"You want to... help me clean?"
"Yup!" He smacked his lips, conviction spreading into his claim.
"I mean... you're not a worker."
"Hey! It's not like I'm unfit for that type of labour. Besides, we've got all the time in the world, right? Maybe together we'll compact a quarter of the city in five years!"
It all started normally: getting up, eating breakfast, reassuring Wally again, and practically demanding to participate in the WALL-E program as a newly-employeed worker. Obviously, Wally had been taken back from the request, dropping his can in a rather comical manner, mouth agape.
It was unsettling, the way the Sole Survivor flawlessly switched from one displayed emotion to the other, always on high alert, always frightened. But he would have initially and easily fooled any Axiom resident, passing as a man-child with no taught values.
And yet, Gary Sanderson, with his knowledge of psychology valuing a round zero, could recognize discernable symptoms of manias and PTSD.
The Sergeant did not know the correct term to describe someone like Wally craving for constant attention and approval, but he was aware of the disturb's existence. And the PTSD? It didn't take a genius to spot it, as Gary's job often entitled soldiers returning home with this... 'issue.'
"Come on!" He carefully 'slapped' a hand on Wally's shoulder. "We're both reaching our prime. Also, friends help each other, don't they? Have you forgot last night?"
Bullshit on top of bullshit (minus the friendship thing.)
It wasn't about pitying the man-child, it was about helping him through the hardships that would soon ensue. There was no way Wally possessed his counterpart's exact resilience. The human mind was fucked up, anything could go wrong. And Gary? He was probably the most stable and trained person to withstand the blows.
Sure, he wouldn't be as strong and agile as the officers above the Axiom (that is, if his assumptions about augmented personnel were proven correct), but the unexpected factor would aid him.
He had no emotional attachment to weigh him down, other than empathy and knowledge about a similar universe to guide him.
If this goes as expected, we should find the plant and witness Eve's arrival.
"Okay..."
In the end, Wally relented, dragging himself towards one big pile of boxes and beginning to throw useless junk behind his shoulders. Perhaps he was searching for something specific? But he already possessed all the necessary clothing and utensils for the job. Would additional protection really be needed when compacting trash required agility?
"Here!" He exclaimed, clutching onto an article of clothing and presenting it to the Sergeant. "You're gonna need this."
It was a similar jumpsuit to the one Wally wore. The only major difference was its general state, less dirty and sporting no cuts into the fabric. There was even a blank nametag near where a left breast would reside. Overall, what he was holding fell into the 'sufficient' category. Although the colour wasn't exactly amongst his favourites.
Gary much preferred dark green than brown, like the poncho he had collected. In fact, his eyes momentarily roamed to the raincoat, still hanging from its position near the entrance.
"I guess this jumpsuit somehow protects you from the sun and the temperature, right? I could fix the first issue with my raincoat, while I'm happy to inform you that I have operated under such circumstances already. I can withstand the temperature."
Wally shook his head, pushing the jumpsuit into his chest. "Your raincoat won't stop the UV rays for prolonged exposure. These BnL's jumpsuits were designed to protect our skin, generating a tiny, invisible field. They function on batteries, like my pacemaker." He tapped the device. "I'm gonna have to install one for you too. Why do you think my skin is mostly pale? It's a side effect." The young man then shrugged, muttering a last phrase. "The most advanced technology in the world, heh?"
Huffing in disapproval but motivated to survive the scorching heat, Gary retreated into the shadows of the truck and stripped down, slithering his appendages into the holes. Wally, meanwhile, continued his pursuit of an available battery, throwing the useless relics behind his shoulder for Bullet to catch, as if they were playing fetch.
The jumpsuit was tighter than his military clothes, hugging his body and coating it in dust. Gary coughed, hoping the dirt wouldn't induce a scratching fest onto his skin from the nesting bacteria. He took a hold of the goggles, smiling at the design. Little old me would have loved these for a cosplay match. He thought, planting them onto his forehead.
Wally came back in that instant, pointing at the bed. "Sit down." He said, a certain authoritarian tone tainting his voice.
The Sergeant quirked an eyebrow, but complied.
I guess even this man-child can be assertive.
Gary watched the Sole Survivor meticulously work, both attaching the device and applying maintenance through a screwdriver. Once the batteries were inserted, four horizontal lines appeared. A sudden discharge of electricity made the hair on Gary's body stand up, and a chill travelled up his spine.
He almost convulsed when Wally stopped him from rushing to his feet and held him. "It's just the field influencing you!" The young man told him. "You'll get used to it."
Gary closed his eyes and breathed, calming down.
The Sole Survivor stepped back as he finished, grinning and putting his hands on his hips. "This must be my magnum opus!"
The Sergeant leapt towards one of the mirrors Wally's home had and looked into it.
Bloody hell...
Were it not for his robust and healthier frame, he would have easily passed as a WALL-E member. He adjusted the goggles above his head and turned to pull Wally by his arm.
"Look at us!" Gary said, spreading an arm at the mirror "We're basically brothers! Too bad for the eye shading, though..."
The Sole Survivor's cheeks flushed, and he averted his gaze. Gary smirked at this reaction, but did not react otherwise, simply heading for the giant hatch. "You've got to show me the ropes, bro~" He taunted. "Don't take too long."
Ignoring the groan unleashed by Wally, the Sergeant tapped his nametag. The Sole Survivor had indeed written his name onto it, which effectively rendered the young man a WALL-E participant. His goggles jiggled and pressed rather harshly against his forehead, but Gary wasn't a stranger to these devices, and he shrugged off the minor discomfort.
Wally brought a cable with him as they trudged down the ramp. The Sole Survivor rounded the corner and opened a hidden compartment, plugging the cable into the available socket. However, the other end of the cable was then connected to the young man's pacemaker.
The last beeping line shifted from deep red to orange.
Wally inhaled, gesturing at the display. "My pacemaker drains the battery too. So, this means I need additional recharges, or the double consumption from both it and the magnetic field will be the end of me."
"I suppose those solar panels on the roof aren't just for show, eh?"
"No, they aren't."
"Mmmh." Gary hummed. "How many days does your battery last?"
"Honestly? Three days at most with a full charge. Auxiliary power can be drained by turning off the magnetic field. However, this leaves me vulnerable to UV rays."
"And how much will my battery last?" The Sergeant pondered.
"A full week." Wally glanced at the corner leading to his home. "There's a twin shovel resting beneath my bed. Go get it, you're gonna need it. I'll be done in ten minutes."
The Sergeant swung the utensil left and right once he had secured it in his grasp. The shovel wasn't very resilient from the looks of the material, which meant it had been conceived to solely collect trash and quickly dispose of it.
The other surprise was how uneffective the sun felt on his skin. Yes, Gary was sweating like crazy, and yes, his stamina wasn't unlimited, but he didn't feel upcoming burns. The magnetic field was handy for sure! It was even going to last a whole week.
He found Wally detaching the portable cable from both the control unit and his pacemaker. With his device now fully recharged, the Sole Survivor turned to face Gary, walking two steps, probably intent on saying something important-
"AAAAUUUUUU!"
-too bad he had stepped onto Bullet's tail. The bastard unleashed this howl and ran in circles, sniffing at his tail, confused for what could have caused the sudden spike of pain.
The young man quickly apologized to the mutt for the oversight, and Gary chuckled. Really, Wally was clumsy, but he was still the cute and friendly 'entity' the Sergeant remembered him to be.
"So..." Wally puffed his chest out in an attempt to appear bossy. "Are you ready for your first day?"
It obviously did not work.
Still, the soldier played with his shovel, slightly launching it upwards before catching it by the handle.
"Lead the way, mate."
This was literally it?
"...and after a few seconds..."
The compactor rumbled and jiggled, producing a 'fresh' cube of garbage. Said cube was then lifted by Wally and placed on top of another, creating a third layer of trash. This simple mechanic reminded Gary of a videogame about a succubus tormenting a programmer, who had to survive nightmares by climbing a giant platform.
Sometimes the character could push certain cubes to create ladders to continue his journey.
What was its name?
Cath-something.
Because that's what the Sole Survivor was creating: multiple layers of trash to act as ladders to place other cubes on top of them.
But the way to compact the cubes?
Scoop, shovel, and compact.
That was it, no additional steps required.
It was banal... it was monotonous.
"Tada!" The worker spread his arms, smiling. There was complete pride in his eyes, an overzealous response for an achievement he considered enormous. "Do you like it?" He asked, nudging his chin at the fresh cube as if he had produced a piece of art.
Gary looked at their surroundings, frowning at the amount of garbage filling the streets and at the giant towers of cubes.
What a fucking waste...
Humanity had truly adhered to its destructive nature.
"Let me try."
The Sergeant surgically buried his shovel into a pile and began levelling as much cargo as he could. Muscles strained, a groan was unleashed, and teeth were grinded together. He could have easily chosen a small quantity to begin his task, but, somehow, his luck had guided his tool beneath home appliances, such as a damn microwave.
Why does the universe hate me so much?
Puffing air out of his mouth and adjusting the angle, a more reasonable amount was lifted and shoven inside of the hydraulic compactor. Gary fed the quivering machinary at least three more shots before stepping back to admire the result.
A nice cube of garbage fell on the ground, raising dust from the impact. The Sergeant temporarily separated from his shovel to clutch onto the solid object and allow it to join its brethren.
Gary rubbed his hands together. "Huh..." He tapped one of his feet. "Not as bad as I had envisioned." He turned to address Wally. "Are you sure-"
A full-hearted laugh had been almost escaped him. Instead, he suppressed the rising need to vocally express his entertainment by biting his outer lip and choking on his own saliva.
The Sergeant was incredulous, unable to conceive the scenario in front of him as concretely possible. He knew Wally was immature and naive, but this surpassed any expectation he had harbored for the Sole Survivor!
Yet, he recollected this particular segment of the movie.
"Woah!" The worker let out, touching the article of clothing currently obscuring his vision. "Why would anyone use these as optics? You can't see anything through them!" His voice was muffled, but Gary could discern the words.
The Sergeant threw his hands up in surrender, marching to the worker and snatching the two cups from his eyes. "It's a bra..." He explained. "This is worn by the fairer sex." And once Wally frowned, he pinched his nose. "I mean, by women. Don't ask me what they cover, I ain't gonna tell you."
Gary went to dispose of the garment, but Wally rushed in front of him, halting his advance.
"W-Wait! I... well, I'm always looking to preserve objects. Can..." The twenty-five-year-old boy tapped both of his index fingers together. "Can I keep it?"
Hunched posture, closed fists, and averted gaze; Wally was so nervous he looked like a beaten puppy. And why was he asking for permission, anyway? If he wanted to, he could have merely demanded Gary to hand the bra over, and the soldier would have gladly obliged.
"Sure, sure!" He tossed the bra over the worker's shoulder. "Here. Next time, just ask for the item. I'm your guest, remember? I abide by your rules."
Wally's face visibly brightened. The worker giddily fist-bumped the air and held onto the bra, a wide, toothy smile plastering his face. He immediately dispersed from Gary to search for additional relics to add to his catalogue, burying his arms into the piles of junk, not minding at all the putrid stench emanated from those remains.
Gary merely left his companion to his childish anticts, lowering the goggles from his forehead onto his eyes. Most of the trash was raising quite the dust, and he sincerely wished to end this work day without red, swollen edges. He hated the human body's response to those occurrences: having to continuously scratch the spots, which, in turn, would form crusts onto the surface.
Scoop, shovel, and compact.
Scoop, shovel, and compact.
Scoop... shovel... and compact.
If I had known my death was going to entail boring janitorial tasks, I would have fought harder to stay alive.
Another cube was produced. He puffed air out from his mouth and bobbed his head at the geometrical symmetry of the structure once the cubes were aligned.
But I wouldn't have met Wally. Guess we both needed a break from our daring lives.
Later, Wally would find car keys, a paddle ball, and a fire extinguisher. Each time, he either frowned or became frustrated at the lack of an expected result that would never arrive; and each time, Gary was happy to explain that object's specific functionality, while basically widening the Sole Survivor's cultural baggage.
Hell, Wally had almost tossed away an engagement ring! He was more entertained by the container than by the invaluable object.
Gary quickly conjured an excuse of wishing to partake in the search, stuffing the ring into his pockets. Really, the Sole Survivor would soon need it.
It seemed Wally had deliberately left Gary with dealing with the monotonous job while he scavenged for more souvenirs. And honestly, the Sergeant did not mind. He preferred to let the worker have some fun for once, as he himself was full of energy and in better shape for the labour at hand.
Finally, they focused their attention on a refrigerator blocking their way. Wally told Gary to stand back, producing a peculiar cylinder from his breast pocket, four inches in length.
Suddenly, a damn laser cut the metal in half. The remains crumbled onto the ground, while Gary's mouth fell open.
"And you had that in your pockets?!"
Wally looked at him funny. "It's standard gear for WALL-E workers." He shrugged. "Or, at least, that's what my parents told me. Without any supervisors, we decided how to operate ourselves." The young man posed the cylinder back into his breast pocket.
Huh. Okay, then.
Shifting his attention on the refrigerator's interior, the Sergeant almost snorted in relief.
It was there; the plant. Small and insignificant, but vibrant green in contrasto with the silent and brown world around it. And for this precarious environment, the plant appeared healthy, in good condition. Maybe drops of water could have slithered past the refrigerator's top to satisfy the biological being?
Either way, Wally whistled loudly, carefully scooping the plant into his hands. He turned to the Sergeant, pushing the cargo towards him. "What is this?" He asked. "It looks... beautiful."
"It's a plant." Gary jabbed a thumb behind him. "You should place it inside of that boot we've collected. Once we get home, we'll water it."
"Why would we water it?" The Sole Survivor cutely pondered, practically chirping as he stared at the plant.
"For the same reason we feel thirsty." The Sergeant directed his goggles onto his forehead. "Come on. We've done enough for today."
He watched the Sole Survivor slightly nudge one of the tiny leaves to get rid of a spec of dirty. Wally was completely baffled by this discovery, perhaps even bewildered.
This is just the start...
Gary crossed his arms, staring at the sky.
...won't be long before your Angel visits us.
Author's note:
Somewhat shorter.
But I'm following a pre-established pattern for the length of these updates.