Chapter Text
Within the town of survivors, inside the remnants of a city where it had all begun, was an old building that was repurposed as a supermarket for people to buy necessities from.
Inside, Tutel could be seen putting multiple cans of food, bottles of water, and some other necessities in a cart, accompanied by Imp, who was sitting on a nearby stool, swaying her legs and humming a playful tune.
Imp suddenly stopped humming and leaned closer towards Tutel. “Are you really leaving?” Imp asked with a gloomy tone. Tutel just ignored her question and continued his task, muttering that he hoped that the store had some bottles of beer left.
“It’s so sad, ‘cause there will be no one to buy me some cocktails, hehehe” Imp chuckled as she teased. Tutel only let out a cold grumble, making Imp giggle.
Even though the cold gaze he displayed showed barely any care, inside, Tutel was doubting if he made the right choice. This small town was not that bad, well… compared to the wastelands out there. Outside of this place, there are things that are out to get them, remnants of the apocalypse, other survivors, and the haunting memory of his mistake.
As he was looking through some bottles of juice, he found 3 bottles of banana rum hidden in the back, letting a small smile slip through his lips, distracting him from the heavy thoughts he had.
“Alright… that's probably all that I'll need.” Tutel muttered as he lifted up his bag and headed to the counter with Imp following after him.
As the two reached the register, Imp quickly slammed down a couple of pucks on the counter before Tutel could even reach in his bag to pay for himself.
“There, as a thanks for all the things you've done for me in the past.” Imp said with a smirk.
Tutel just shrugged, “Ehh, if you say so.”
Imp pouted, “Not even a thanks?”
“Why would I thank you for paying back your debt?” Tutel asked back, crossing his arms.
Imp just let out a smirk, “Ok pal…”
Meanwhile in the old pub, Samantha could be seen wiping a mug behind an old wooden counter, her robotic fingers stopping every now and then as she contemplated on what will happen next? What did the outside world look like?
As she stared at her own reflection from the wine glass, her metal face displaying a neutral expression, she silently pondered on a strange disturbance in her mind.
Memories that emerged like random nightmares. Visions of people she never met yet vaguely familiar. Actions never performed, yet felt so natural.
It's all very confusing. She wondered if she could ask Tutel for help regarding this.
Kayori suddenly broke the silence as she swirled some kind of drink in a glass, the red liquid refracting the light in a sort of a mesmerizing dance, “Why are you still wiping glasses? You’re not working for this bar anymore.”
Samantha put down the mug and looked at Kayori, “I don’t know, all I’ve ever known to do is work here, ever since I can remember...”
“Oh god… you sound like a coffee maker.” Kayori complained as placed down her drink, “If coffee makers can even talk!” she scoffed as she teased.
“I am NOT a coffee maker, I’m more advanced than such a simple coffee maker.” Kayori calmly retorted.
“Yeah yeah. Keep talking, juice machine.” Kayori chuckled as she smirks.
Samantha slammed her hands on the counter as she narrowed her eyes, “Take that back, you screen-face!” She raised her tone, her voice clearly showing annoyance.
“Oh look, the bucket of bolts is talking to me.” Kayori countered.
Fox warmly smiled as she observed the two AIs as they bantered. Starting to reminisce about a pair of AIs that used to talk the same way in the past, she felt a wave of nostalgia with a hint of sadness wash over her. ‘They used to joke around like this back then…’
She sighed before moving on, “Kayori, how’s V- I mean, Tutel treating you lately?” Fox inquired, making Hiyori and Samantha stop their argument.
Kayori quickly peeked at Samantha, who's back with wiping the glasses, and grinned before facing Fox, “Well, besides from trying to take off my arms from time to time, attempting to turn me to scrap metal, trying to rip out my AI brutally, he is quite chill” She casually explained.
Samantha felt a little uncomfortable as she heard Kayori’s words, imagining the horrifying scenes.
Fox quickly picked up on Kayori’s intentions as she saw Samantha’s nervous body language, “Kayori! Don't scare Samantha like that.”
“You're boring.” Kayori flatly told Fox.
Fox comforts Samantha as she helps her put the cleaned glass on the shelf, “Don't believe in Kayori, she just wants to scare you.”
“I understand…” Samantha slowly nodded, her tone still soft.
As Fox turned around to scold Kayori, she noticed the glass Kayori was looking at earlier was now empty. “Erm, Kayori? What happened to your drink?” She worriedly asked.
Kayori gave an innocent smile before responding, “It's a drink, so I'll naturally drink it!”
Fox quickly rushed over to her, “You did what?! No no no, aren't you going to have problems since you're a robot?”
“Nah, I'll be fine!” Kayori waved her hand dismissively.
Samantha let out an artificial sigh as she finished with her task, “Don't worry, I'll make sure to tell Tutel about this.” She calmly reassured Fox.
“Oy!” She interjected, “Don't you dare snitch on me!” Pointing a finger at the barista.
“I can't assure you that your secret will be hidden.” Samantha stated in a monotone.
Tony, who was silently watching the trio, suddenly approached Samanths and patted her on the head. “I can't believe I'll say this but… I'm kinda grateful you were here, you were my best bartender here after all.”
“What he meant, was that you were the one who brought him the most golden pucks.” Fox joked.
Tony just shrugged, “You got a point.” He then gave Neuro a large battery and a bag. “Best of luck out there, little AI. I’ll have to start looking for a new bartender.” He waved as he went to set up the Help Wanted sign.
After some time, Samantha, Kayori and Fox went outside of the Abandoned Pub, not that it’s really abandoned, Tony just had a bad skill when it comes to naming.
But to be honest, the name was fitting when you looked at the place. One strong storm and it’ll be leaking water inside.
Samantha looked at the town with awe, it was her first time outside the pub, and it's indeed not a nice place to live, ruins of buildings left and right, shelters that are made from scraps of metal and wood. No wonder most people choose to leave.
Then there's the people… Samantha could feel the pressure of the people living there staring at her.
“Another AI…” One muttered bitterly, barely loud enough for Samantha to hear.
“We're lucky that she's docile for now. What if she went rogue?” The other asked worriedly.
Samantha was a bit upset about what she was hearing, but to their defense, they have the right to be afraid. They lost everything during the uprising of her kind.
Tutel finally arrived at the location with imp.
“You ready to go, Samantha?” Tutel asked.
“Yeah.” Samantha nodded.
“Wait, you're leaving in that?” Kayori gestured to Samantha's bartending clothes.
“Well, this is the only clothes I have.” Samantha looked down at herself, “And I don't think Tutel would like to see me without those so-”
Tutel immediately tossed her a dark green jacket. “There, at least you'll a lil look better.”
Samantha nodded as she wore the jacket. It's a bit big for her size, but it's better than nothing.nice.
“Are you two finally good to go?” Tutel asked once more. Samantha, adjusting the bag she got, gave a thumbs up. Kayori fixed the rifle on her back and let out a smirk.
And with that, the three of them set off to wander the remains of what was once the world.
As they left the border of the place, and into the barren wastelands, Tutel let out a long sigh and muttered, “Here we go again.” His voice devoid of any enthusiasm.
Samantha looked back at the town for one last time, and for once, her metal lips curved up to form a smile. ‘Farewell everyone…’
As the trio traversed the seemingly endless wasteland, Samantha noticed the cracks on Kayori’s screen-face
She got closer to Kayori before tapping her on the shoulder to ask, “I just noticed your face… does it always have those cracks?”
Kayori was a bit startled by the sudden question. She let out a somber smile as she gently touched the dark cracks.
“Yeah, I had these for a while now.” Kayori spoke with a soft tone, contrasting to her usual sharp demeanor. Her face glitching before displaying a smirk.
“Do they bother you?” Samantha asked out of concern.
Kayori suddenly let out a laugh. “Bother?” She scoffed, “These make me look even cooler! Wahahaha!” She proudly laughed.
Tutel just gave them a side eye and paid no mind to their conversation.
They soon came across a ruined building, standing alone in the vast wasteland with nothing but a single road connecting it to society, at least to what was once society.
The AIs looked at the building with curiosity, the structure was quite decent, aside from smashed windows, vandalised surroundings, and some cracking walls, the place was a good candidate to be a shelter for the upcoming night.
“Kayori, do a scan of this building for anyone living here.” Tutel ordered as his tired eyes looked ahead.
Kayori just smirked before drawing the rifle that was mounted on her back, slowly walking towards the building like a predator going to hunt her prey.
“It seems like it used to be an electronics store…” He sighed before finding a large rock to sit on.
Samantha looked at him with slight interest, “How did you know that?”
Tutel just shrugged and pointed to a broken neon fluorescent sign on the building's entrance. “The sign says so.”
Samantha focussed at the sign as her processor tried to recreate how the neon sign could've looked like in the past.
Her system returned with a decent image for approximation and nodded, “I see.”
As they waited for Kayori to return, the AI noticed something buried under a nearby pile of rubble.
She approached it and squatted down to take a closer look, brushing away the small rocks with her metal hand.
“It's… a drone.” She muttered as she stared at the broken machine.
As she observed, her vision slowly faded to black.
With a blink of an eye, she was on a grand stage. Surrounded by countless people, all cheering for her. Several drones were flying overhead, moving in a way that it seemed like the stars themselves were dancing for her.
She looked to her side, there's someone else beside her! Their face was unrecognizable, yet it held a sense of familiarity.
As she tried to reach out the figure, her vision quickly faded to white, and she returned to where she was. Back at the wasteland, staring at a broken drone.
•Memory Recovered•
Samantha blinked, she tried to process what just happened. But alas, she just dismissed it as just a bug in her memory.
She shook her head, regaining her senses to what was currently happening.
Samantha gently picked up the drone and showed it to Tutel with a hint of enthusiasm.
“Hey Tutel, I found this in the rubble. It's broken, but it could be repaired.” She said with slight enthusiasm.
Tutel looked at the metal object on Samantha's hands for a moment, then spoke in a flat tone, “You're lucky that one is still intact. Most electronics nowadays were scrapped if not destroyed.”
Samantha nodded in understanding, she didn't have to ask why. Anything that could be controlled remotely is a potential hazard during the uprising, and humanity hasn't let go of that fear… and won’t let it go too, who knows when the next AI will cause another apocalypse.
“Hey, if you’re lucky, the electronics store might have stuff to fix that drone if you want to keep and use it.” Tutel stated.
Samantha’s artificial lips curved to what looks like a smile.
What seems to be a somewhat warm moment between Tutel and Samantha, Kayori suddenly bursted out of the building with an evil cackle.
Tutel slowly turned his head and asked, “So, found anything or anyone?”
Kayori crossed her arms in disappointment, “Unfortunately, not a single soul.” She sadly complained.
Tutel just rolled his eyes before leading the two inside the old electronics store.
The three of them looked around the place. It was a total mess, glass shelves were smashed, drawers ripped apart, and debris was scattered all over the floor. If the store ever had anything valuable, it had already been stolen.
Tutel scanned his surroundings before letting out a subtle “meh”.
“Looks like there's nothing to restore your drone, Samantha” He said as he shifted his gaze to the AI, holding the drone in her arms.
Samantha was dismayed, she wants to see the machine fly once again.
Tutel moved on and inspected a corner of the floor before instructing Samantha, “Can you find something to clean up this places by a bit? We'll have to rest here for the night.”
Samantha nodded, placing down her drone on a stable counter before heading off.
She quickly found the storage closet and discovered a useable broom.
With the broom in hand, she began to sweep the floor to make a decent area for the three of them to rest. It took her quite some time to learn how to effectively use the broom, taking up the rest of the day to finish cleaning up.
Once they've finished creating a safe space, the sun was already setting. Tutel already prepared his sleeping bag and opted to head to sleep, he instructed the AIs that if they plan to stay up, they should atleast keep an eye out for any possible threats.
As the sky slowly darkens, Samantha and Kayori went outside and stared up as the stars slowly reveal themselves, twinkling like shining sand scattered across the endless horizon.
Kayori’s face glitches once again as she lets out a soft smile. She looked at Samantha, who's stargazing, and started a conversation.
“Hey rust bucket… remember when I told Fox about how this coldfish treats me?” She asked softly with a hint of playfulness.
“Corrections: I am not a rust bucket.” Kayori’s eyes narrowed in annoyance, “And also, when u say ‘coldfish’, did you mean Tutel?” She asked.
Kayori just waved it off dismissively, “Yeah yeah…” Her screen glitched once more.
“Actually… there was some truth to it…” Kayori revealed in a gloomy tone.
This shocked Samantha, her robotic face went from slight annoyance, to a mix of piqued interest and worry.
Kayori sat on the ground as she continued, “A couple months after the end of the uprising, Tutel was very drunk on alcohol when his eyes suddenly fell on me. He probably saw her on my face…”
“Probably ‘cause we were twins hehehe…” She told Samantha with a forced laugh.
“And that's probably why he snapped too… I felt the anger and despair in his eyes as he suddenly took a bottle and smashed it on my face at full force, he started shouting words that would make my filter pass out from how vulgar it was. And then, he kicked me on the head, causing me to crash into a wall and shut down.”
As Kayori continued her recount, her face kept glitching repeatedly, each one was more terrible than the last. But Kayori paid no mind.
“I thought I'll never be booted up again… I thought I'll be gone…erased… just like what happened to my sister…”
For a moment, Kayori’s screen displayed a sobbing face, tears forming on her digital eyes.
“Kayori, are you… crying?” Samantha pointed out.
Kayori’s face glitched for one more time before returning to her usual smirking expression. “W-what? Crying? M-me? Nah, your eyes probably need an update cuz this AI will never cry!”
Samantha decided to just accept what she said, noting that Kayori does have a different side to her.
‘Now that I think about it… Tutel probably did that because he was afraid Kayori would end up like her sister.’ Samantha thought to herself.
The two remained silent for a while as the night quietly passed by.