Archive of Our Own ^beta

It has been almost a year since the Solver was defeated by Uzi and Copper-9 could finally experience some peace and the Drones live their lives happily, on of those Drones was Melody a silly and happy little Drone who should have been enjoying her life as there was noting to worry about anymore, she had an awesome girlfriend and even got a second brother in N on of the Murder Drones she used to be terrified of. 

She should have been happy and yet there was one thing always in the back of her mind, one deer friend of hers who didn't get a happy ending like everybody else. She didn't knew exactly what had happened, all she did knew that Doll died back in the lab and had her core eaten, she felt bad for her friend as the last moments of her life were filled with grief for her parents who had both passed when the Disassemblers attacked right before they switched sides and became their friends. And not to mention the rage and desire for revenge for their murder. 

Melody could only hope that Doll could find peace in the next life, as she tried to move on with her own life she just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something in the shadow's, following her and quietly whispering just low enough that she couldn't make out any of the words. As much as she wanted to believe that it was just her imagination something told her that perhaps a part of her friend was still around. 

She told Thad about it but he simply told her that she was just missing Doll, and while he was right about her missing her, the feeling just wouldn't shake her. Until one night after the feeling was stronger then ever, she went to sleep and quick had a dream where she walked around the empty corridors of the bunker, she could only think of how spooky it was. And it would only get worse after she came across a weird shadowy figure, Melody's eyes widened and her core's simulated heard beat sped up at the sight of it and yet strangely it felt familiar to her. 

She was about to take a step back before freezing in place as the figure turned around at looked at her with its crimson red eyes, once it saw her a smile formed on it's face in the same crimson red color. To Melody's surprise however once it started to move it didn't go towards her but in the direction of the doors leading to the outside of the bunker and it seemingly signaled her to follow. She debated for a few seconds if she really should follow it before she decided to do so, the familiar feeling of somehow knowing it being the biggest drive behind that decision. 

She followed it all the way to the door's, outside of them and across the city before coming across what seemed to be an industrial area not to far from the labs where Doll had lost her live and it was then that Melody realized why the shadowy being looked familiar to her, it was because it sort of looked like Doll. She then looked directly at it, it signaling for her to come up right next to it but before she could take another step her alarm rang and woke her up. 

She rose from her bed feeling dizzy as she was just ripped from her sleep, she took a look around and realized that she was in her room, She looked confused for a moment before coming to the conclusion that she must have had a dream, yet it felt so eerily real.  

She decided that it couldn't hurt to go out and check the place out but first she would need a good breakfast and a hot drink to wake up as she was still feeling sleepy. 

Once she got her morning routine out of the way and was feeling more awake she took her bag pack and took some batteries with her as she decided to go look for the place she saw in her dreams for if anything else she would get to go outside. 

Once outside she quickly realized the difference between her dream and actually going out, for example the distance felt a lot shorter in her dream then actually making her way over to the industrial area of town in real life. Not to mention that all the obstacles on the way made thing even harder, halfway as she was climbing over a car she had the realization that she could have asked N to fly her over there, sure she might have been afraid of the big height but he didn't have to fly high, even if he did so low to the ground it would have been a lot faster and easier but it was to late now and she had to make her way the hard way.

It was a long way and far more difficult then in her dream but after an hour of traveling she had finally made it to the place in her dreams, something she didn't noticed while she was there in her dream is that this particular building was a Drone parts fabric, for a brief moment her core was filled with hope before she shook her head ''Don't get your hopes us, they said that her core was eaten. So there is no way for her to comeback.'' she thought as she slowly began to walk towards the place. 

Once she got inside and took a look around it would be needles to say that she felt creeped out by the place as there where a lot of Drone parts around the place, sure they weren't ripped off from other Drones but actually made to be replacements, that fact would do little to make it look less creepy and like an Drone equivalent of an Texan slaughter house run by a cannibalistic family.

As she went deeper inside the more she felt like she was in a horror movie and regretted not just her decision to come here but also the fact that she was still in her. The worst part was when she heard a noise coming from a corner to the side of her and turned to look, desperately hooping it was just one of the robo roaches.

It was then after a minute of her looking there that what ever it was decided to come out of hiding and yelling at her, which in return caused her to scream for her life. 

''Kto tam?'' The mysterious intruder would call out to Melody as they jumped from behind their hiding place ready for a fight only to stop dead in their tracks as they saw who it was ''Melody?''.

After a minute of Melody screaming had passed she dared to look back at the Drone that had scared them, she expected to see some crazed oil covered Mad Drone but was schocket by what she saw instead. At first glance it looked like a Disassembly drone and yet the gentle red eyes looking back at her, the long dark blue hair, it looked like Doll but she knew that it couldn't have been. ''Do, Dolly?''.

She didn't reply right away, instead her eyes became hollow and she looked to the ground in shame, ''Zachem ty zdes'? YA ne khotel, chtoby ty menya takim videl.'' she said in a low, scared tone. 

That confirmed it for her, this really was Doll in front of her. With a different body sure but still her old friend, digital tears started to form on her visor as she ran towards her old friend with a smile and embraced her in a hug ''Oh Doll, I can't believe that your actually alive!!! How is that even possible?''. 

''Nu ya.'' Doll began before getting interrupted by Melody. 

''Actually, sorry to interrupt you but would you mind if took this outside? This place creeps me out!'' Melody asked her with a bit of an embraced smile. 

Doll took a quick look around at tall the Drone parts before looking back at Melody who was still hugging her ''Da, konechno.''. 

The two went outside where they sat down on a pile of snow, Melody looking at her friend still amazed that they are actually still alive, meanwhile Doll looked of to the side away from Melody, too ashamed of her new body. ''Kak ya sobiralsya skazat', ya ne znayu, kak ya vse yeshche zhiv.'' Doll began to speak, again with her low tone of voice ''Posledneye, chto ya pomnyu, eto kak moi vnutrennosti vyryvali iz tela i s"yedali. Zatem nastupila polnaya temnota, za kotoroy posledoval strannyy krasnyy kod.''. 

Melody's smile faded as she listened to her friend and hearing the horrible death she went through and yet being resurrected depside all odds, ''Zatem ya slovno prosnulsya snova, ya okazalsya v novom yadre, v banke i v dukhovke, kotoraya menya gotovila. K schast'yu, eto dlilos' nedolgo, potomu chto chto-to razbilo i banku, i dukhovku. S etogo momenta yadro ​​nachalo sozdavat' novoye telo iz obryvkov vokrug menya, za isklyucheniyem togo, chto on sozdal ne telo Rabochego, a telo Razrushitelya.''. 

''But how and why?'' Melody asked confused why it would turned into a Disassembler. 

''YA dumayu, chto makhinatsii Reshatelya i novoye yadro ​​raneye prinadlezhali Dizassembleru.'' Doll replied not being a 100% sure herself as to how any of that worked.

''So for how long did you have your new body?'' Melody asked but Doll didn't answer because she knew what the real question was and that was a question she didn't want to answer. 

''YA rad, chto snova uvidel tebya, Melody. Prosto vse bylo ne tak.'' She said as she for the first time since Melody saw her again had a small smile on her face, although it was hard to see since she was still looking away from her. 

''What does that matter Dolly? I'm just happy that your alive again!'' Melody said, leaning a bit closer to Doll ''You know we had a memorial for you back in the Colony, Lizzy was hosting it.''. 

''Tsh! Konechno, eta predatel'nitsa tak i sdelayet, kak budto ona chut' ne udarila menya nozhom v spinu!'' Doll said in anger, remembering how her oldest friend choose the murderer of her parents over her. 

''OH Uhm. S-Sorry Doll, I didn't mean to upset you.'' Melody said thinking to herself that it was stupid to say that. 

''Vse v poryadke, Mel. Izvini, chto ya ottolknul tebya na vypusknom.'' Doll replied, trying to focus on anything else other then Lizzy and her betrayal. 

''Oh that? Nah don't worry about it, I was kinda spaced out so you got me to move again! Hehe.'' After Melody said that there was a bit of silence between them. 

Doll turned her head towards Melody but still not looking directly at her ''Privet, Mel, u menya yest' vopros, yesli ty ne protiv.'', her visor formed a little blush as she spoke and her voice sounded a bit unsure ''No, em, mogu li ya polozhit' golovu tebe na koleni?''. 

Doll regretted almost instantly asking her that as soon as the question left her mouth, only to be left surprised by Melody's cheerful reply ''Oh of course you can Dolly! Let me just take my bag pack from my shoulders.'' she would place her bag pack to the side before signaling Doll to place her head on her lap. 

Still a bit surprised by it Doll would awkwardly move her body to lay on her back with her head resting on Melody's lap like a pillow, she then reasoned her friends quick agreement to it as her properly just seeing it as an friendly act and not anything more but that wouldn't stop her from relaxing a bit, letting go of the tension in her body and feeling at ease for the first time in a long time. Her smile even grew to a noticeable level. 

Melody put a hand on Doll's forehead and gently stroke her head ''Heh, you know Dolly, you have such a great smile. I missed it.''. 

''V posledneye vremya u menya ne bylo povodov dlya ulybok.'' Doll replied as she took Melody's hand and lead it from her hand to the side of her face and leaned her head gently against it, causing Melody to actually blush a little ''Yesli byt' sovsem chestnym, Mel, ty — posledneye khorosheye, chto ostalos' v moyey zhizni. Posledneye, chemu stoit ulybat'sya.''. 

Melody didn't know how to response to Doll's words, she wasn't even wasn't even sure if her words were an admission of her feelings in a romantic sense. All she could do was sit there with her head in her arms and listen to Doll starting to talk again. 

''Skarlett takaya schastlivitsa, ya vsegda yey zavidoval.'' Doll said as her smile grew to become bitter sweat. 

''Scarlet?'' Melody asked in confusion as to how the conversation suddenly turned to her.

''Da, u neye vsegda bylo samoye bol'shoye sokrovishche. To, kotoroye ya vsegda khotel dlya sebya.'' Doll turned to look Melody directly in her eye's this time, ''Khotite uznat', chto eto?'' Melody simply nodded in response to Doll's question. ''Tvoya lyubov'.'' Doll replied. 

Melody was stunned at Doll's confession, to think that all this time Doll didn't just look towards her as a friend but with an romantic interest ''Dolly I, I never knew.''.

''Heh. Vozmozhno, yesli by ya togda byl smeleye, ya by priznalsya v svoikh chuvstvakh gorazdo ran'she. Togda, vozmozhno, vse moglo by byt' inache, no teper' uzhe pozdno.'' Doll said as she closed her eyes for a little while, trying to imagine how it could have been. 

''You can still come back to the bunker, live there and be happy Dolly!'' Melody replied after all she wanted her friend to be happy again and although she didn't know yet how to deal with all the different problems of both V and Lizzy and Doll's feelings for her, she still wanted to make it work somehow. 

''Izvini, Mel, no ya ne mogu. YA prosto ne mogu vernut'sya tuda, poka ona zhiva, i ya takzhe znayu, chto ne smogu posledovat' za ney i zhit' spokoyno posle etogo.'' Doll replied her face turning sour. 

''But that isn't fair Dolly, your happiness shouldn't be dictated by her!'' Melody said as small digital tears formed on the edge of her visor. 

''Zhizn' nespravedliva, Mel, nikogda ne byla i nikogda ne budet. Nam prosto nuzhno izvlech' iz etogo maksimum pol'zy, a luchshego mne uzhe ne sdelat'.'' Doll said trying to give Melody one last smile and moving her fingers across her visor in a Human manor as to wipe her tears. 

The two didn't exchange anymore words for a while, instead just simply staying there in silence as Melody tried not to break out crying. 

After some time passed Doll lifted her head from Melody's lap and started to get up, ''Uzhe pozdno, Mel, davay ya otvedu tebya obratno v Bunker, chtoby tebe ne prishlos' idti peshkom vsyu dorogu obratno.'' she offered as she stretched out a hand to Melody.

Melody took it and got up from the snow, taking her bag pack in the process and putting it back on her back before then hugging Doll and she took her wings out and flew melody back close to the bunker doors. The flight went past quick as the two didn't say much it wasn't until they finally reached their destination that Melody turned back to Doll and opened her mouth ''Are you really sure that you can't stay? At least a day or two!'', she asked with hopeful eyes looking up at Doll. 

Doll in return simply nodded in disagreement, this caused Melody to look at the ground sad that she her friend would leave her again. Doll however put a hand on her shoulder and said ''YA rad, chto na etot raz mne udalos' poproshchat'sya s Mel.''. 

''Wait before you go!'' Melody said taking off her bag pack and giving it to Doll, ''Please take this, it has some sweat batteries inside and a plushy so that you can remember me by it.''. 

Doll's eye's lid it at the gesture and happily accepted her gift but not before taking off her ushanka and putting it on Melody's head ''I ty zapomni menya po etomu povodu.''. 

The two would give their final goodbye before Doll flew of into the sky, leaving Melody to wonder if she would ever see her friend again. but at the weary least she knew that she was alive and trying to build a new life for herself, a happier one.