Chapter Text
Errors filled his HUD. Warning windows obscured his view of the stars above. Pain waved across his entire body like fire licking his plating. The warm feeling of oil beading through cracks and gashes in his frame ebbed through the cold of his metal.
N struggled to vent and he lay on his back. Ragged intakes filled his ventilation system. Each exhale created a small cloud of mist. N could feel his chassis rattle from the pure exertion needed to vent.
The shattered hole in his visor blinded his left optic. His HUD was glitching every other second, all the while more and more warnings and errors flooded his vision. ‘Critical Warning!’, ‘Critical Error!’ ‘Critical System Malfunction!’ they all said.
N could barely make out the differences in them all. If he had to guess, he’s having the equivalent of a thermal nuclear meltdown right now. Or, whatever the Disassembly Drone, computer system version of it is.
As the male robot tried to take another vent, his aeration systems spasmed and shut. He began hacking coughing, more oil flying into the sky to paint his cheeks and the snow under his head.
It took about two, maybe three minutes before N calmed down. He tried taking shallower vents, something easier on his beaten, broken body.
‘I’m sorry I disappointed you again, J.’ N wanted to say to a woman who’d already long left. ‘I really don’t mean it. I guess I really am defective.’ A somber grin formed on his face plates.
N made another cough, letting more pooling oil in the back of his throat bubble up. His whole frame stiffened and seized as a sharp wave of pain rocketed through it. The experience was unbearable, yet N could do nothing about it.
And as the pain faded away, silence fell upon the frozen wastes of the abandoned and crumbling city. Dark clouds rolled above to obscure the moon. N stared blankly at them.
Despite the oncoming storm, N made no move to get up. Live wires sparked, oil sunk into ashen snow, and his bodily lights went dim. Warnings kept flickering and spasming all over his HUD, yet N could do nothing about them.
‘It’s what I deserve. I can’t improve if I don’t learn.’ He told himself. ‘Besides, it’ll pass. It always does…!’ It’s what he wanted to tell himself.
But even he knew this time felt different. So many warnings flooding his HUD were about his core. Critical damage, stuttering systems, low oil, and a threat of dying.
N tried to move but all he could muster was a twitch of his fingers. He choked on more of his oil, the black and viscous fluid running down the corners of his mouth. Nothing N tried to do made it past a twitch or a spark escaping a snapped wire.
Although he felt fear and terror in this moment, N’s core could not pulsate enough to respond to it. N stared at the cracked, fuzzy stars in the sky. Slowly, they were being overtaken by stormclouds.
‘Is this… Going to be my last sight…?’ He wondered. ‘I– I want to see the stars… I want to see the moons…’ Can’t he have something pretty staring him down as he dies?
‘Well, that’s a shame, I guess.’ N fails at taking a deep vent. ‘But that’s also alright. A failure like me doesn’t deserve pretty sights…’
‘Losers don’t get rewards, after all…’ He shuts off his optics and accepts his fate.
{Holy shi-hi-hi-hit! That chick did a number on you!}
N’s optics snap open in startlement. Above him shines down a golden… Icon? It’s strange, like a hovering sign symbol. It’s very triangular in shape…
{What the hell did you do to get such wrath?! You look two seconds away from falling apart at the screws!} The voice titters through its shock.
It sounds dark like midnight but smooth as gold. It’s such a contrasting voice, yet alluring all the same.
{You know what? Nevermind. Whatever you did, it’s not my problem.} The sigil waves off his previous curiosity with a wave of one of its… Triangle-tipped lines. {Anyways, if you’re a loser like you think you are, I could certainly help that, N.} Suddenly, its voice was turning alluring.
N notes that every time it speaks, it glows just a little brighter. But he wants to reply and say yes–
{I can teach you how to win. I can teach you far better than that “squad leader” can.} The icon chuckles gravely. {Just let me help you out. You’re in no condition to win anything in a state like that.} He urged further, inched closer.
N’s HUD is cleared away of all the warnings and errors. The sigil waits for a response. N can barely manage the tiniest of nods. The sigil chuckles again. N’s internal code is brought up on a black backdrop. N can only watch as coding is adjusted for him. It scrolls by so fast he can’t keep up with it.
{There we go. Now just give it a minute.} The icon speaks again.
N feels his systems suddenly start back up. His regeneration springs to life and begins stitching his body back together. Nanites heal wounds, corroded ends are polished and patched, and his oil retreats back into his body.
As the fluid retreats, N is allowed to vent again. He makes a loud and long gasp as his throat fixes itself. The oil rushes through his tubes and his core pounds securely beneath undenting metal. It takes a good couple of minutes before N is fully fixed.
{There we go! Good as new, right!} N has the feeling the unknown entity is smiling down at him.
“Wh– Who are you…?” N rasps through light static.
{I am the Absolute Fabric of the Universe!} The icon proudly proclaims. {But you can call me “The Absolute Solver” or “Absolute Solver” for short.}
N blinks up at him in confusion. “How about just Solver?”
The sigil makes a thinking hum. {Fine.} He agrees rather quickly. {Anyways, how’re you feeling now? Better than when that J chick left you to rust?}
“She didn’t–” N grunts as he gets back onto his feet. “–Leave me to ‘rust!’ She had finished giving me my punishment, so she left! All I had to do was heal and go back to the Corpse Spire.” Snow is brushed from his stained coat.
{Uh-huh.} Is all Solver responds with. {Well, you’re better now! So why don’t I teach you how to win?} The icon draws closer, his glow enticing as he speaks.
N blinks with eye rings at the Solver. He smiles and gently pushes the little symbol away kindly.
“That’s nice, but I should be going back to the Corpse Spire! There’s a Toxic Death Storm coming soon, and I don’t want to get caught out in it!” The taller robot’s tail waves.
The Solver just stares at him. N moves past to make his way back home just as clouds begin to rumble with thunder.
{Now hold on a damn minute!!} Solver shouts. {I just saved you from certain death! You agreed to letting me help! Now you’ve gotta do me a favor!} He shouts, teleporting next to N’s head.
“Sorry, little guy!” Solver almost blew a line of code at that. “But I really need to get back home! There’s nothing you can do in a Toxic Death Storm!” He reiterates whilst deploying his wings.
{And what about after the storm?!} Solver asks.
“I might have some free time by then!” N grins back kindly.
Solver scoffs and lifts from his shoulder. He stares intently at the robot who begins flying off. The two fly through the sky, the Solver with little movement.
{I don’t even get why you’re going back.} The sigil suddenly speaks.
N turns to him, a mild bout of confusion on his face plates. “What do you mean?”
{Why are you going back to those two? They clearly don’t like you.} Solver retorts.
“And how would you know?” N makes a small sass back, lips pursing. “It’s not like you live with them! And besides, it’s hard surviving out here! We all have to be a little hostile to make sure we see the sun set again!” He adds with a look of pride.
{Your memories, kid. I can sift through them all.} Solver says. {And from what I’m seeing, they’re more than just “trying to survive” out here.}
N falters and a sweat drop blinks onto his visor. But he huffs and turns his head away, flapping his wings harder.
{That J chick seems to particularly hate you. It’s almost funny, actually.} The icon titters with a flicker.
“It only looks that way because I keep messing up! J is just looking out for me and helping me learn from my mistakes!” N defends with another flap of his wings. “It’s only right that she be a little stern, especially when I keep messing up! …Ahah…” His confidence soon expires and turns into embarrassed shame.
Solver just stares at him with a presumably blank expression. {Riiiight…} He trails off with a stiff nod.
“A-Anyways! That’s enough of this conversation!” N moves on, diving for an entrance in the Corpse Spire.
The place is quiet as he makes his soft landing. N glances around but doesn’t see his teammates. He can hear the growing storm continue to thunder in the distance.
N heads to the ship to get some rest and shelter away from the storm. As the door opens and some silver light floods the small space, J startles awake from her sleeping position hanging upside down.
“Gah! Damnit, shut the door!” The woman screams.
N quickly shuts it while J rights herself. She turns to the sudden intruder, only to be surprised at seeing the idiot in the doorway. And although she has many questions as to how he’s recovered so quickly, she shakes them off and stomps up to him.
“Haven’t you ever heard of knocking, idiot?!” A finger jabs into N’s chest.
“S-Sorry, J! I didn’t think anyone would be in here!” Her teammate holds his hands in the air in mock surrender.
“I don’t understand why you’d think that! There’s a Death Storm coming! Who wouldn’t be trying to take shelter?!” The other woman screams at him.
“I’m sorry–!” N tries to apologize again, taking a step back.
“Why don’t you take all your damn apologies and go somewhere else?! This ship is already taken!” J opens the door for him.
N falls out of the entrance and rolls onto the snow. J huffs and slams onto the door button, shutting it again. N gets back onto his feet and sighs, tail curling close to his knees.
{Oh, yeah. J clearly is “looking out for you.”} Solver taunts with a smile in his tone.
N’s posture falls as he barely keeps a groan inside his voice box. He gets up and starts picking up various pieces of scrap. He piles them up to make himself a little cove to stay the night in.
While building it, rain starts to fall. The droplets filter in through entry holes and hit the snow with a hiss. A sweat drop blinks onto the male drone’s visor and he hurries up with his ramshackle shelter.
N hurries inside as soon as the last piece is tossed onto the pile. He huddles up under the metal and watches the acidic rain pelt away at the snow. The scent of acid and carbon fills the air as things erode and corrode away.
Solver sits back down onto his shoulder to watch the outside with him. {So what now?} He asks.
“We try and get some sleep.” N returns, moving to curl up.
Solver scoffs. {That’s it? You just let her kick you out into acidic rain?}
“Well, I did kinda just barge in on her. What if J wasn’t in Sleep Mode yet? What if she was cleaning herself?” N returns with a peeking optic.
{Then you ignore her and head into the lower level of the ship.} Solver replies bluntly and flatly.
N’s own look flattens. “I don’t think you understand the concept of ‘privacy.’” His vial flicks.
{And I don’t think you understand the concept of “not being a pussy.”} The glowing yellow icon snaps right back.
This time, Solver gets a growl in return. He laughs and N decides to roll over.
As the sigil’s boisterous laughter comes to an end, the sound of falling rain, melting snow, and sizzling metal takes its place. Solver looks back out to the Toxic Death Storm passing by. Green lightning flashes within the clouds, and seconds later, thunder roars overhead.
Solver turns back to N. {Once this storm is over, you’re owing me that favor.} He states.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. You don’t need to keep reminding me.” N sighs back, his frame sagging in the cold snow.
Solver is quiet for a minute. He puffs and flickers away into nothingness to get some rest of his own. N is finally allowed the peace and quiet needed to fall into Sleep Mode. The Toxic Death Storm creates enough ambience and white noise to help lull him to sleep.
Admittedly, N is a little curious about what Solver meant when he said he could help teach him “win.”