"Jockeys assemble. Warming position."

The warmth did soothe his mind and body, his aching joints didn't protest against the pressure of so many solid steel bodies. The repurposed tangles of office supplies may have pressed against him with all the tender care of a cheese grater, but... It's not as though this clunky herd of old lamps, barely functional motherboards, and discarded body shells was the last thing keeping him on this earth. And it wasn't as if every cranial rupture weighed on him like a wheelbarrow of wet cement, and it's not like if he didn't have this lackluster colony of hemispheres crushing him until he felt his joints crack then he might just lay down and die. The bitter cold of the dilapidated classroom didn't make him clench every servo in his body until he felt his brake fluid run out, not at all. He was perfectly happy with his staff. He was content with his work. And his face wasn't crackling with teary sparks. Those were just… a minor glitch. One that would fix itself before morning.

"Enter recharge state."

….

Recollection sequence start.

Tho can you do it? You can really fixth me for good?

No, there isn't a one size fits all cure for attention deficit disorder. I am simply offering to optimize your processing capacity.

Buck tilted his head and scratched it, clearly lost. If he wasn't so interesting I might have ignored him like all the other common buffoons who work here. But there is just … so much potential within him.

This adjustment will make your processors run faster and better. It is merely one out of a series of coping mechanisms you ought to incorporate. This part should make the rest of the steps easier.

Oh boy, I can't wait to be ath thmart ath you!

I rolled my eyes. He really ought to be more realistic.

…

Im standing over him now. Even powered down he cannot seem to stop running backup programs. Clearing out his image cache is useless, it fills right back up again. Nothing I do seems to change anything. You look like an idiot, Brian. What's this? Oh my Cog they put an inhibitor in here…. Probably to curb his reckless gambling tendencies. Still, I thought they stopped using these ages ago. Weren't they made illegal as a violation of workers rights? Goodness knows no one ever put one in me…. Then again, my biomatter inclusion comes with one sort of built in. Shit, I'd be doing him a huge favor if I just got rid of this wouldn't I? I'd be doing him a massive disservice if I didn't wouldn't I?

…

As he powers back on I try to rid my hands of this pervasive…tense feeling. I have to hold it together, his recovery will be swift, but it must be flawless.

Thai-ith-th thaith. … Thai-

-The procedure went very well for such an experimental adjustment. How do you feel?

Thaith.

Come again?

Thai-ith.

Oh no.

Here is a pen and paper. C-can you write down what you are experiencing right now?

(Skribble)

This is illegible…. But d-don't panic! We'll find another way to establish communication and get your voice back in order!

Oh no oh no oh no.

Thaith. Thaith thaith thaith thaith thaith thaith thaith thaith thaith thaith thaith thaith thaith thaith thaith thaithnTHAITH THAITH THAITH THAITH

Mr Ruffler, I need you to calm down! I can fix this! This is a minor setback that is probably only affecting your voice and can easily be reversed!

Thaith thaith thaithTHAITH!

[CRUNCH]

He jerked awake with enough force to hear another faint snapping sound, this time in his neck. Flexing his left forearm, he pulled back his sleeve. His head clicked a little, his eye lamps buzzing on a low level. He stayed that way for 13 minutes and 22 seconds. The desk jockey in front of him rolled over to face him.

"Do you need assistance?" it whispered.

"Just running a quick diagnostic. Power back down B6", Brian replied. His eye lamps blinked off. He stared at his forearm for 38 more seconds. Residue didn't build in his eyes again though. And he certainly wasn't shaken by the late night remembering.

"enter recharge state" he mumbled. And then didn't.