Twelve days have passed and the human still hasn't awoken yet. The five drones have been taking shifts looking after him in the bed. Each one keeps a close watch on him as he rests and heals. They also make sure his IVs are constantly replaced when emptied.
It takes a long while and it is N's turn today to watch over the human. The others are out grabbing more medical supplies and oil. He is lightly cleaning and moving the body, making sure it isn't damaged too much or being bruised for sitting still too long. As he lightly brushes the head clean, N stops as he feels the head move away. N sighs, hoping for hope that it was a possible rousing movement. But no. It's just them doing things.
The first week was a little rough. They spent the first few days cleaning and medically fixing up the body. A couple of days after were making sure he stayed alive while living their time here in this place. They do occasionally go out for supplies and take turns doing so in the hope they don't go mad themselves. Heck, Doll dragged Uzi somewhere one time and they only returned with sealed bags that none of them were allowed to see…yet. Doll did say it was a surprise for RPG when he woke up.
N sighs, finally laying his head down to rest his sensors a little. It has been almost a full day of tending to this human body while the others are away. And he can't bear to look at what is a false hope now. Maybe just a few moments to sleep and he can think better when the others get back. What he doesn't expect is something already grabbing his hair. "Guys…I told you…stop pulling my hair," N yawns, but gets another weak tug. N groans slightly annoyed before picking his head up and looking to see, in pure disbelief and shock, RPG's hand gripping his hair before the grip weakens and falls back onto the bed once N gets high enough away. "R-RPG?" he questions, moving and kneeling closer to see and check the head as it rolls towards him. A gingerly and careful pull-up of the closed eyes lets N see the green iris color of them and he smiles as he feels a clench of the hand on his clothing for a bit. "Thank goodness," he whispers, very happily now.
"I…" N stops before remembering if he didn't call the others, then he was going to get hell. Soon the inside of his head starts to ring.
'What is it, N?' J answers, sounding annoyed.
'He's awake,' N simply answers before three more answers the call.
'Is he ok?' Doll asks.
'Has he said anything?' Uzi asks.
'No. But…he reacted. He can grab me. Weak. But he's moving a little. And his eyes are green too,' N explains, clearly excited as he softly pets the head of the human, feeling the now soft and regrown hair.
'We are on our way back. You leave his side for even a moment N and I swear, not even our regeneration will be able to repair what I will do to you,' V promises.
N smiles, sniffing and grabbing the twitching and clenching hand. "Never," he laughs a little, finally feeling sweet relief at some semblance of change.
A few days pass by and even though RPG is awake at times, it isn't long. But now they have a lot more hope and are helping more. He doesn't speak, but they figure his throat must have also been damaged from the constant screams he had done so they are in no rush. The only thing that matters is RPG, or at least a part of him is back.
Eventually, he did want to get up and finally move around. Uzi and Doll are there but when he tries to stand, his legs give out on him. Luckily both drones are there holding onto him so he doesn't fall and hurt himself again. RPG makes no sound while being laid back on the bed, but he looks miserable.
J walks up the stairs having seen that and takes a seat next to him. "After all the damage done to you, we will need to do some physical therapy here. Don't worry. We will get you through it. You have five drones who love you here to help," J assures as Uzi and Doll hug him with Uzi bringing out her wings to envelope them both.
A smile slowly graces those troubled and hurt lips as he watches the group enjoy being there and hugging him as best they can without hurting him. He then seems to make a sighing motion and tries to grab their hands, getting a tight squeeze in return. That single attempt took a lot out of him and he just wants to close his eyes for a moment.
"Lay him down you two. He has overexerted himself," J informs, seeing clear signs with her medical program telling her what to look for.
The two worker drones help RPG lay down. His body seems to resist for a moment, but it soon falls and lays away into the soft bedding. A shaky sigh escapes his raspy mouth, making J slowly bundle him up and make sure he is comfortable. A soft squeeze from his hand tells them they have done enough for him right now while looking at them all happily but in some pain.
Walking back down, J goes to V and N. "I got a job for you two. We will need things for his physical rehabilitation. Don't go out hunting for more of the remnants of Project: Ascension tonight," J informs.
N frowns at that fact. He wants to go hunt for more of them just so this nightmare doesn't start again. But J sighs and slowly turns the drone toward the direction where RPG is resting right now. "A little more time. And soon he will back up walking and talking, okay?" J asks, making N sigh and nod. "Great. V has the list of things needed. Go," she explains, pushing them out the door.
Someone is running. He has paid that gang to smuggle him out of the city, but now they are all killed by the thing pursuing him. He isn't a fool. He immediately went to ground after seeing his place of work has gone up in flames. The company was liquidating the project and he isn't about to be a part of that. He has managed to avoid a mysterious death unlike some of his other colleagues that hadn't been on site when it happened so he isn't about to die here. As he runs through the rundown buildings, he isn't paying attention to much around him. His only goal is to get out of here alive.
A dark shadowy figure traces over the remaining light of the area he is running through. The bright neon lights of the area overshadow the dark thin back alley. But something is standing at the entrance. Something…strange, yet not so big. The whole thing, for some reason, fills the human with dread. Anytime he looks in its direction or tries to see, his body tells him to shut up and keep running. Don't even bother looking back. All of this just makes him keep moving until he stops at a barbed wire fence that he can't climb, crawl under, or go through in any way.
"Mocking. Looks like the little mouse ran himself into a corner," an echoey voice says before a hand rushes out of the darkness and grabs his leg, starting to pull him back into it. "Let's have a chat," the voice says as the man struggles to get out of the grip and scream but no one can either hear or is paying attention.
"Does it hurt at all?" V asks as she helps hold RPG up as he takes a warm shower for the first time in a good while.
RPG groans, feeling the water run down his body. For as much as he knows, it was mostly a metal body that felt a semblance of pain. But now he has a damaged flesh and blood body that he can feel every fiber of his being screaming at him. A small step to the side makes him almost slip as V quickly grabs him as gently as possible and holds him up. Luckily, for the murder drones, they are all more than strong enough to lift and carry humans around. They just have to be careful how much force they place on someone like what RPG has. But a weak hand on her head and a gentle pet make her smile as he weakly and shakily breathes out.
"I will take that as a yes," V says, starting to help clean him as he needs so much help right now. The built-up grime and other such things slowly slip off of him as V carefully cleans him up. Eventually, they emerge with N waiting with a towel to help dry them both off. He pays more attention to RPG than V as she could dry herself after this. "You're doing fine. You even managed to walk a few steps today," V encourages, whispering into his ear.
RPG smiles at them before leaning on N who grabs and holds him. He ends up chuckling a bit as V dries herself off before they help dress him up a little in sleepwear and carry him back to bed. V then smirks a little as N places the tired human back onto the bedding. "Maybe another week and you can kiss him again," she teases, making both of them blush in their respective bodies.
"Ok, you rest up. We will be just below in case something happens," N assures petting his head comfortingly till he falls asleep while V gets dressed in her flight jacket she has acquired.
The two head down where J, Uzi, and Doll are talking. "They definitely ordered it," J informs the two as N and V come in, missing the context of the talk.
"So what did we miss?" V asks, sitting down at the table, and grabbing a free can of oil.
"Going over who ordered RPG to be taken," J informs.
N looks troubled now, slowly sliding over another can of oil. "So who was it?" he asks, almost wanting to make them suffer.
"Our former owners. James Elliott and Louisa Elliott," J informs and V would have crushed the oil can in her grip if Doll didn't use her solver powers to take it out of her hand.
"Don't mess up the floor," Doll instructs, looking serious as she wants to keep this place clean and safe for RPG.
"It won't be easy to get to them either, but maybe we can use their actions against them," J says thinking.
Uzi taps her oil can against the table. "How? Blast their ideas and crimes to the world?" she asks sarcastically.
"No, the company would just cover it up. Like how we are using them to cover up who has rented this apartment. No…those two tend to destroy worker drones for the fun of it so they constantly need more…Uzi, Doll. We will need to get you both a maid outfit," J says, a plan forming in her mind.
"What?" Uzi starts, shocked at the suggestion. "You want us to go undercover?" she questions, pointing to herself and Doll.
"Well N, J, and myself can't pass as normal worker drones anymore. Plus, I don't want to meet my past self right now," J adds. Doll frowns as she thinks about it. With their solver powers, they would be better undercover infiltrating the mansion. "If you want even more motivation, they bought the house and land RPG lived on and demolished it so they could expand their yard," J informs.
The solver powers on both flare up and send everything on the table flying away. J and V catch all the flying cans and bottles so they don't make a mess. N even grabs a couple of alcoholic bottles using his wings to fly. "Try not to get too pissed," V lectures, placing everything back down.
"Give me the fucking dress," Uzi orders, glaring up at J.
"It will take some time, besides you don't want to be there right now. Cyn must be pissed," J informs before they hear a weak voice call out to them.
"J…up…here." All five virtual eyes widened. Especially N and V as they thought he was asleep.
Anyone who flies immediately takes off and rushes up to him as Doll reaches and runs up the stairs. "Hey. I'm here. What do you need?" J asks, leaning down and getting close so he doesn't have to strain himself.
"Get…me…a…worker…body," RPG barely manages to say, cold fury in his very tired eyes.
J looks worried at him as he slowly turns his head to look at them all. "For…the mansion?" she asks, now worried what he would want with it. He isn't that strong enough yet to transfer to one.
"And…a…suit…going…with…" RPG barely manages before his eyes close, going back to sleep.
"It looks like Cyn wasn't the only one," Doll states.
V then frowns, looking at Uzi. "And the Cyn with us is strangely quiet the entire time we have been in the past," she points out. Even Uzi looks at her tail and sees the yellow glowing eyes but it doesn't seem to react all that much.
"Cyn…are you in there?" N asks, patting the tail, but there is no response to him and Cyn could never resist N.
J looks worried now, turning back to them. "Was she able to cross over with us? Or did she get left behind?"
"She…would have stayed behind to be with RPG. She wouldn't leave him a second time," N says, realizing what had happened.
Uzi sighs, now looking annoyed. "So that explains me sleepwalking the night before."
"Either way, I think we can order individual parts and have them delivered here. That way, we can assemble a body and not be sent one with a personality installed in it…and I have been meaning to order some clothes for myself," J says, thinking about it.
V smiles a little at the thought. "You think RPG would be more excited to see us in some other clothes than our usual ones in a human body rather than a drone?"
"I think RPG doesn't care as much and I want to get more comfortable," J informs. "Plus I need something more fitting to wear. We will eventually run out of the credits we brought back so we need to start making money. Right now, all we will be able to do is what was referred to as Edgerunner work," J informs.
N then proposes the obvious question. "But…we're robots and drones. Would they even hire us or pay us?"
"Oh, they're not hiring us. They're hiring our 'owner,'" J informs with a smirk.
Now everyone looks at her, heavily suspicious. "J…who did you place down as our owner?" Uzi questions.
"No one. Yet," J informs before ushering them back down to the couch. "Look, we need money and this is the only way we will be able to get it without drawing too much attention. While you two…and maybe RPG, infiltrate the mansion, we will be able to pick up bounties and gather things we will need for what is to come," J informs.
Doll hums. "He did dream of having a ship. Just being in it, having a bar. Remember his core?" she questions, making them think back to the frozen forest. "Maybe he would like it if we just fly off after we transfer his mind permanently and we get a ship like that."
"That is going to cost a ton of credits. We couldn't even afford one before we started buying things when we came back in time. So we will have to work," J says, starting to formulate a plan.
Doll tilts her head. "Who says buy it?" she questions, making J turn to her. "We already know of one company that wouldn't miss a thing if destroyed. Just take, leave, and go into random space to never return."
"JCJenson is spread over ten planets, and several space stations, and I am sure they own one or two planets at least. It's going to take quite a bit of effort to destroy them. We will have all the time we need for that," J informs. "Besides, we will need to buy a lot more things for it. Like make sure it has a breathable atmosphere with his body," J says, looking back up at him wondering if he is getting a good sleep.
"I did say after we can transfer his mind," Doll clarifies. "All we want is for RPG to live happily with us and never let his original body be hurt like that."
Cyn is pissed, no that is an understatement. James and Louisa Elliott had the gall to buy the land and house she had raised her charge in. They even had her watch with Tessa as they destroyed the house. She is sure they did it to rub it in. Oh, how she wanted to kill them. To make both suffer, but she couldn't do that yet.
From what she got out of the one she tracked down, her charge has been taken to the facility that was recently destroyed in a fire. There was a chance her charge was still alive. She would find him and the Elliotts could wait a bit longer till she did. "Hey Cyn, are you ok?" N asks, seeing she hasn't responded to him while trying to get her attention.
"Oh, it is nothing big brother," Cyn responds, trying to play it off.
"You sure? I could take you to see Tessa and have her look you over," N offers.
Cyn shakes her head. "Shakes head. I do not need it. I am feeling…fine," she responds, tilting her head cutely.
Tessa walks up to the bar. "N…can you leave us alone?" she requests.
"Oh…ok," N says, getting up and walking away.
Tessa takes a seat as Cyn takes the girl in. Her knuckles are white like they have been clenched for a long time. "How are you doing after that Cyn?" Tessa asks.
Cyn slowly taps her hands against the bar table. "I am…fine. Curious. Are you worried for your family?"
"I'm worried for you…I know that is where you and…he used to live. I think my parents knew it too and that is why they told me to bring you to see it be demolished instead of J," Tessa says hesitantly, pausing twice trying to find the right words. "I know there were a lot of memories you had in that place with him."
Cyn seems to twitch. "I am…fine," she tries to repeat.
Tessa looks at her before reaching a hand over to her and holds it. "If you ever want to talk, just tell me, ok?" Tessa asks, not wanting to push Cyn any more than her parents had done today.
Cyn looks at the hand and keeps holding the smile she has. "I am…okay," she repeats, pulling her hand back.