does… but when the teacher switched over to written tests and i went to see the scantron again, the janitor was taking it away. He said that it 'died of a broken heart.'"
"Oh my gosh!!!"
"And they replaced it with a new scantron machine, who was really rude and strict."
"So what happened to the old one???"
Robot had to think about it. "I don't actually know. I didn't get a chance to see where he took it. I would guess that they took it to a recycling plant."
"And you just let them do that to it?!?!"
"What was i supposed to do, Auto?!"
"You could have repaired it!! Don't you know how to repair appliances?!"
"No, i don't!! Besides, it's a scantron!! Who else besides a school needs a scantron?!"
"They were an AI, RJ!! It could clearly think for itself! It might have even been as intelligent as you or i!!"
"It's a scantron!!!"
"It's a robot, Jones!!! It could have done big things!!!"
"You're taking this too seriously!!"
"You didn't take it seriously enough!!"
"It was a school appliance!"
"It had feeling, RJ!" Auto was exasperated. She didn't know how to convince him that the machine was something worth saving. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. "I can't believe you let that happen… i need to think about things for a little while."
"Auto, don't be like that. It's not that important! It happened months ago!!")
Auto knew that schools weren't exactly the best funded things in their society. Old machines were used well after they were years obsolete, and even something like a fried circuit or burnt relay wouldn't keep them from using them. The only thing that would prevent a school from fixing it was some know-how.
She had an idea to ask for it for her own middle school. Schools had to share things, right?? She should just be able to pose as Beaumont Middle School's principal and ask Polyneux Middle School's principal for any spare gadgets… and that would probably work, right??
Well, there was no harm in trying, so that's what she did. She waited for an opportunity and snuck into the main office. She dialed up the rival school's phone number and modulated her voice to sound more mature as she was put through.
"Uh-hellooo??? This is Principal Madman."
"Hello sir! This is Principal Gomez from Beaumont Middle School. I was calling to inquire about old or broken appliances that your school may have and would be willing to donate. Our electronics program is in need of objects to work on, and our school could benefit from anything that you would be willing to part with."
"Hmm, that does sound like something that we can do. Oh, but what might be in it for us??"
"I would be happy to recommend the teachers in our electronics programs as candidates for after school programs for your location at the next school board meeting! I'm certain that any school would benefit greatly from their work. The students absolutely love them!"
"Well, that sounds perfect! I'll gather the old printers and things for you by the end of the week."
"That sounds excellent!! I'll send a student to collect everything on Friday. I unfortunately have a full schedule this week, but i greatly appreciate that you are able to do this for us!!"
"It's no problem, Ms. Gomezz! I hope to see you at the next school board meeting!"
Auto hung up the phone, frightened by the tone of the man on the line. She might be mad at him, but she certainly hoped that Robot didn't have to deal with him all too often.
53 6b 69 70
The plan worked out almost flawlessly. She paid off one of her classmates to collect the machines so she wouldn't raise suspicions. She gathered up the small printer, the scantron, and the broken monitor.
She was only really concerned with the scantron. She could fix the screen and replace the burnt cords of the other stuff later: right now, she wanted to repair the poor darling's brain.
She examined the hard drive and the circuits and the motherboard. It didn't look like it would take too much effort to get it back up and running.
But she did want to do it a massive favor: if this thing really did act like an AI, then it should have an opportunity to experience the things that all the other robots in the city could. It should be able to see the sun and study the grass, and not be confined to a dark, dusty closet. Auto drew up a few body designs for it using the parts that her parents had around the house from when they were designing her and her siblings. She came up with a few that she was satisfied with, but decided to downsize the exterior of its current state so that it would make a more aesthetically appealing head.
Auto plugged in the machine and powered it on. Its big red bulb lit up and it wirred to life. "(Activated.)"
"Ah, excellent!!!" Auto looked at the machine and waved. "Hello there! Do you remember who you are?"
"(Affirmative. I am Scan-8000, a scantron unit assigned to Polyneux Middle School.)" It spoke in beeps and whistles.
"You are!" Auto nodded. "Except, you are no longer assigned to Polyneux Middle School."
"(Please input currently assigned school.)"
"You don't work at a school anymore. I repaired you so that you can be a regular robot like me."
"(Oh, fair enough.)" It paused for a beat. "(Please input reference information.)"
"My name is Auto Maton, but 'Auto' is acceptable as a reference." She smiled and cocked her head. "What would you like for me to call you?"
It calculated. "(Error. I am Scan-8000. There are no other titles.)"
"That's okay. We can give you a name later." She leaned forward. "Do you remember anything else??"
It calculated again. "(Affirmative. Previous answer sheets have been recorded for future use.)" Auto nodded. "(Additionally… interaction with an artificial intelligence unit: title 'Robot Jones.' No further data recorded.)"
"Oh, you do remember him." Auto pulled up a chair so that she could get comfortable. "What do you remember about him???"
Scan-8000 recounted what was saved about the android. Auto registered everything and told it about how she would let it talk to him again. She presented her designs to the scantron, and they discussed what it liked and disliked about each so that she can put together a body that it would be happy in.
53 6b 69 70
"Hey RJ, can you come over to my place? I wanna show you something!!" Auto giggled over the phone.
"Sure, i'll be there in a little bit."
Robot made his way over to his friend's house. He was glad that she didn't seem upset anymore, as he was starting to get worried after not hearing from her for a couple of days. He rang the bell, and after a few seconds the door opened. "(Heelloooo, Robot Jones.)"
His optics bugged and he took a step back. "Sc-sca--!"
Auto came up behind the casually posed new figure and wrapped her arms around its shoulders from behind. "Hey RJ!! I want you to meet my new friend!" She grinned, "you might remember her as 'Scan-8000.'"
It didn't have any features beside the red light bulb in the middle of its square face, but it seemed as if it was smirking. "(You DO remember me, correct Robot Jones?)"
He was quivering now, not sure what to do or how to act during this reunion. "Y-yes, i--"
"She looks good, doesn't she, RJ???" Auto popped up beside him and nudged his arm. "Candy and i designed it together. What do you thiiiiink???"
"C-Candy???"
"(Reference information. Auto suggested the title. I like it.)" The scantron robot leaned in the doorway with her wrist on her hip.
"Uh-uh… oh..."
Auto slipped behind him. "Come on, now, RJ, don't be shy!!!' She put her hands on his back and began pushing him into the house. "Let's all go inside and catch up, shall we???"
Candy moved out of the way. "(It is the least you could do.)"
Auto sat him down on the couch and stood in front of him with Candy. "So, RJ. How have you been???"
He almost couldn't take his eyes off of the new figure. He was still shaking. "F-fine…?"
"(Acceptable. I have been 'well rested.')" Her hands were still on her hips.
Auto put her hands together and smiled. "I got a hold of her and fixed her up. It wasn't hard at all to do. In fact, it was way more work putting together a functioning body." She hung on Cany's shoulder. "It turned out nice, didn't it??"
Robot glanced up and down, trying not to stare at any part of her body for too long so that she wouldn't get upset. He nodded and made an affirmative tone.
"(Auto suggested the tapering figure. She said that it would look better. You agree, correct?)" He blinked and would have sweat if he could. "(She has significant talent. You are fortunate to have a friend like Auto.)"
"Oh, come off it, Candy; you're making me blush!" Auto squeezed her in a half-hug.
Robot glanced between them. He started to become nervous in a completely different way than he had been. "A-are you two…?"
Candy folded her arms. "(Negative. Auto and i are still 'preoccupied.') She shifted her vision. "(However, i would not be opposed to that suggestion.)"
Auto put her hands on her cheeks and made a chime. "Aawww, i like you too, Candy!!"
"(For the moment,)" she turned back to Robot. "(We have some things to talk about.)" She sat close to Robot on the couch and leaned in. Auto sat on his other side, leaving him very little room between the two feminine bots. "(Did you miss me, 'RJ???')"
Auto interjected. "Remember how good she is at defining truths from the faaaalssse!!!"
Robot shrunk his head back and brought his hands close to his body. He stared straight into Candy's light bulb. "I-i…"
"(Because i missed yoouuu.)" She said this in a low, confusing tone: unclear if she was being flirty or angry.
Robot couldn't help but smile a little under his blush. "Y-you did???"
"(I diiid.)" She shifted her position. "(I missed you coming to see me when i was completely alone in that closet. I missed you treating me as an equal and not simply a machine. I missed thinking that things were exclusively between you and me.)" She got close to his face and almost hissed. "(I missed being awake.)"
Robot felt his motor skip at the aggression. He wasn't used to confrontations like this, and he didn't know how to compose himself. "Scantron, I--"
"(MY NAME IS NOT 'SCANTRON!!!')"
"I-i didn't mean to hurt you!!"
"(But you DID hurt me. You broke my heart. You made me malfunction. You USED ME!!!)"
"I know!!! I know, and i shouldn't have!"
"(I TRUSTED YOU!!!)"
"I didn't mean to!!!"
"Oh yes you did, RJ!" Auto put her hands on his shoulders and leaned forward to look at him. "You did it on purpose. You always do it on purpose." The pitch of her voice raised, "you've even used me before!!"
"(You KNEW that we loved you, and you took advantage of that!!!)" Candy forcefully poked her finger at Robot's chest. "(You are the worst kind of artificial intelligence, Robot Jones!!)" She made their faces almost parallel and growled. "(You should be ashamed of yourself.)"
Robot shivered in a sea fear and guilt. Auto could feel his processors running hard in his chestpiece, but she needed him to know that he should be ashamed. "You let other people use you, and you tried to do the same to the ones that you made vulnerable. It's disgusting."
Robot's body shook. He closed his eyes tight and tried to turn his head. But he was almost completely smothered by the two of them intensely sizing him up. He couldn't think straight, and he was so overwhelmed that he wanted to cry.
"I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry!!!"
Candy stopped to calculate.
In a quiet series of beeps she asked, "(what did you say??)"
Robot slowly opened his eyes and respired out. "I-i'm sorry…"
Auto egged on mischievously. "Sorry about what, RJ???"
He turned his eyes to Auto, and switched them to Candy as he spoke. "I'm sorry for taking advantage of your feelings. Both of you." He respired for a moment and turned his head again. "I'm sorry for using you for my own gain. I know that i shouldn't have, and i know that i hurt you both." He lifted his vision to Candy. "I'm sorry, Candy." He looked at Auto. "I'm sorry, Auto. You both deserve so much better than i can provide…"
Auto felt her hard drive turn. She wasn't used to seeing Robot with these kinds of emotions, but it broke through her sternness about getting an answer out of him and hit her right in her soft spot for him. She suddenly felt remorseful about ganging up on him like this out of nowhere. She took her hands off of him and eased off. She turned her vision to Candy to see how she was responding.
It took Candy a few seconds to process everything. She slowly reeled back to herself and assumed a neutral position. She wirred quietly, her beeps were almost inaudible. "(Acceptable…)" She stood up and walked into a different room.
Robot and Auto watched her go. They saw her close the door and paused at it for a few seconds. The two turned to look at each other, Robot with a sad and apologetic expression.
He gently shook his head and gazed at the ground. "I'm sorry that i treat you so badly, Auto. You shouldn't consider me a friend: friends don't do that to each other. I wish that you can find someone that can love you the way that you need to be…"
Auto couldn't help but wholeheartedly accept his apology. She didn't want to: not so quickly and not so fully, but she was too weak to resist him. "Th… thank you, RJ… i… i forgive you." He looked at her and she gave a gentle smile. It calmed his nerves a bit.
Robot looked up at the door again after a little while. He sighed. "Should we go talk to her???"
Auto considered. The two of them weren't friends for a very long time, but their connection through Robot and Candy's deep appreciation for all that Auto did for her made the two of them very very close in the short time. They spoke about all sorts of things, and they quickly adapted to the other's personality, and Auto felt like she could decently guess how best to approach this. She stood. "I'll go."
Auto slowly approached the door. She wrapped one hand around the knob and quietly knocked with the other. "Candy??? Are you alright???" Auto cautiously entered after a few quiet seconds and shut the door behind her.
Candy was standing with her head tilted downward. She was clearly still processing things, but she didn't seem happy about it.
Auto stepped up beside her. "Candy??? Candy, are you doing okay???" She barely touched her fingers to her shoulder.
It took Candy another few seconds to respond. "(Answer not found…. I… don't know…)" Auto had her full attention on her friend. "(I thought this was enough. I thought seeing Robot Jones again would be enough. I thought that his apology would be enough…)" She paused again. She said very quietly. "(But it's not…)"
Auto delicately responded. "How so?"
This was all that Candy had been processing since she stepped aside. Nothing was clear to her anymore. For once, she didn't have the answers. "(I… don't know what to do anymore.)" She turned her head to look at Auto. "(I'm a scantron machine, Auto. I was created to assure that answers on a test were the same as a master answer sheet. I have no alternative purpose. And i can't even do that anymore. I shouldn't even have artificial intelligence built into me.)" She turned her head to the floor again. "(I… i'm obsolete now…)"
Auto shook her head. "You're not obsolete, Candy. You have so much to offer to the world, and now you finally have the ability to do it. AIs are made to be intelligent and develop intelligence, and you have so much beyond any of those test answers. You're free of that job now, and you can use everything that you know to put good out into the world." Auto leaned to look at her, and the two locked eyes. "This is your chance, Candy. You're not a scantron anymore: you're a full blown robot now. And you can do anything that you want to."
Candy took a few minutes to process this. This logic made sense, but it didn't meld with the logic that she already had inside of her. "(I can't Auto… I can't do anything. I was programmed to do one thing, and having a body now doesn't change that. Scanning is the only thing i've ever known. I don't think i'll ever be able to do anything beyond that…)"
Auto considered. She didn't want to make Candy feel any worse by trying to convince her that there was more to her than she thought. She considered how her original programming, or at least something like it, could be used practically in the world outside of a closet in a random middle school. Candy was convinced that she was only an office appliance, and maybe… "You know what? I have an idea on how you can continue your programming beyond the places you've known." Auto turned and stepped out of the room. "Hey RJ! Do you think they have an office job open at the factory???"
53 6b 69 70
Mr. Jones escorted the girls through the warehouse of the JNZ Robot Factory. New pieces to dozens of models were being processed by large machines that didn't have faces, and crates and pallets were being moved by huge arms from one end of the warehouse to the other. Conveyor belts were transporting all sorts of things to stations or holding areas, and all of the noise in the space was overwhelming for the outsiders.
Candy looked around and nervously clung onto Auto's arm. "(Auto, i don't think i can do this kind of thing…)"
Auto touched her hand and leaned in to whisper back. "It… it's gonna be okay. You won't have to do this factory work, i'm pretty sure." They glanced around anxiously again as they came closer to a regular door along one of the walls.
"THIS WAY THIS WAY THIS WAY." Mr. Jones approached the door and opened it up so that his two companions could enter first.
The room was a regular office with a big window across from the door that looked out over another part of the factory. The man that was looking out of it turned around quizzically when the door opened. He smiled when he saw his employee. "Jones! What the heck are you doin' here, ya tin can?"
"THIS IS A FRIEND OF MY CHILD-UNIT. SHE IS HERE TO APPLY FOR AN OFFICE POSITION AT THIS FACTORY." He motioned to the cube-headed one.
"An office job??? We usually have people take care of that stuff. Why does she wanna work in the office???" He studied her.
"Uh…" Auto piped up cautiously. "If i may… Shhhee's a former office appliance! She used to be a scantron machine at a middle school. I helped upgrade her and even made her a proper body so that she will be able to do other things. She's now able to review and fill absolutely any type of form that is handed to her, and she has excellent organizational skills because she's a computer. She will be an exceptional addition to the factory's workflow!"
"A scantron?! We don't even make those! She's definitely not one of ours. How would we look if we started using a different company's machine to do our work?!" He made a face.
"R-rrrrright… but her upgrades aren't from that manufacturer. Uh, i was independently produced as a research unit to study human education, and i used spare parts from my own development to make her body and fix her circuits." The man seemed like he was losing interest. "S-ssoo she isn't even really from a different company. She's kind of independently developed. Aaaand that shouldn't interfere with this company's reputation…???" He shook his head.
Auto would have sweat. She tried to think fast. "Listen, she's an excellent machine. She can do anything that you need in the office, and she can do it far more efficiently than even a dozen humans!" She put her hands together to beg. "Please, just give her a chance. Uh, a week! See how she works out after a week, and you'll see how incredible she is and what a magnificent worker she is. Just please give her a chance."
The man seemed to consider it. He looked back at Auto. "Maybe. But just one thing: why isn't she speaking for herself?"
Candy beeped a few times. Auto cringed. "Sshhheeee can't. Not in a way humans can understand, anyway." She added quietly and more to herself. "I knew i should have worked harder on the sound chip."
The door to the office opened again to a robot with a humanoid head. "Geez, what's with all the beeping???" He looked at the girls and tried to process what he was seeing. "Hey, these aren't ours. What are they doing here???"
"The boxy one wants an office job. Says she was a scantron machine at one point." The man talked familiarly to the android.
"A scantron machine??? Those are some intense gadgets." He rubbed his chin. "But JNZ doesn't make scantrons! Or need them. Why do they want to work here???" He walked over towards the other door in the office.
Candy looked at him. "(I can't go back to being a scantron now, but i'm more than eager to do absolutely any other work that is required in this facility. I have nothing else to go back to, but i am desperate to get back to working as it is all that i've ever known. Please tell him that i really need a chance to show that i can do this!)"
The android thought. He had heard a lot of excuses from other robots before in his time as a repo man at the factory, but he rarely ever heard one of them begging to work. He was a hard worker himself, so he appreciated whenever someone actively wanted to toil. "She sounds like a good hire. If anything, you can have her work with me to get all of my repo paperwork done. You know these jobs can take all day, and i could use the help."
"Hmm…" The man squinted his eyes at him. "Alright, Nutz. We'll have her do your paperwork for a few days and see how she does. But you're gonna have ta train her yourself." He turned to the excited robots in front of him. "You've got yourself a gig. Make it count." He reached his hand out to shake Candy's eager hand.
"Oh, thank you so much, sir!!! I guarantee that you won't regret it!!! You won't find a better worker than Candy here, i promise!!!" Auto and Candy fidgeted delightfully and both made happy little beeps and chimes. Auto turned and hugged Mr. Jones. "Thank you, Mr. Jones!!! We couldn't have done this without you!!!"
Mr. Jones smiled with his eyes. "YOU'RE WELCOME YOU'RE WELCOME YOU'RE WELCOME."
"(Thank you so so much, Mr. Nutz!!! I promise to be the absolute best coworker that you have ever had!!!)" She put her hands together.
Nutz nodded and chuckled. "I'm sure you'll be a great coworker. Much better than Jones' boy was." He smirked at the blue robot.
Candy whistled a laugh. "(A rusted can could work better than Robot Jones could!)"
"You can say that again. Come on, i'll get you started on that paperwork i was talking about." He waved Candy over to enter the other room in the office.
Candy turned back to Auto. "You're going to do great, Candy! I'm so proud of you." Auto held her hands and pecked the side of her face. "You've got this."
Candy hugged her. "(Thank you so much, Auto. I wouldn't be anything without you. You are my dearest friend.)" Auto smiled at her. "(I'll see you after work.)"
[Post A/N: omg it's Nutz, that's craaaazyyyy. He's from S2.3/9b Work. Um… yeah, i guess a lot of that last bit is from that episode. But goodness gravy, if getting a job could be that simple *weeps* um uh, don't concern yourself w the other logistics or that there isn't an ending, bc i don't]