Chapter Text
The sound of footsteps echoed through the dark building, the wind whistling through the crumbling walls. A short, auburn-haired worker drone hummed softly to himself as he made his way down the corridor, flicking the lightbulb that hung from the stick attached to his helmet every so often. A taller Disassembly drone dressed in a black trenchcoat and sunglasses silently followed behind, studying the worker up and down.
“Can ya quit starin’ ya ijit. Makin’ me feel uncomfortable.”
Johnny growled, causing X to jump before trying to strike an uninterested pose.
“I’m not staring… just… studying my prey is all.”
X replied, looking away with disinterest while looking at Johnny out of the corner of his eye.
“Yeah yeah yeah, whatever. Can you’s make yourself useful and carry this at least?”
Johnny huffed, tossing his messenger bag over his back before continuing down the hallway.
X fumbled to catch the bag for a few seconds before finally snagging it firmly in his hands. Looking up, X’s smile quickly turned to fear as he saw Johnny’s headlight slowly growing more distant.
Jogging to catch up with the worker drone, X awkwardly held the bag in his hand. He trained his eyes on the worker when he thought Johnny wasn’t looking, quickly snapping to the wall or the ceiling when Johnny turned to him.
Oh, I can’t wait till I learn to be cool. Z will let me come back and I’ll be the bestest hunter in our squad. I wonder if the worker drones will know my name… maybe even other squads! Eeee I’m so excited!
Caught up in his daydreams, X didn’t register Johnny come to a stop until he slammed into the smaller drone, almost flipping him in the process.
“Watch where yer goin’,”
Johnny growled, steadying himself before whirling around to look at X, his hand pinching at the bridge of his nose,
“X, bud, I appreciate ya findin’ me cool and all, but bein’ “cool” isn’t something you teach… waste o’ time if you ask me. Who cares if yer cool, more’ta life than that.”
“No, there’s not. Z always said what I did was ‘Uncool’ whenever something would break or a hunt would go bad. That means if I become cool nothing bad will happen.”
X replied confidently, a stoic look on his face.
“Is that so? Well, mama always said some eggs is just born cracked. Come on, found about everythin’ I’d wanna keep.”
Johnny chuckled, turning around and walking down the way they came.
“Go? Go where?”
“Home idjit, I’m sure they’d let you’s stay if you ask nicely.”
Johnny replied, the two continuing in silence until they stepped out into the cold night air of Copper-9.
Johnny began to walk, only to pause at the sound of wings shooting open behind him. Turning around, Johnny shook his head as he saw X squatting down, his wings outstretched. Without a word, the worker crawled onto the other drone's back, X jumping before taking to the sky. Flying was a strange experience for Johnny, his hands instinctually grabbed onto the Disassembly drone's shoulders as they rocketed through the sky. Feeling Johnny’s arms on his shoulders, X smiled smugly before doing a few aerial tricks, at one point accidentally dropping Johnny before catching him.
“Y-you rustin’ piece o’ scrap! I’s should kill ya for that!”
Johnny yelled, his voice barely heard over the wind.
“What? It was totally intentional.”
X yelled back, biting the inside of his mouth as they flew over the industrial district.
“Here! Set us down here!”
Johnny yelled, burying his face into X’s back as they dove through a hole in the ground.
X ducked and dove through tight corridors at high speeds, his wings pressing into Johnny’s sides at one point as they zoomed down an elevator shaft. Johnny let out a high-pitched scream as they shot through an opening and out into a large cave. X’s jaw dropped as he looked out over the large city sprawled beneath them, worker drones going about their business while others used the Solver to lift construction materials.
“W-wow.”
“Yer tellin’ me.”
Johnny replied, his mouth similarly agape,
“Never seen it from up here before… well, besides the burnin’”
“The what?”
“Don’t worry about it, just set us down by the church, Ma and Merc are probably still workin’ so I’ll get ya acquainted with the town.”
Johnny said, his eyes still marveling at the solver colony below.
The pair glided around the colony for a few minutes before X came in for a landing, his wings kicking up dust as his feet touched the ground. Johnny slid off the Disassembler's back, his legs shaking before he collapsed to the ground.
“This place is kinda cool,”
X marveled, staring up at the church before continuing in a shaky voice,
“B-but not as cool as me, obviously.”
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
A shrill, snobby voice called from behind the two.
Pulling his face up from the ground, Johnny looked over his shoulder to find a short female disassembly drone wearing a blue button-up shirt, red tie, and dress pants approaching. Behind the short woman was a taller one, a yellow raincoat wrapped around her body and gloomy eyes.
“Can we not do thi-”
The taller drone started in a soft voice, only to be silenced by the shorter drone.
“Shut up Y, now you-”
The shorter female growled, pointing an accusatory finger at a terrified X,
“What are you doing here?”
“I-i was just-”
“No, no ‘Oh Z, I was just out patrolling, Oh Z, I didn’t know you were following this one back to find its colony, Oh Z, I didn’t-’ You’re god damn right you didn’t because you never think.”
Z hissed, her body shaking with rage.
Seeing X freeze up at the short-haired woman’s words, Johnny pushed himself up before speaking,
“Z? Thought yer name would be triple S, Short height, Short hair, Short temper.”
“I’m sorry, but who are you?”
Z hissed, stalking over to the worker drone.
“Johnny Pazza, a pleasure to meet me I’m sure.”
Johnny replied, a smug grin on his face as he offered out his hand for Z to take.
“Well,
Johnny
, this is
my
squad mate so I’d recommend you leave this be.”
“Na, last I heard you’s exiled him, don’t sound like he’s part of yer squad if ya ask me.”
“[Annoyed sigh], I was hoping, we would not have any, altercations.”
A robotic voice said from the church entryway, causing X, Y, and Z to freeze.
“S-sorry Miss Cyn, it won’t happen again.”
Z mumbled, her hands crossed in front of herself as she looked down to the ground.
The short worker drone let out a soft hum before slowly hobbling forward, her maid dress fluttering as she stumbled, only to catch herself,
“I should hope, not. You are, X, yes?”
“Y-yes ma’am.”
X replied sheepishly before looking up at her through his shades with an attempt at a smug smile,
“A-a P-pleasure to meet m-me I’m sure.”
“[Laughter], delightful, come. The others wait for us, in, the church.”
Cyn replied, turning around and slowly hobbling towards the church entrance, the solver symbol appearing at her fingers as the door flew open.
X gave Johnny a small wave as he followed Y and Z into the church, the door shutting behind them with a bang. X barely had time to look around the place before he felt eyes on him, looking around the room made his visor instantly sweat. Fourteen Disassembly drones sat in the pews all looking back at him, some smiling and some snickering. X hastily took his seat next to Y, mumbling a soft apology before scooting over.
“[Loud voice], Welcome, I am, pleased, you are all, here. Due to recent, events, you have been called to, watch, this city. A small, hanging, building is being built on the cave roof where you, will be staying. [Authoritative], each, of you will be assigned a, local, to show you, around. Any, incidents, will result in swift, termination.”
Cyn said, her visor switching to an X as black, oozing tentacles slithered up from the cracks in the floor tiles and causing some to jump, before quickly retreating.
“[Jovial], enjoy your, stay. You will start, tomorrow.”
Finishing her announcement, Cyn hobbled off the raised platform before disappearing into one of the alcoves. The wooden doors flew open as the Disassembly drones slowly filed out, some staying behind to greet their new squadmates while a majority headed for the large wooden box hung over in one of the corners of the cave. X’s eyes scanned the surrounding area, eager to return to his ‘mentor’ and begin his cool ‘training’.
“Hi hi!”
A friendly female voice called from behind, causing X to jump before turning around.
As X turned around, his jaw fell open for a second time that day as he came face to stomach with a much taller female Disassembly drone. She wore a large white hoodie with long white hair reaching down past her hips and a large sack slung over her shoulder. Looking up at her face, the giant chuckled awkwardly before sticking her hand out.
“Hello, my name’s SD-G, but most just call me G. Oh I’m so excited to be here working with you! Oh, it’ll be so much fun, do you think everyone else will be nice? What about the locals we’re paired with? Oh where are my manners, C always did say I was a bit of an airhead, what's your name?”
G asked, her tail wagging behind her.
“U-uh, X? X. P-pleasure to meet me, I’m sure,”
X replied, trying to shoot finger guns, only to catch his thumbs in his pockets and tear one slightly.
“Ooooooo, are you ok? You need to be more careful, you could hurt yourself. Now, I heard that squads will be sharing rooms in our new home away from home and EEEEEEEE, I’m so excited! Oh, C’s calling me back, HI C!”
G yelled, waving her hand at another Disassembly drone who only shook her head with a chuckle,
“Anyway, see ya around, I look forward to working with you.”
“Y-yeah.”
X replied, yet the giant was already gone.
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“[Is this really the same place? It looks so… clean]”
“You’re telling me, can’t believe we’d be back here after so long.”
“[mmm, can we go now? These small legs are no good for speed and I would like to confront the Solver as soon as possible.]”
“Yeah yeah yeah, let's get going miss grouchy pants.”