#pick-and-place electronics robots

[pttedu]

Explore how manufacturing, electronics, and robotics have transformed mankind—from early automata and industrial machinery in the 1950s to today's smart factories, AI-powered robots, and space exploration. Learn how innovations like CNC machines, pick-and-place electronics robots, surgical bots, and Mars rovers increased productivity, safety, and scientific discovery, playing a pivotal role in human progress and future advancements.

[minzart]

Beggars can't be choosers (3)

Ao3 - Prev - Next

Decepticons & Reader(GN), Rumble & Reader(GN), Frenzy & Reader(GN)

You find an "automatic" tank busted in the middle of the night, and as the good millitar Mechanic that you are, you fix it.

Or, the Decepticons don't have a trained doctor(yet), and you just volunteered as a substitute by their leaders' logic and standards

Next time you wake up, you are trembling and on a corner, hugging tightly your backpack and curious electronic voices chatting amongst each other very close to you

"Are they dead?"

"Do I look like a human doctor to you?"

"What if we pick it up?"

"Ohhh lets play toss the human, that would wake the-"

You wave your arm around, still sleepy and dying of hunger, but anything to keep you alive "no, no, let's not play toss the human. How about feed the human? That sounds nice to me..."

Stretching and hearing bones snapping you finally take a good look around. To your surprise, you are greeted with the tiniest Cybertronians you have seen thus far

"Frag, did you hear that?!" A black and red transformer screams and hides behind a lavender one, both still towering over you, but at least they just looked like abnormally tall for human height and not... building levels of tall

"Oh, so it is awake, morning sun shine" the purple mech waves at you, in his arms what looked like two pistons shine, one of them stuck out "I require your assistance"

"Hm..." You get up "alright just... give me a minute... sit around..." you look at the massive place, and points to were Thundercracker had last transfomed for his checkin yesterday "there, I'll go by just one second"

"Oh wow, you suck at this" the purple one says snickering at you

"Don't you guys need to eat to function? Energon, right?" You snap at him, picking the remains of your pack of proceced potatoes "well guess what? Humans do too, now sit down, be a good bot and wait"

When your slow brain finally registered, you had just snaped at two giant robots with deadly weapons. You almost broke your neck, looking directly at them waiting for a reaction. Surprisingly, both just sat there, looking at you and... wait for you to finish eating

You quickly and ankwardly do, and finally, go to meet them, you give a wave "well, hello... how... may I help you both"

The lavender one snaps first of whatever though he was having and points at his right arm, the one with a piston stuck out "it's stuck, fix it"

You hum, getting closer, the black one gets out of the way and sits the other side, visor never leaving you, now taking a better look, both bots looked practically identical, you wonder of they are twins... wich lead to you wondering how does reproduction work for Cybertronians, wich you promptly goes back to focus on your work, least you wonder too much

"Can you transform? I have better rattings in fixing problems on alt-modes"

"Ugh do I need to?" He grimaces " It feels unconfortable when transformed"

"Let me see what I can do for now then" you nod and start inspecting the arm and it's crevices "but be warned, until I have a proper Cybertronian anatomy book I won't be of much use to you if you can't change"

"Whatever..." the bot pouts and looks at the other

"They are nicer than Shockwave" you hear they whispering as you inspect the crevice between the pistons, and find the culprit of the bots' problem

"Shhhh, they haven't even done anything yet" you hear a slap, and your patient move

"Still, better free than trapped on the table"

"Bah stop being such a weenie... did Soundwave COMM yet?"

"Negative, your absense has not been noticed yet"

"Thank Primus for that"

"Whats your name?" You ask, breaking the conversation flow of the bots, wich makes your patient jump with enough force to help you take the small metal slit out, just as you hopped it would

The two look at you like they finaly noticed you, you continue to work, inspecting each cranny to have a good idea if there were any more stuck parts, besides dirt and dents you haven't found any again

"I'm Frenzy" the black and red one answers, wich prompted the lavender one to smack him on the helm

"Idiot! We are not even supposed to be here! Soundwave will kill us if he finds out!"

"And this is Rumble-"

The purple and lavender mech jumps his right hand up, piston sliding into place "why you-!"

"My arm!"

"Unstuck" you agree at the beaming mech "it was just a metal slit"

"And you just took it out so easily?! No cirurgy or anything?!"

You looked at them, then at the crevices of his pistons, and then at your hands "small... hands?"

"That's so cool!"

"You said something about Energon, right?" Frenzy beams at you "what do humans consume?"

"Oh..." You stare at the bot, stuned that they were actualy paying attention to what you said before "many things... but most need fire and water to actually be... comsumed properly by a human"

"Cool, cool, cool... where do you find that stuff? You guys have bars or something like that?"

"Yes... but" alright, weird alien race knows what a bar is... can they get drunk? "Comum consumable itens, food, we find more in markets, convenience stores, grocery stores, usually crawling with humans"

"You are not ditching me on dutty to go raid a market alone" Rumble grumbles

"I wasn't going!"

"Yes, you were!"

"..." You look at both bots arguing with each other, and try to think how to gently suggest that maybe you can tag along or if there's a way to talk with Megatron about-

"Pit-" Frenzy stops

"Oh hey, how convenient, we-" Frenzy slaps Rumbles helm while holding the side of his own head

"On it, boss!" As he releases his helm sides, he screams at Rumble "are you stupid?! He doesn't know we are here! Do you want to blow our cover?!"

"Bet you he does..."

"If he did he would have come and killed the human after yesterdays warning" you swing from a feet to the other anxiously to the side, hopping whoever they are talking about does not in fact know they are here then

"Anyways, human!" Rumble completely ignores Frenzy rambling "the big guy wants to see you!"

...........................

Megatrons' office was, like everything in this godforsaken base, big, enormous, towering over you and your two new companions, however the warlord made sure to greet you at the door and as Rumble and Frenzy demonstrate an absurd capability of jump height, he gently shows you his palm waiting for you to get in

You do, because who are you to say no to a giant mech, the Cybertronian tyrant carries you to his table, letting you out besides the twins as he takes his seat in front of you, your two companions snikers to each other when you stumbled out of the warlords hand

"It has come to my attention" Megatron speaks "that we may not be suitable to host a human"

No shit, you think, but holds your tongue, body rigid and ready for report as it was instigated in you by your superiors "hence after pondering, I came to the solution, you"

His red eyes lock with yours "are to have a trip to the nearest human store and grab whatever you may need for your survival, however, you are never to leave this facility without permission or company, am I clear?"

No, he isn't, because how the fuck is someone to accompany you if they are all big war vehicles, what are you even supposed to buy, how would you even get there and back in time, if you would call for help would anyone even belive you?

But that's not the right answer to him nor the answer that would probably keep you alive, so, as you have done all your life you hold still, and answers politely and professionally "yes, lord Megatron,may I know who would be acompaning me sir?"

"I voluntear!" Frenzy imediatly chirps up, earning a growl from Rumble

"I was going to say that!"

"You already go to missions on a monthly basis! Let me be the one to get out once in a while"

Megatron smiles, pleased with your answer and the cassettes eagerness "Frenzy has my permission"

"Yes!" "Nooo!"

"Thundercracker will be your ride, I have already informed him of this, Frenzy..."

The black mech perks up "Bring the human to the main hangar, you are to meet there"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good, dismissed-"

"A word, lord Megatron" you dare to speak, it was now or never, he looks annoyed at you, pleasantly momentary forgoten

"Speak briefly, I have duties to attend"

"There will be need of new parts for some concerts" you look him up and down, hoping he understands what you are referring to "spare parts, to better function that merely fixes can not in long term maintain good health to my patients"

"That's all?" You glup

"Yes sir"

"Dismissed, your concerns are noted" and with that, Frenzy picks you up and jumps out of the warlords table, you yelp in surprise

"You could have done that?!"

"Oh sush you liked being carried like a little mouseturn"

"What-" the black Cybertronian pulls you along and out of the office

"Come on I haven't seen the sun in cyclesss"

.........................

"How?!" You screech at the little black and red caccette in your hands "how the fuck can you get so fucking small?'"

"Neat right ehehe" you hear and feel the vibrations in your hands as Frenzy answers "now there won't be any problems on the way in or out"

"What the fuck" you inspect him from all sides

"Carefull human, I am very fragile"

"You could stomp me to death in your other form"

"Details"

"Is every... Minicon, right? Is every Minicon a little caccette then?" You ask, looking around yourself to see what you could use to carry the little guy in your hands

"Nah, just some after we bond with a certain tipe of transformer"

"What? You need a caccette player to become a caccette?"

"... yeah"

".... what the fuck" as you look around you finally notice the hagar, an open place, still in need of walls and doors, right by the missing wall was the blue mech, you wave at him "morning Thundercracker!"

"DON'T WAVE ME AROUND!" you imediatly stops and feel the little caccette in your hands grow in size, in a panic you toss him aside and in mid air Frenzy de-transforms and grows in size

He looks at you annoyed but is immediately distracted by your panicked expression, he snickers "serves you right"

"Evening" the blue flier answers, great, you overslept, amazing. Taking a closer look you see his optics are brighter than yesterday, his posture more alert, someone hadn't slept well the last time you had met then, good to see him better now, you smile "shall we?"

"Do you even know where we are going?" You ask

"To the nearest florest to a human city, from there it's on you, Frenzy is to call me once you are ready to come back" oh great, you would have to walk from miles

"Don't you guys have... like, a car transformer or something?"

"Flight is superior" Thundercracker immediately answers "and no, we do not, those are still in Cybertron"

"Got it... I can't hope to have my bike back can I?" You mumble

"You know how to tame a bike?!" Frenzy looks at you

"Inanimated object" you correct his assumption, at least what you think that he was referring to "I know how to drive a bike, not tame it"

"Oh yeah right" the caccette transforms again and you reflexively catch him "I'm ready! Lets go!"

You sigh amused, and put him in one of the bottle pokets of your backpack "can you see from there?"

"Yup!" You nod at his response

.......................

The flight went without major inssues, it was not the first time you had to momentarily be on a jet, you luckly didn't pass out, but you did scramble out the second you could and puked in the nearest corner of the forest you found

Thundercracker found the act curious while Frenzy was laughing at you from having a weak complex or whatever that means to him

The walk to a nearest market? Tiresome, miles and miles of only walking and talking with the transformed caccette, at least you learned so things, his job was the main guard of the fortress, while Rumble was more of a field agent once the constructions were finished

There were grounders, flyers, minicons, predacons, and many more subcategories for transformers, when asked about what made seekers diferent from flyers Frenzy didn't knew how to answer properly and only gave you a vague "they are faster" answer, you accepted it for now, you did have at least one seeker to talk to about this another time... hopefully

Once at your destination, you grabbed all junk food you could and many, many water bottles, and lady luck must have finally liked you to let a small portable manual stove on sale, money was not an inssue for you now, rent be damned, you are in half a custody of giant ass robots if you survived this you were already done for life

It was almost night when you finally decided to go back to the meeting point, arms sore from carring so much stuff, and Frenzy refused to transform and help out

"This would be faster if someone were to help me" You jab at the caccette, not stopping once, powering trough the steps

The caccette doesn't answer, and that makes you stop "Frenzy?"

The night breeze pass trough you, once again, in the middle of nowhere, but now not at all alone, your ears pick up the soft huming coming from the small bot, and you let a amused grin show, he has fallen asleep

You keep your pace, now quiet, admiring the tundra view, cars pass once in a while in the highway, lucky not one stops to help, you see a red truck approaching, massive in size, a beauty to behold even if it clearly had seen better days and in dire need of a paint job, you can't help but stare

As it comes, you make eye contact with someone inside, a young man, far younger than you, he notices and waves, you smile tiredly at him, and the truck passes

Alone again you... hear it coming back, oh fuck, you stop in your tracks and look at the parked red and blue truck, from the passage seat the boy opens his door "Want a ride?! It's pretty late for groceries!"

You hope Frenzy won't just pop out and kill this guy just because he talked to you "thank you, but there's no need!"

You lie, ignoring how you feel your legs tremble "my friend is just over there, and we just needed some gasoline to keep going! Thanks for the offer tho"

"Oh..." the brow haired boy looks embarrassed "I see... do you want help getting there anyways?"

"Nope! bye!" You quick your steps and runs away from the stranger, hoping to whoever was out there that he stops persisting

He did, and when you finally enter the meeting forest, Frenzy transforms, he look around worried, always checking back

"Something wrong?" You ask

"No! Not at all!" The caccette answers high pitched "where is Thundercracker when you need him anyways right?! Haha"

You hear in the distance a roar, coming ever closer and when stopping, oh... that's why he is called Thundercracker .Slowly, the seeker comes to the ground away from the night sky, he keeps quiet as his ladder descends

"Did something happen?" You ask Frenzy

"Kinda..." the black casserte answers, tension never leaving him as he continues to look around

You don't waste time to embark on your blue jet, as you do, you notice, he has burns around himself... something happened to the base

[mymoodwriting]

21.5k, Maestro AU, dystopia, advanced technology, robots, kidnapping, manipulation, mind control, hypnosis, assault, physical assault, violence, hacking, supernatural elements, restraints, collars, mental abuse, electrocution, hallucinations, reader is a minor character, I don't know who the main character is either

“Do you hear the piano?”

“Huh?”

“The piano. It’s playing in the distance.”

“I don’t hear anything, y/n.”

“It sounds so pretty.”

“And you know music isn’t really a good thing around here.”

“Yeah…”

You could definitely hear a piano, even if it was quite faint, but there was no way you were gonna be able to find the source. Mingyu was right though, music wasn’t much of a thing around here. The world itself was quite depressing, and everyone worked to stay alive, even if the job was shit. You were lucky to work as a delivery person, one of the simpler jobs, but it had its cons too. You’d drive all over the city, even to the more dangerous parts. So far nothing bad had happened to you, but there was no guarantee that would always be the case. Still, you made money, and you could pay your part of the bills.

You lived in an apartment with three other guys, who were all like brothers to you. It was a decent size place, and you all had your own space too. Most of the apartment was littered with electronic parts as Vernon was a technician that worked from home. He was a freelancer, fixing things in what he considered his work space, which was everywhere that wasn’t a bedroom. Wonwoo worked construction, getting up early and coming back late, but he always said he had enough down time to rest and recover. Mingyu worked as a mechanic at an auto shop not so far from the apartment.

Between the four of you there was a car, but on most days Wonwoo would take it. You had your work van, so if Vernon ever needed to get somewhere, or some items needed to be picked up, that job usually fell on you. At least your office was nearby so it wasn’t a hassle to get to and from work without a vehicle. Today though was a rare treat as you were all off and could do somethings together. You had all gone out to get some groceries, as well as other necessities for the apartment. As you were loading up the trunk that’s when you began to hear the piano, instantly entranced by the melody. In this world music was scarce and unfortunately not encouraged. If anything it was frowned upon.

The peacekeepers maintained order, and many times you had seen them beat those for causing a ruckus or playing music. You weren’t entirely sure why such a thing seemed to be a problem, but it made you appreciate whenever you heard a nice tune. Besides the peacekeepers there were robots around the city. Some worked alongside humans in certain labor-intensive fields, others had simpler tasks, and some freely walked around available to help anyone who needed assistance with anything. Then there were the roaming CCTV robots, the robo-dogs as people called them. They were all over the place,watching everything. Of course there were still normal CCTV cameras around too, so safety and peace were maintained well on multiple levels.

“Let’s go.”

Mingyu shut the trunk and you followed him to the front. You got into the passenger seat, Mingyu hopping behind the wheel. You glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing Vernon on his tablet, headphones on, clearly engrossed in work. Whereas Wonwoo had his head back against the headrest, eyes closed, using this time to wind down. You couldn’t help the small smile on your face. They were all great company. When you got to the apartment everyone helped bring things up, allowing it to be done in one trip. You put things away and then collapsed on the couch, turning on the TV and half listening to the news.

“Y’all better not stay up late.” Vernon commented. “You guys have work in the morning.”

“And you?” Wonwoo mumbled. “All you do is stay home.”

“I pay my bills.”

“Uh huh.”

“I’m a technician, or did you forget where you got such a dope phone?”

“Well you better not stay up late making a bunch of noise!”

“I won’t.”

“You say that a lot.” You added. “You should soundproof your room.”

“I don’t wanna work in my room.”

“Obviously.” Mingyu mentioned. “Your shit is everywhere in this apartment.”

“You’re just jealous I get to work from home.”

“Only sometimes.” Wonwoo added. “Or so you say.”

“Whatever.”

Most days were the same, but you each kept each other entertained, making every sundown and sunrise worth seeing. On slow days when you’d get home first you tended to sit out on the balcony, enjoying the cool breeze of the night air. While sitting out there one day you began to hear the sounds of a piano. Just like before, it was a beautiful melody, and you could hear it better this time. You closed your eyes and let the music take over, softly nodding your head along to the beat, tuning out the rest of the world.

As Wonwoo walked in he was careful not to make too much noise. It was pretty late and he was certain everyone else was already sleeping. He was sneaking back to his room when he heard a soft hum, suddenly realizing how cold the living room was. He looked around, realizing the balcony door was slightly open. Wonwoo made his way over, realizing the humming was getting louder. He slowly slid the door open, seeing you hugging your knees to your chest, eyes closed and rocking to the sides as you hummed. You seemed rather content but he was concerned by all of this.

“Y/n?”

“Hm?”

You opened your eyes, smiling when you saw Wonwoo, although he seemed very worried. Which you didn’t understand.

“You’re home.”

“How long have you been out here? It’s really late, you know.”

“Is it? I didn’t realize…”

“What were you doing?”

“Just listening to the piano, can’t you hear it?”

“Y/n, I don’t think anyone is playing a piano at these hours.” 

“I heard it. I swear. It was coming from over there.”

You didn’t have an exact location, but you had a good idea which direction the sound had been coming from. You got up, although now that the music was gone the exhaustion was starting to hit you. A yawn escaped your lips and you pointed off into the distance mindlessly, leaning against Wonwoo. He wrapped his arms around you, feeling how cold you were. Before he could comment his gaze followed your gesture, and his concern for you only got worse. You were pointing towards the Metronome Theater. 

“Let’s get you inside. You need to get some sleep.”

Wonwoo led a sleepy you down the hall and towards your bedroom, helping you get under the covers and tucking you in. He made sure your alarm was set so you wouldn’t be late for work. He quietly stepped out and shut the door behind him. He stood outside your room for a moment, his thoughts lingering on what had just happened. It wasn’t necessarily something to worry about, but it still bothered him. He barely managed to sleep that night, and next thing he knew it was time to get up again. As he was about to head out he stopped himself, going over to Vernon’s room and knocking on the door before opening it. Unsurprisingly the boy was awake.

“Are you working outside the apartment today?”

“No. Why?”

“Could you do me a favor and look after y/n today.”

“Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know but could you just tag along with her today and keep her out of trouble.”

“Sure. No problem.”

“Thanks.”

Despite the unspoken outlaw of music, the Metronome Theater still stood. It looked exactly like the name described, a giant metronome amongst the buildings that made up the city. Most of the time the pendulum remained still, glowing an ominous red, but on occasion it would glow blue and move from side to side, creating a low ticking in the air. No one really understood the purpose of that structure, and for fear of getting into trouble many avoided the area. Regardless of what went on everyone understood one thing, the Metronome Theater was a dangerous place. Wonwoo stared at it before getting into the car. He never paid the theater any attention, but he might have to going forward.

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

You woke to the beeps of your alarm, groaning and rolling over in bed. You hadn’t slept much last night, but you weren’t all that tired. After a moment you got up and began to get ready for the day. Once you were dressed you got yourself a quick breakfast, ready to head out.

“Morning, y/n.” Vernon greeted you. “How you feeling?”

“Good. Just getting ready for work.”

“Cool. Mind if I come along with you today?”

“Why? Do you need me to drop you off somewhere?”

“No, no, just wanna get out of the apartment, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. I could use the company.”

“Awesome.”

Vernon walked with you to the office, letting you go off on your own to clock in and then come around for him in the delivery van. He happily hopped into the passenger seat.

“Lunch is on me.”

“Obviously.”

“What?”

“You think you just get to ride around for free?”

“But you enjoy my company.”

“And free food.”

“Fine. Whatever you want.”

“Excellent.”

Of course Vernon was just coming along for fun, not actually helping you with the job cause he didn’t want to do anything wrong and get you in trouble. He tried that once before and it did not go well. So it’s more accurate to say he doesn’t help so you don’t wind up in trouble again because of him. When he went with you nowadays he was more like your guardian angel, and today was no different for him. He stayed in the van, saving you the trouble of rushing and hoping it wasn’t stolen while you did your deliveries. 

“Oh, why hello there.”

The robo-dogs could be found anywhere in the city, both high and low, and in very unlikely places. You were used to seeing them in the buildings you delivered to, and it was great their programming had them act very friendly, like real dogs.

“I’m just doing some deliveries, little guy.”

You held up your badge, showing proof you could be there. You didn’t have to, but you liked to do so whenever you ran into these guys. That way if anything ever happened in the building you’d be recognized as a delivery employee who’s just passing through. It was your own insurance, and there was no real reason to hide your purpose here. You gave the little robot a pat, and it seemed to enjoy that. Soon enough you started to hear a soft melody. You thought you were imagining things, but the sound slowly got louder and then you realized it was coming from the robot.

“You got a song for me, little guy?”

You didn’t know the robo-dogs had speakers in them, let alone that they would play music. It was a nice treat, and you couldn’t help but follow the little guy when he started walking off. You could use a break anyway.

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

While waiting Vernon would be on his phone, going over his list of things to do and figuring out how to prioritize. Although at a particular stop he felt like you were taking too long, especially since you had walked in with like two boxes. He was about to go check on you when he saw you walk out, immediately feeling relief. Then again he noticed you weren’t walking towards the van, and instead seemed to be following one of the robo-dogs. It was very strange, and he wasn’t just gonna watch. He got out of the van and called out to you, but you didn’t respond. When he caught up to you he grabbed your arm and turned you around, seeing a dazed look on your face before you seemed to come back to your senses.

“Vernon?”

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

“What were you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just now.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know. You were like sleep walking or something.”

“Oh, I guess maybe I’m just tired.”

“Did you sleep enough last night?”

“I think so. I’m alright though, I promise.”

“Okay, but you let me know if anything’s wrong.”

“I will. Let’s go now.”

Vernon wasn’t entirely convinced, but he wasn’t going to push it right now. Instead he was starting to get an idea as to why Wonwoo wanted him to go out with you today. Something certainly felt wrong here, but he wasn’t entirely sure what. At one point his eyes landed on the Metronome Theater, staring at it as you drove along. That whole place was just an eyesore, and it always gave him the creeps.

“Okay. This might take a few since I gotta deliver on multiple floors.”

“Alright, just be safe and come back.”

“That’s a given.”

You grabbed what you needed from the back, making your way into the building. You started from the top and made your way down. For the most part you just left packages at doors, but on occasion you’d knock to get a signature. You were a bit tired when you dropped off the last one, but at least you were done here.

“Do you require assistance?”

You jumped when you heard a robot, looking back to see it on the steps leading to the basement floor. In a bigger building like this it was more common for there to be robots to help tenants when needed.

“I’m alright, thank you. I’m just doing deliveries.”

You showed your badge once more, definitely needing to identify yourself as these robots tended to have records of who lived here and would call the authorities on any unauthorized visitors. You waited for the robot to accept your reason for being there, but it was eerily quiet.

“Uh… I’m going to be taking my leave now.”

As you stepped away the robot suddenly grabbed your arm. Then the blank face plate began to glow red, swallowing you up and cutting your world to black.

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

Vernon stepped out of the van, stretching his limbs. He stared at the building you had gone into, getting this uneasy feeling. He checked the time, seeing that you had been gone for about twenty minutes now. That wasn’t too long, but something just didn’t feel right. It probably wasn’t best to just dwell on it, so he locked the van and took the keys, heading into the building. The place seemed quiet, so he went around calling your name, getting no response. Every second that went by was making him nervous. As he was about to head out a gleam of light caught his attention. He walked over to the source and picked up your badge off the floor. Now he was very concerned.

“Shit…”

He called out your name again, stepping down towards the basement. It seemed very dark down here, but that was the least of his worries. He called out to you again and again but there was no response. Then he wound up bumping into something and falling to the ground. He looked up to see a robot standing in his way. Before saying something he noticed some light down the hall, realizing there was a door that led out, another exit. Vernon quickly scrambled to his feet, but the robot moved to stand in his way.

“Do you require assistance?”

“No, no, I-”

“Do you require assistance?”

“No! I’m a delivery person.” 

Vernon held up your badge, covering your face and name, hoping the robot would accept that and leave him alone. It didn’t work, and the machine still stood in his way. Vernon tried to get past once more, yet he was blocked. He intended to push his way through only to be grabbed and shoved to the floor. He groaned as he hit the ground, partially out of breath. He looked back up to see a red glow emanating from the robot’s faceplate, telling him that something was very wrong here.

“You… you intentionally stopped me… you hurt me… you hurt a human…” Vernon got up, making note of the number on the robot’s chestplate. “Robot model S-009588, you are to answer all my questions going forward, what is your directive?”

“Protect the target.”

“What target?”

“A young female identified as a delivery worker. Last spotted at this location.”

“What? Where is she!?”

“Unknown.”

“What do you mean? How do you not know where she is! You took her in the first place!”

“Incorrect. My objective is to protect the target.”

“From-”

The robot suddenly seemed to glitch and shut down, completely powering off right in front of Vernon. He cautiously took a step back and then it seemed to reboot itself.

“Do you require assistance?”

“Uh… no…”

Vernon took a small step forward and the robot stepped to the side. It was certainly acting how it was supposed to now. He still had many questions, and needed to further look into this, but for now he needed to go. He ran towards the back door, stepping out into the streets once again. Despite the minutes that had passed he still looked around, hoping by some miracle to see you, but of course you were nowhere to be found.

“Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Vernon went back inside, intending to find the robot and interrogating it, but just like you, it was gone. He kicked the nearest item and swore again, storming back to the van. He slammed his hands against the wheel, screaming. The whole point of him being out with you today was to prevent something like this, and he had royally fucked it up. Now he had to make things worse with a phone call.

“What’s up?”

“Wonwoo…”

“Hm?”

“She… y/n… she’s gone…”

“What the fuck do you mean she’s gone!? I asked you to look after her!”

“I know but… I’m not sure what happened. I was attacked by a robot and-”

“Have you told Mingyu?”

“What the hell am I supposed to say? That y/n just walked into a building and never came out? You’re the one who was worried about her and didn’t really say anything!”

“Look, just call Mingyu and get back to the apartment, I’ll head over too, got it?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Vernon drove over to the auto shop Mingyu worked at. He was familiar with the other mechanics, and just waltzed in, finding Mingyu under a car. He kicked at his leg to coax the boy out. His smiling face changed to concern when he saw Vernon.

“What are you doing here? I thought you went out with y/n?”

“We need to talk. Wonwoo will meet us at the apartment.”

“What happened?”

“It’s complicated.”

“And y/n?”

“…”

“Fuck. Vernon, what did you do?”

“Let’s just go.”

The two walked back to the apartment in silence. Vernon couldn’t imagine what was running through Mingyu’s head, but he had questions of his own. A while after they arrived Wonwoo entered the apartment.

“What the fuck is going on?” Mingyu questioned. “What did you guys do?”

“It’s not something we did.” Wonwoo explained. “But something that happened.”

“Which is?”

“I don’t really know how to explain it.”

“One of you better start talking.”

“Y/n’s been kidnapped.” Vernon stated. “That’s what’s going on.”

“What do you mean!? What did you do!?”

“Why do you think we did something? How do I know this isn’t your fault?”

“You’re the one who messes around with the law, Vernon! And Wonwoo works with all kinds of people. How do I know either of you didn’t piss off the wrong person?”

“We didn’t do anything.” Wonwoo interrupted. “I think something else is going on.”

“Like what?”

“When I got home last night I found y/n out on the balcony. She had been out there for a while, saying she had been listening to some piano.”

“A piano?” Mingyu wondered. “Did you hear it?”

“No. It stopped playing by the time I stepped out. Why?”

“Y/n… she mentioned hearing a piano when we had gone out the other day, but I didn’t hear anything.”

“Why is a piano our concern here?” Vernon questioned. “What does that mean?”

“She said the music was coming from the Metronome Theater.” Wonwoo admitted.

“Oh… wait, so you think someone from the theater kidnapped her? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“You know that place is weird.” Mingyu said. “The people who go in don’t tend to come out, and if they do, they’re not quite the same.”

“Okay, but why would they kidnap her? In fact, how do you know it was them? I was attacked by a robot! Someone clearly hacked into that thing.”

“You were attacked by a robot? Like an actual one or the robo-dogs?”

“Now that you mention it… after a certain stop I saw y/n sleep walking behind a robo-dog, like it was leading her somewhere.”

“Oh so you knew something was up and you still left her alone!” Wonwoo accused. “Are you serious!”

“You could have told me what you were actually worried about here! I thought maybe she was sick or something.”

“I shouldn’t have let her go out in the first place.”

“We don’t know who took her.” Mingyu reminded. “Not for sure. So let’s focus on that first.”

“How?”

“Easy enough. Vernon, you can hack into CCTV right?”

“Obviously. Even the robots, so clearly whoever took her knows a thing or two about tech.”

“Right. So let’s go back to where she was taken and see if the CCTV can lead us to her.”

Everyone was pretty tense over the situation, but they were trying not to let panic take hold. This could all just be some big misunderstanding and you’d call them soon enough, asking where they were. For the sake of not sticking out they decided to take your work van, returning to the last place you had been seen. In a matter of minutes Vernon gained access to the CCTV cameras around, sifting through the footage to find you. He showed the others the moment you went inside, and then skipped ahead, switching to the back door cameras. They were all concerned and surprised when they saw you walk out, following a robot as if you were being escorted somewhere. From there they followed your path, Mingyu driving. Although they soon lost track of you.

“What happened? Where did she go?”

“I’m not sure, the CCTV cameras in the next area are down.”

“What?”

“Let me try finding a different angle.”

Vernon kept working to find a camera, although it seemed that one after the other just weren’t operational. Wonwoo was looking over his shoulder, realizing they had lost track of you. He swore under his breath, although he soon realized something.

“Vernon.”

“Hm?”

“Do any of the cameras work around the Metronome Theater?”

“Uh… no… actually… none of the cameras within a quarter mile radius of the theater work.”

“So that whole area is a blind spot, and she walked into it.”

“Yeah.”

“So the theater it is.” Mingyu commented, staring at it from the car window. “Let’s go.”

The area around the theater was mostly abandoned, and now knowing none of the CCTV around worked made the place all the creepier. Mingyu parked the van across the street from the theater, all three staring out at it. 

“Are we sure she’s in there?” Vernon asked. “She went into a dark zone, someone could have taken her from here and there would be no record of it.”

“Perhaps.” Wonwoo said. “But something tells me she’s in there.”

“Okay, but how are we getting in? That place is usually closed, and it only opens sporadically. We don’t even know if it opened today.”

Just as Vernon said that the pendulum of the theater started moving, and the shutters over the doors went up.

“Huh, guess they’re open now.”

Wonwoo was the first out of the car, crossing the street, the other two soon following. What was strange were the other people that seemed to appear from nowhere also making their way to the theater. Despite what one might think, the inside of the theater was lavish and luxurious, not something you’d expect to see in this part of the city. None of them knew where to go, but the others that entered did. It was weird to see how everyone else walked in silently and went up the stairs, acting like robots themselves. The trio followed, keeping quiet as well and just going with the flow.

They went up two flights of stairs to the third floor, making it to the entrance of the actual theater. Rows and rows of empty seats surrounded the stage, people just taking a seat wherever. The curtains were down, and the lights were slowly fading and growing bright, signaling the show would begin soon. The boys took a seat towards the back, looking around to see if perhaps you were around, but they had no luck. A while later the doors closed and the lights went out, leaving them in darkness before the stage was illuminated. The curtains were drawn, revealing a whole orchestra on stage, two gentlemen standing front and center. 

“Welcome to the Metronome Theater.” The one with a beret spoke. “I’m the director, Seungkwan, and this is Joshua, the conductor for the night. Do enjoy the show.”

Seungkwan made his way off stage, disappearing into the darkness. Joshua on the other hand took his place before the orchestra, and soon the show began. The music was quite nice, not something any of them were used to hearing. There was no piano present, but they didn’t care much for the show itself. They took in their surroundings, but there didn’t seem to be anyone else. All the other guests were engrossed in the performance. For a moment Wonwoo zoned out while watching the conductor lead, something about him just seemed odd. He snapped out of it when Mingyu lightly shoved him, giving him a questioning look. They had other things to focus on right now.

When the show ended everyone got up to applaud, all seeming to move together. Joshua took a bow before the orchestra did the same and then cleared the stage. The doors had opened and a few robots were coming in, greeting some of the guests and then leading them towards the nearest exit. The trio immediately thought to follow, stepping out into the aisle and walking towards the stage. Although they didn’t get far before a spotlight was suddenly aimed at them, stopping them in their tracks.

“You three aren’t meant to be here.”

Once they had adjusted to the light they saw Joshua looking up from his bow, slowly standing, arms crossed over his chest, lightly tapping his wand to his shoulder. A smirk appeared on his face, looking them up and down.

“I advise you to leave before the Maestro gets upset.”

“We have no intention of leaving.” Mingyu stated. “We’re looking for someone, and perhaps your Maestro knows something.”

“Is that so?”

“If we can just talk to them and clear things up, then we’ll be on our way.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“How come?”

“You were advised to leave.”

Joshua lifted up his wand, flicking it in the air as if he was still performing. They were all confused until they realized the other guests were moving in on them. Before they knew it they were surrounded and grabbed. The people around them had blank stares in their eyes, but they were doing well to restrain them.

“Thank you for coming.” Joshua stated. “Don’t return.”

The people began to drag them towards the exit, forcing them to fight back. They didn’t want to hurt anyone, but the situation was getting out of hand. These people didn’t want them here, so it was all the more reason to stay and investigate. Especially as Joshua was walking away. Wonwoo managed to break free from the crowd, running up towards the stage and tackling the conductor to the ground. The two tussled for a moment, and Wonwoo knew he had to get the wand out of Joshua’s hand. It wasn’t just some stick, but as soon as he ripped it away from Joshua he froze. His gaze slowly turned to the item in his hand. He couldn’t describe the feeling well, but there was some sort of power radiating from it, and now that he held it this energy seemed to be coursing into his veins.

“You have potential.” Joshua commented. “Perhaps the Maestro will see you.”

Before Wonwoo could really register what had been said, or what was happening, Mingyu had come to his side. He had escaped the crowd and took the wand from Wonwoo, snapping it in half without hesitation. Once he did so Joshua screamed, grabbing his head and thrashing on the ground. Both boys took a step back, unsure of what was going on. Even the rest of the guests seemed to collapse, leaving Vernon just as confused as his brothers. A moment later the lights went out again, and Joshua’s screams seemed to die down. When the light returned there was someone else present on the stage. A boy with white hair knelt down before Joshua, hands on his head, seeming to sooth the distressed boy. Soon enough the gaze of the stranger looked to them, a fire in his eyes.

“Get out!”

The lights flickered, and next thing the boys knew robots were rushing into the theater. They grabbed each of the boys, two or three per person, effortlessly dragging them out. Their strength was no match for the machines as they were thrown out onto the streets. Mingyu was the first to scramble to his feet, but as he reached the doors of the theater the shutters slammed down, locking him out.

“NO!”

Mingyu slammed his fist against the shutters over and over, as if that would change anything. The other two eventually came to his side.

“This doesn’t mean anything.” Vernon said. “This could just be some territorial shit, and this Maestro guy doesn’t like outsiders. Y/n might not be here.”

“And yet she could be.” Wonwoo remarked. “You saw how some people were taken elsewhere, not to mention the others… it’s like the music put them under a spell and they did whatever the conductor wanted. Y/n kept hearing a piano, and didn’t you say you caught her sleepwalking?”

“I… yes, but we don’t have solid proof.”

“Then find some.” Mingyu hissed. “There’s gotta be a robot around here that saw something.”

“Yeah, yeah I can look for that.”

Vernon made his way back to the van, the other two soon following. Although Wonwoo stopped and stared back at the theater. His mind went back to the moment he had held the conductor’s wand. The way he felt then still lingered, and he wanted to know what that was.

“Wonwoo!”

Upon hearing his name Wonwoo made his way back, the three in the van, Vernon getting his laptop out and getting to work on searching for some video footage.

“How are we gonna find proof?” Wonwoo asked. “The CCTV doesn’t work around here.”

“But there are other cameras.” Vernon remarked. “The robo-dogs are also CCTV. Even though they are everywhere, they each stick to a certain area. If we can find one around the theater I could get into its system and look at the recorded footage.”

“Alright. I’ll drive, you two keep a lookout.” Mingyu said. “Let me know when to stop.”

As planned they drove around the area, looking for a robo-dog. The issue with those was that they were free roam cameras, so it wasn’t entirely common to see them on the streets.

“What about taking down a robot?” Mingyu suggested. “We’ve seen a few of those.”

“It wouldn’t work.” Vernon mentioned. “The robots have their programs and internal systems, but they don’t actually record anything. We have CCTV and the robo-dogs so it would be overkill.”

“I guess.” 

“Oh, there’s one, Mingyu, pull over.”

The van came to a stop and Wonwoo stepped out, walking up to the little thing as it stepped out of an alleyway. They were very friendly robots, so the thing walked up to Wonwoo all on its own. Vernon had opened the side door, laptop in hand.

“What do I do?”

“Just grab it and bring it here. I’ll erase the footage of us grabbing it when we’re done.”

Wonwoo picked up the little guy, bringing it over the van and setting it down inside next to Vernon. It tried to get out, but Wonwoo prevented it from doing so. After a moment it sat down, the little red light going out.

“Alright, I’m in.”

“Are you sure it saw something?” Mingyu asked. “Or do we need to look for another one?”

“No. One should give me access to a few more in this area, one of them surely saw some… hold on.”

“What?”

“…”

“Vernon.”

“Hold on!”

“Aish, could you tell me-”

“Got it.”

“What?”

“The robo-dogs here are on two grids. The city and something else, I managed to dig deeper into the system just now, but I’m gonna need another minute to access this other grid.”

“I’m not understanding you.” Wonwoo said. “What do you mean another grid?”

“Another power grid, another system. Someone else besides the city is connected to these robo-dogs and thus has access to their recordings.”

“That’s not concerning at all.”

“I know so just- oh… this isn’t good… the CCTV around the theater isn’t broken, it’s on another grid.”

“Wait so you mean all the cameras around here work?”

“How come the city isn’t aware of this?” Mingyu questioned. “This whole area is thought to be a dark zone.”

“The city doesn’t care about the cameras being down cause the rodo-dogs in this area still work, and they’re more valuable.” Vernon explained. “That’s why they’re still online and connected to both grids. I doubt the city knows that someone else has easy access to the robo-dogs around here.”

“So who’s running this other grid?”

“Who do you think? Who’s at the center of this whole thing?”

“The Metronome Theater.”

“They’re the biggest power source in this area, so logically they’re the only ones who could run all this.”

“What about y/n though?” Wonwoo reminded. “Is she really in the theater?”

“Well, let’s check. Once I get access to the cameras we can see where she really went.”

A few minutes later Vernon did as he said, pulling up camera footage and going to the moment they had originally lost you. They could see you were still following a robot, and a moment later two more appeared. They continued to follow you through the cameras, and just as they suspected you made your way to the Metronome Theater, heading inside.

“Okay. So she’s in there somewhere.” Mingyu confirmed. “How do we get back in?”

“We can’t just walk in again.” Wonwoo added. “I’m sure they’ll be looking out for us.”

“Then we go in from below.” Vernon suggested. “The robo-dogs go underground to recharge and there has to be some sort of maintenance facility in this area. My guess is the theater. Someone in there must be a technician that fixes up all the robots around here. Which means there should be a way in the theater through underground maintenance tunnels that the robo-dogs would use.”

“Okay, but those things are small, do you think we’d fit?”

“The maintenance tunnels are designed to be big enough for a person to crouch through in case a robo-dog loses power down there and needs to be retrieved.”

“So all we gotta do now is find those tunnels and get inside.”

“What do we do once we’re in?” Wonwoo asked. “That place is huge and we have no idea where y/n would be.”

“If we’re going in then we’re not looking for y/n, but the Maestro. Whoever that is, they’ll surely know where she is.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

You felt as if you were waking from a dream, unsure as to when you fell asleep. Wherever you were, it was dark, but the light in front of you drew your attention. As you regained your senses you began to perceive your surroundings. You seemed to be in some sort of theater, watching a show. There was an orchestra on stage, along with the conductor leading the show. You noticed a few other people around you, but that all seemed to become pointless as you began to listen to the music. You hadn’t heard such a melody, becoming entranced by. After a moment you closed your eyes to give all your focus to the music, feeling so calm and relaxed.

“Good girl.”

The voice made you open your eyes, finding a gentleman with white hair standing before you with a big smile on his face. Before you could really process anything he lifted his glowing wand, gently tapping your head and causing your world to fade to black.

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

“Let’s go over the plan once more.”

With access to the robo-dogs it wasn’t hard for Vernon to map out their travel patterns and find multiple entrances to the maintenance tunnels. From there he could figure out where they needed to go and how to get inside the theater.

“Okay. I’ve found our entrance point into the maintenance tunnels, the closest one to the theater.” Vernon explained. “When we get to the theater itself I can mimic a robo-dogs signal to open the entrance and get us in. Although from there I’m gonna need to find an access port in order to gain access to the systems in the theater. There are no schematics or blueprints for that place, so right now I have no idea how the interior looks besides what we’ve seen, and that wasn’t much.”

“From there the goal is to go up.” Mingyu added. “Surely the Maestro would be at the highest point in the building. We just need to find the fastest route, and avoid as much resistance as possible.”

“The building will most likely be littered with robots, but once I have system access I can make sure they don’t hurt us.”

“What about the conductor?” Wonwoo asked. “Or that other guy? They seemed to have a lot of power in that place.”

“We already broke the conductor’s little stick, so they shouldn’t be a problem. As long as we move fast and don’t attract attention we should be fine.”

“Then what do we do if we find the Maestro?”

“When we find them we’re gonna demand answers. If things have to get rough then so be it. We know y/n’s in there. Let’s gather what we need and be ready to move in ten.”

Honestly the only person who needed things was Vernon, the other two were ready to go whenever. They all needed to travel light as there wasn’t much room in those tunnels to begin with. Since they knew the cameras around the theater worked they needed to avoid them. The best way to do that was to enter the sewers outside that area and travel through there to the maintenance tunnel that would lead them into the theater. It wasn’t pleasant, but it did well to give them the advantage they needed in order for this to work. None of them liked walking through the sewers, and the maintenance tunnels wouldn’t be any better. It would be short but uncomfortable nonetheless.

“Give me a second while I get the hatch open.”

Vernon got out his phone, doing a little something before the hatch opened. He was the first one through, glad to be able to stretch out, the other two soon getting out as well. They seemed to be in the middle of some hallway, and to their benefit it seemed empty.

“I need to look for some electrical currents so I can find an access point.” Vernon stated. “Give me a second.”

“Why do the walls say S3?” Wonwoo questioned.

“Shit.” Vernon mumbled. “I wasn’t entirely sure how low we went, but I think we’re in sub-level three.” 

“How big is this building…”

“No idea.”

Vernon followed the device in his hand, leading the others down the hall and towards an elevator. Which was the perfect thing to find. He pulled out some other tools, connecting to the wires behind the call button hacking in, ultimately gaining access to the entire system.

“Got it. Looks like this building has seventeen floors, and three sub-floors. So you definitely know where we are.”

“Great, we’re as far from the top as possible.” Mingyu said. “Just our luck. What’s the fastest way up?”

“Uh… there seems to be some kind of elevator that goes up to the seventeenth floor that we can access from the theater room.”

“So we need to go to the third floor?”

“No, there seems to be another theater on the thirteenth floor.”

“Of course. Is that the only way to access the top floor?”

“It seems to be the only direct connection closest to our current location. There are a few other elevators in this building, but only the one on the thirteenth floor will get us to seventeenth the fastest.”

“How are we supposed to get to the thirteenth floor undetected?”

“I’m looking into that. A place like this surely has blind spots, and if not, it shouldn’t be that hard to access their security system and hide us. I’m trying to map out our fastest route and looking into what type of security they have here. I just need a few minutes.”

“Well hurry up, we can’t push our luck.”

“I know.”

Vernon managed to find schematics of the building, taking a look at where they’d need to go in order to make it to their destination.

“Alright, from what I can tell the security here is pretty lax except for a few floors which we can avoid. There are some robots roaming around the building but they won’t be an issue either. We can take this elevator up to the first floor, and not so far from there we can get on another up to the seventh floor. From there we can reach the thirteenth. I’ve mapped out our path and have the cameras along the way looping. I’ve sent you both a copy of the route just in case, but we should get up to the seventeenth floor in about ten minutes.”

“Cool. Let’s move.”

It was a little strange being back in the lobby, considering they had been thrown out not so long ago. Vernon led the way over to the next elevator they needed to catch. Since the building didn’t see a lot of traffic they didn’t wait long. The highest this elevator went was the seventh floor, which was their next stop. It was strange that no single elevator connected all seventeen floors, but Wonwoo mentioned it was probably a safety thing. They thought things would be easy for them, but the elevator suddenly came to a stop on the fifth floor. For a moment they all got tense, Wonwoo and Mingyu ready to fight while Vernon was trying to cover them. Although when the doors opened there was no one. Mingyu carefully peeked his head out, but the halls were empty. Vernon tried closing the doors, but the elevator wouldn’t budge.

“I think it’s stuck.” Vernon commented. “This thing does seem old.”

“Then we should probably get off.” Wonwoo mentioned. “I guess we should take the stairs.”

“Not necessarily. Another elevator on this floor could take us up to the tenth floor, but that place seems to use a lot of power, which means heavy security.”

“Then why would we go there?”

“We could access the elevator that goes up to fourteen, and from there get up to seventeen. It’s our new fastest route from here.”

“As long as we’re still undetected it should work.” Mingyu said. “Lead the way, Vernon.”

No one else seemed to be on this floor either, the place being eerily quiet. There were a lot of doors with numbers, but no windows to see inside. It gave them all this uneasy feeling, but they kept going nonetheless. That is until they rounded a corner and Vernon stopped, stepping back and shoving the other two back, putting a finger to his lip and explaining himself in a whisper.

“Peacekeeper.”

“What!? Why is there one here?”

“I guess everyone comes to this theater.” Wonwoo commented. “You guys stay back, I got this.”

Wonwoo stood right against the corner, listening for footsteps. Once the peacekeeper was close enough he attacked. Lucky for him the only weapon his opponent had was a baton, and he had taken worse hits. It was easy for him to take down the peacekeeper, and the other two came to his side when he had won.

“I expected robots, not this.” Vernon mentioned. “Luckily the cameras here are looping so none of this was seen.”

“Then we can use this to our advantage.” Mingyu said, taking the mask from the peacekeeper. “I can dress like one of them so if another person sees us, I can act like I’m escorting you both.”

“But what do we do about the body? If another peacekeeper walks by and sees it they’re gonna sound the alarm.”

“It might be too late for that.” Wonwoo said. “Far too late.”

Vernon and Mingyu looked over to see what Wonwoo meant. At the end of the hall a crowd of peacekeepers were gathered. It seemed they no longer had the advantage.

“Go.” Wonwoo stated. “I’ll keep them busy and catch up with you later.”

“Wonwoo-”

“Now!”

Mingyu was already pulling Vernon down a different hall, but the boy was fumbling with his phone. Before Wonwoo was completely out of view Vernon activated the sprinkler system on the floor. It would help Wonwoo out since the peacekeepers wore goggles and the water would mess with their vision. Hopefully they’d meet up later.

Vernon found an alternative route to the elevator they needed to use, although it appeared their luck had really run out. A group of robots was marching down the hall towards them, someone else at the front of the group leading the way.

“I suggest you surrender now.” The other spoke. “But I’d prefer it if you don’t.”

“Run.” Vernon mumbled, looking down at his phone. “Go, now!”

“What? Vernon-”

“I’ll be right behind you, I just needed a second to hack into the robots.”

“I won’t leave you then.”

“Go get on that fucken elevator before they cut us off completely. You’ll be closer to the top on the tenth floor than the fifth!”

“Fuck.”

Mingyu knew Vernon had a point, so he bolted, feeling awful for leaving the other behind, for leaving them both. When he made it to the elevator he frantically hit the button, looking back, hoping Vernon managed to get him enough time. He pulled out his phone, opening up the link Vernon had sent so he could follow the route they had planned. Once the elevator arrived he got in and hit the button for the tenth floor, knowing he couldn’t wait around for the others. He let out a sigh of relief when the doors shut and he was moving. Things went south fast, but as long as he made it to his destination he trusted everything would work out.

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

“Get fucked!”

The robots were advancing on Vernon, but he tried not to let the panic overwhelm him. When he managed to hack them he laughed, making them stop in their tracks. He looked up at the other with a gleeful grin, having the robots turn around to make his point. The other seemed shocked by the sudden change.

“Thanks for the robots. Now I suggest you surrender and answer a few questions for me.”

“Impressive, but that’s not going to happen.”

“Wanna bet?” 

“Do your worst.”

Vernon smirked and ordered the robots to attack, knowing he could get this guy pinned in second. He sent two at him first, walking over himself since he knew this would be over soon. Although he wasn’t prepared for the punch the other guy threw, which actually knocked the robot back.

“Holy shit!”

Vernon stepped back and had all the robots attack, watching from a safe distance. It didn’t do him any good as the robots were beaten down and torn apart right before his eyes. The robots only managed to hit their target a few times, and it did nothing to slow them down. Vernon was frozen in shock as the other stalked up to him, a silver liquid dripping from his lip. He seemed to notice what Vernon was staring at, wiping his lips and laughing when he saw his fingers stained silver.

“I guess I need to go up to maintenance too. Don’t worry, I’ll take you with.”

One punch knocked Vernon out, and his unconscious body slid to the floor. The other stared down at him, finally relaxing after the whole ordeal. He knew back up was on the way, not that he’d need it. He looked around at all the robots, before sliding down a wall and sitting down to wait.

“Seungcheol’s gonna kill me.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

After dealing with the last one Wonwoo continued where he left off. At this point he was certain Vernon and Mingyu were no longer on this floor. It shouldn’t take too long to catch up. He pulled out his phone, following the path Vernon had laid out. Although upon rounding a corner he noticed the torso of a robot leaning against the wall, sparks flying from the damage. He proceeded cautiously, ready for another fight even if he was spent.

“I can hear you, so there’s no point creeping.”

The new voice caused Wonwoo to come to a halt. He knew whoever had spoken was just around the corner, although he wasn’t gonna lower his guard. He took a quick step into the next hall, seeing a bunch of robots torn to pieces, and Vernon passed out at the other end. Although his focus quickly shifted to the gentleman standing up, wincing in the process. Silver tainted his lips and nose, clearly exhausted, but Wonwoo was starting to put two and two together.

“Did you-”

“The robots? Yes, as for your friend, they’re just unconscious.”

“Who are you?”

“You ask as if I’m the trespasser here.” The gentleman chuckled. “The name’s Jun, and you’re Wonwoo, correct?”

“How do you know my name?”

“We’ve taken an interest in you, so it’s only proper we do our research. You’re strong, which explains how you handled the peacekeepers with ease. Very good.”

“What do you want from me?”

“That is something for you to discuss with another.”

“You mean the Maestro?”

“They’ve taken a special interest in you, yes.”

“Well I don’t care for that. I’m here for my friend.”

“You mean the girl? I assure you, she’s in good hands.”

“I doubt that if you went through the trouble of kidnapping her.”

“She came here on her own, just as everyone does.”

“Bullshit. Now tell me where she is.”

“Why don’t you tell me what happened when you held Joshua’s wand? How did you feel?”

“…”

Jun scoffed. “You only got a taste before you were so rudely interrupted. Would you like to experience that again? To know what’s going on here. The answers might just lead you to your friend.”

As Wonwoo contemplated everything a handful of peacekeepers and robots surrounded him. Jun ordered everyone to stay away from Wonwoo, having the robots take Vernon away.

“The boy will be fine.” Jun assured. “What’s your choice then? Shall you come willingly or do you have to be restrained?”

“Who will I be meeting?”

“Escort our new friend Wonwoo here to the fifteenth floor. Oh, and Wonwoo, I recommend you don’t try anything funny.”

Wonwoo allowed the peacekeepers and robots to lead the way, having them before and behind him. Jun watched him go, struggling to keep his own composure. He stumbled when he took a step back, nearly falling to the ground only to be caught by a friend.

“Seokmin.” Jun smiled. “Hi.”

“Funny, just wait until Seungcheol sees you.”

“Don’t get me started. Just take me to his shop.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

By the time the doors opened Mingyu had put on the mask, dressed as a peacekeeper to hopefully help him hide. Yet he was met with emptiness. He stared down a gray hallway, dim lights illuminating his path. From what Vernon had said this place held a lot of power, yet he saw none of it. Perhaps it was some diversion so people avoided the floor. He checked his phone, and it told him to proceed, so he did. At the end of the hall he was met with a door. It seemed to be locked, but Vernon had already accounted for that, so when he held his phone near the door it unlocked. He slowly opened it and stepped through. Now he understood the major power report.

The silence of the empty hall was suddenly filled with the hums of machines. Rows upon rows of servers were at either side, but before him stood the real source. A set up with multiple monitors showed him live camera footage from multiple floors. Moreso a bunch of offline robots stood around the monitor set up, creating a daunting warning. Still, Mingyu ignored it all, taking off the mask and approaching the computer. He should be going off to the next elevator, but if he could find you on the cameras then he’d really know where to go and not need to chase after a ghost. He sifted through the cameras, but there was no sign of you, and none seemed to be the seventeenth floor.

“You were never in control, you know.”

Mingyu turned around to discover he was no longer alone. A familiar face stood before him, the director from the show, Seungkwan.

“You’ve come quite far. I doubt I can convince you to stop here.”

“Where is she?”

“In good hands.”

“I doubt that. Just give her back, and I’ll be on my way.”

“That’s not gonna happen. In fact, I’m still very upset about what you did to Joshua.”

“I’m not.”

“Good. I won’t feel bad watching you suffer.”

Seungkwan snapped his fingers, the robots around starting to come to life. Mingyu knew his only option now was to run, so he did just that. He followed the guide, moving as fast as he could to the elevator. He hurriedly pressed the call button until the doors opened. Once inside he repeatedly pressed the button for fourteen, but the doors didn’t close. Something was probably wrong with this elevator too, so he pressed the button for thirteen and he watched the doors close as the robots charged at him. Once again he let out a breath in relief. At least now he was following the original plan, and knew he was one step closer to the Maestro, and you.

It was quiet and empty again when the doors opened, and Mingyu didn’t hesitate to step out. From what he could see the last elevator was behind the theater itself. So he made his way down the aisle towards the stage, not caring to try and hide his face with a mask. There seemed to be no one else around, yet as he stepped up to the stage he heard the sound of a spotlight turning on, except it wasn’t at him. He stopped, feeling the eerie sense that he was no longer alone. When Mingyu turned around he saw the light pointed at another in the aisle, closer to the door. A moment ago he had been alone, but now he wasn’t. Although what drew his attention the most was the wand in the other’s hand.

“You’re not supposed to be here.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

Vernon groaned as he regained consciousness, feeling the ache from that sucker punch. He was quick to realize he was tied up, hands behind his back and legs stuck together. He was propped up against a wall, but nothing around him seemed familiar. At least this wasn’t a place he had been to before, but all the cables and random tech pieces scattered around was certainly unexpected. A robo-dog suddenly came up to him, getting real close and staring at him, sending a chill down his spine.

“You know they’re harmless.”

Vernon’s gaze snapped away from the robot, looking for the source of the voice. His eyes soon landed on this guy walking towards the computer set up and taking a seat.

“You have potential, I’ll admit that. Figured out a way in here. It was fun to watch.”

“Wait, you knew we were here?”

“From the beginning. Don’t be so surprised though, I keep watch over this whole territory with my dogs. Although Seungkwan is internal security.”

“So you’re the one running the grid here? You reprogrammed the dogs to work for you?”

“Bingo. So tell me, you really broke into this place for some girl?”

“Where is she?”

“She’s fine, and well taken care of, I promise.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You don’t have to, but it’s true. The name’s Dino by the way.”

“I don’t care.”

“Yet I do. Vernon, a freelance technician, making money doing all kinds of legal and illegal things. Would be a shame if someone reported you.”

“Is that a threat?”

“You’d think, but not really. Why do you even do what you do, hm? Just to make some money and pay the bills? You could do so much better with your talents.”

“Why do you care?”

“You hacked into Jun’s little escort pretty fast and bypassed safety parameters so they’d attack a person. Then again those safety parameters were already diminished.”

“Let me guess, your doing?”

“No, no, my dogs and I run surveillance. The big clunky robots are Seungcheol’s department. He’s looking forward to meeting you, but he needs to attend to Jun first.”

“That guy does need a doctor.”

“Seungcheol works with robots, not people.”

“Wait, you mean-”

“Gotcha, didn’t I?” Dino giggled. “Jun’s a cyborg. He’s got a few mechanical parts here and there. You might have realized it if you kept snooping around, but you didn’t. It wouldn’t be easy to hack into his mechanical parts anyway. So just relax, the hyungs want to talk to you.”

“Talk to me about what?”

“An opportunity. You’re good, but you could be better.”

“I don’t want to join your little gang here.”

“You say that now, but you don’t know anything.”

“I know you kidnapped my friend, and are doing who knows what to the people you lure here.”

“Yeah, you don’t know anything. It’s always difficult to make people understand when they can’t hear the music. Maybe that’ll change soon.” Dino sighed. “Let’s go see the hyungs.”

Dino got up and grabbed something from a drawer just out of view. Vernon tried to see what he was doing, but he didn’t need to wait long.

“Behave.”

Dino walked back to Vernon with a metal collar, and leash in hand, a big grin on his face. Vernon tried to move away, but his restraints limited his motion. He wound up falling onto his side, getting a laugh out of Dino. The boy merely knelt down and grabbed a fistful of Vernon’s hair, pulling his head up to expose his neck so the collar could snap into place. He loosened the rope around his legs a bit so he could walk, and then attached the leash to the collar and helped Vernon to his feet.

“This is gonna be fun.”

Vernon followed alongside Dino, the boy holding the leash very close so he basically had to walk while hunched over. They went to a nearby elevator, and once inside Vernon noted they were on the eighth floor, and that this elevator apparently went all the way to the top.

“I know what you’re thinking. You never really hacked into our systems, we just let you see what we wanted. Besides, it was fun watching you all run around. Don’t worry we’re just going up one floor.”

With his hands behind his back any sort of action was limited, and he couldn’t even run in this state. When the doors opened Dino led him out, going down a plain hall. The floor seemed rather empty until they went through some double doors, revealing a whole workshop. Robots were all over the place, some just standing guard and others working on things. A few spare parts were lying around as well, but his focus was soon pulled to a table. The boy from before, who he now knew to be Jun, was sitting on it, a bunch of wires sticking out of his arm. There was another person next to him, looking at some monitors. Jun’s eyes were glowing blue, fading and growing bright, when he saw Vernon he smirked.

“Guess you’re not dead.”

“You weren’t trying to kill him, were you?” Dino questioned.

“Maybe. Although I bet Seungcheol wants to kill him.”

“Do not start, Junhui!” 

One of the others in the room snapped at Jun, which he presumed to be Seungcheol. The boy was pointing and yelling about Jun’s careless behavior. Jun seemed to be amused, although Vernon noticed the rest of the robots around were mimicking Seungcheol. It was strange and concerning, but he didn’t know what was happening.

“Do you have any idea how long it’s gonna take to repair those robots?” Seungcheol mentioned. “Days, Jun, days!”

“Don’t forget some were Seokmin’s designs.” Dino added. “So you’re not the only one who got screwed over.”

“You’re not helping!” Jun hissed. 

“Just saying. Also, hyung, you might wanna take a moment.”

Seungcheol looked over at Dino with a questioning look and the boy just gestured to their surroundings. That’s when Seungcheol noticed all the robots around moving as he did. He sighed and took a breath, and then the robots returned to their original task. Vernon still had no idea what had just happened.

“Why’d you bring that dog up here anyway?” The other in the room asked. “Do I get to hit him this time?”

“That’s enough, Seokmin.” Seungcheol cut in. “Just focus on Jun.”

“I know, I know.”

“You. Vernon, isn’t it? What are you doing here?”

“Don’t you know?”

“I have an idea, but I don’t know if that’s the truth. Answer me honestly and I’ll get the maknae to give you back your dignity and get that collar off.”

“What have you done with her?”

“That’s not the answer I was looking for.”

Seungcheol came over and grabbed the leash, pulling on it and making Vernon fall to his knees. After a moment Seungcheol knelt down and grabbed the boy’s chin, forcing their eyes to meet. It was quiet for a moment, and Vernon could feel his resolve melting.

“You’re being a waste of talent. I admire you care so much for this girl, but have you stopped to realize that you’re probably not leaving this building ever again.”

“You gonna lock me up?”

“You wouldn’t be the first, but the circumstances would be different. Wanna try again to answer my question?”

“I’m here for my friend, is that good enough for you?”

“I suppose.”

Seungcheol got the collar off, returning it and the leash to Dino. He then helped Vernon get up, but the ropes would remain. He returned to Jun’s side, looking over the readings as Seokmin continued to examine the boy. The silence was awkward, but Vernon wasn’t done with the conversation.

“How… how is it that you run the CCTV here, that you have access to the robo-dogs and some robots as well. Your whole operation should have been shut down ages ago, yet here you are. I guess the better question is why.”

“Do you really wanna know?”

“Are you gonna answer me?”

Seokmin chuckled. “We’re gonna change the world.”

“What?”

“Those in power won’t ever do anything that goes against the status quo. So we must do it ourselves.”

“Are you insane!? What reason-”

“Reason?” Seunghceol questioned. “Look at the world around you, do you think it’s fair as it is now? That it doesn’t require change?”

“So you’re gonna start a revolution by hacking into robots and killing anyone who gets in your way? Is that your great plan?”

“You’re not thinking big enough. Robots aren’t completely reliable, but human connection is.  All we have to do is reach those in power, and we’ll make them understand.”

“Ah, you mean the music, don’t you?”

“I see you’re not just savvy with technology. You were present for a show earlier today, so I suppose you do understand what we’re doing here.”

“You mean brainwashing people? Like you said, I was at your show, and I’m not under your control, am I? Your music is shitty.”

“Don’t insult the Maestro. The fact their music can enthrall people is reason enough for you to worry, isn’t it? There are already people out there who understand us, just like the peacekeepers we have here. After all, how do you think your friend came to our theater?”

“Leave her out of your plans!”

“She’s here of her own will, and she’s helping us. Soon enough our music will reach more people, especially the difficult ones such as yourself.”

“I guess you can’t hear how crazy you sound since you’re brainwashed yourself!”

“Unfortunately those of us here can’t truly understand the Maestro’s work. The melody is beautiful but I can’t truly feel its power. Only the Maestro and the conductors can, and our guests at the theater. One day though, we’ll all be on the same page.”

“You’re all crazy.”

“I think you’d be a great addition to our team, truly. Although the choice is ultimately yours. We can always place you in a cell on the fifth floor until the time comes. I’m certain your other friend, Wonwoo, will join us though.”

“The fuck are you talking about?”

“That depends, do you care to know more? Or can Jun knock you out again?”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

The elevator ride was crowded for Wonwoo, completely surrounded on all sides. He wasn’t going to try anything, and even if he did he’d surely get pinned. Vernon said only certain elevators went to certain floors, yet the one he was taken to had access to all floors, even the sub-levels. Something else was definitely going on here. When the doors opened there was an empty hallway before him. Those in front of him stepped out and then he did so. Although once out the others returned to the elevator and left, leaving him alone.

For a moment he thought to press the elevator button again, getting himself up to the seventeenth floor, but his own curiosity was winning out. At the end of the hall there was a door, and he could feel something on the other side calling to him. Without realizing he was walking down the hall, reaching for the doorknob and opening it. A blinding white light overtook his vision, his senses needing a moment to adjust. He stepped through, surrounded by technology and machines he didn’t quite understand. It seemed he was alone, until a familiar voice broke through the silence.

“I’m glad to see you came back.”

“You… I… are you alright…? Before when we-”

“I’m fine.” Joshua assured. “What happened back then wasn’t your fault. Honestly, it was surprising for us too.”

“What… what did happen? You were screaming and-”

“It’s complicated. I’m sure you have many questions, and I will do my best to answer them.”

“… where’s y/n?”

“Ah, the girl. She’s alright.”

“Why… why did you bring her here?”

“She came on her own, as do all the guests at our theater.”

“I know that’s a lie. I saw robots escorting her here. The music you play has a certain effect on people. You turned the other guests against us at the show before. That’s what you did to her to lure her in, isn’t it?”

“You really want to talk about her?”

“She’s the real reason I’m here.”

“Then why didn’t you go up to the seventeenth floor? Not that you could, but you didn’t even try. You can ask anything and you want to ask about her?”

“Why are you so reluctant to tell me? Why not just take me to her and let me ask her if everything you’ve said is true.”

“She’s unavailable at the moment, but if you want to talk about her, then there are other things that need to be discussed first.”

“Which are?”

“You, for starters. Tell me, when you grabbed my wand.” Joshua pulled his wand out of his sleeve. “How did you feel?”

Wonwoo couldn’t help but stare. The feeling from before was starting to creep back up. He had no idea what it was, let alone explain it.

“… energy… whatever it was… it was alive… it was coming to me… and it didn’t hurt… it was… intoxicating… it was power…”

“It was music, the power of music, specifically the Maestro’s music. The conductors perform it and the effects remain. I’m sure you felt it.”

“The music is dangerous. What you did to those people, to y/n-”

“Creating connection and understanding. Those who truly listen to the music find happiness and purpose. You could feel it, couldn’t you? A sense of peace.”

“More like a high. All those people were at your mercy.”

“We have no ill intentions here. We’re just trying to change the world for the better. You’ve seen some of our recruits, I was quite impressed to see you take on that many peacekeepers all alone.”

“So that’s why they were here. How many people have you… recruited?”

“Many, hard to keep track of. The Maestro’s music is unique in its abilities, but it cannot reach everyone, not yet that is.”

“So what do I have to do with this? What of y/n?”

“You could understand the music, feel its power, like myself. It means you’re special. Only the Maestro’s conductors can listen to the music and perform it. The Maestro themself is focusing on creating new compositions to bring more people in, so we conductors lead the show. You have the potential to be one, a conductor that is.”

“Me?”

“Only a conductor feels the power of the music. The wand is a means of commanding that power, and you felt that when you held mine. You could have your own. A few upgrades and some practice and you could do your own show.”

“Why would I join you?”

“The question is why wouldn’t you? Like you said, that power was intoxicating. You’ll never get another taste otherwise. Besides, your friend is with us now. You can speak with her yourself later, but right now I need your answer.” Joshua held out his wand. “Will you be joining us?”

“What if I say no?”

“I doubt that’d be your answer, but if you truly refuse, you’ll be locked up. We can’t have you causing trouble and getting in our way. So, what will it be?”

“What happens after… if I say yes?”

“There’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?”

“… show me.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

“The name’s Minghao, shall we play?”

A moment ago Mingyu was staring down at someone who seemed to be a conductor, yet they weren’t on stage nor did they have an audience. It seemed like it would be a quick and easy fight, but as Mingyu took a step down everything seemed to change. The lights went out, covering him in darkness. A moment later red lights began to shine, and a light from below illuminated the conductor. Instead of a wand he had a violin, and the red lights were emanating from it as he played. Although there wasn’t any sound, at least not at first. Minghao smiled and continued his song, then a moment later Mingyu heard an ear-piercing screech.

He yelled and covered his ears, falling to his knees. He took in a deep breath, trying to adjust to the sound, but that wasn’t his only problem. Out of the corner of his eye he could see robots entering the theater, and he knew what the outcome would be if he got caught. He needed to think fast, and figure out a way out of this. His eyes landed on the mask he had dropped, the peacekeeper one. Perhaps that could help him. He reached for it and slipped it on, trying to figure it out while the screeching continued. The system wasn’t too complicated and he managed to adjust the hearing and block out the Minghao’s song. He could only rest for a moment as the robots were closing in.

Mingyu jumped into the nearest row to avoid getting grabbed. He would have bolted straight to Minghao, but a few robots would stop him. He needed to figure something else out, although he stumbled in his steps when Minghao changed his tune and he heard the screeching again. He had to fumbled around with the mask controls again so he wouldn’t be incapacitated.  Once he was good he looked over to see Minghao wasn’t even watching him, but more focused on the music, clearly not affected by the melody the same way he was. He continued to move around and avoid the robots, trying to think of a plan. He looked at the settings on the mask to see if anything was helpful.

Besides the night vision there didn’t seem to be anything else the mask could do. Although he soon discovered he could control something else with the mask. All peacekeepers kept a baton with them, something he had taken as well. One would think it was normal, but from what Mingyu was seeing it had a stun option. He put the electricity to the highest voltage it could go and then activated. Surely with a weapon like this he could deal with the robots and get to the conductor. He didn’t approach any of the robots, wanting them to come to him so he could strike the best he could.

He was nervous with the first robot, knowing very well if this failed he was screwed. The first swing made contact with the robot’s head, causing an explosion of sparks, and the robot was knocked down. It seized and certain parts were shooting out sparks, but it seemed to be down for the count. Mingyu was satisfied with his new weapon, not afraid to take on the rest of the robots around him. He didn’t want to get cornered so he continued to move around, trying to get closer to Minghao while taking down robots and making sure the music didn’t throw him off. At one point he came face to face with two of the machines and stung at the closest one. Although his baton went right through it and the robot itself disappeared.

The moment of confusion cause him to let his guard down and the other robot, which was real, managed to grab him. He struggled in their grasp, managing to press the baton against its torso and get free. Now he had a new problem, not all the robots around him were real, and he had no way to tell them apart. His eyes focused on Minghao, starting to realize the music wasn’t just to mess with him and control the robots, but possibly causing these hallucinations as well. The only way to end all this was to take him down. Mingyu took in his surroundings, planning out the best route and executing it. 

He dodged as many robots as he could, and took down those in his way, reaching Minghao and tackling him to the ground. The other had realized too late that Mingyu had gotten close, getting pinned to the ground. The moment the music stopped everything changed. The theater was no longer pitch black, and there was no violin. Minghao was holding his wand and glaring up at Mingyu while he tried to free himself. Although Mingyu had a goal in mind, keeping Minghao pinned as he snatched the wand out of the other’s hand, taking off his mask.

“Let’s see if the same trick works twice.”

Mingyu snapped the wand in half, causing Minghao to scream in agony. Mingyu had no idea why that was the reaction, but he didn’t care for it. He threw the pieces to the side and made his way back to the stage. The lights suddenly went out again and he stopped, Minghao’s screams fading away. He looked back to see something glowing in the darkness, but the sound of the stage lights turning on caught his attention. He went up to the stage, seeing it was illuminated, and that someone was present. This new conductor took a bow, and then he found himself yanked up into the air by some unseen force.

“Welcome to the stage.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

“… where am I…?”

As you regained your senses once more you realized your environment had changed again. You were no longer in the theater, but a much brighter place. Different types of machines surrounded you, and you were sitting on some sort of examination table. You carefully got off, needing a moment for your legs to adjust. You tried to remember how you got here, but it was all a blur and thinking about it gave you a headache. Regardless of what you remembered, you knew that you needed to leave. You began walking around, looking for an exit. You thought you were alone until a rather familiar voice startled you.

“Welcome.”

You jumped and looked back at the source, seeing a boy with white hair, the one from the theater. They offered you a smile and bow, the same glowing wand in hand. You swear a moment ago there had been no one else present, and yet suddenly he was here.

“… hello…”

“Apologies for skipping parts, but I’ll introduce myself now. My name is Hoshi, welcome to the Metronome Theater.”

“… how did I even get to the theater? I was working and then…”

“We had some of our robots escort you here. The Maestro is eager to meet you.”

“The Maestro? Who’s that? Why… why me…?”

“You’ve heard them play the piano before, haven’t you?”

“… piano… you mean that was coming from here?”

“Yes. Not many can hear the Maestro play the piano, which is why they brought you here.”

“I don’t understand…”

“I assure you there’s nothing to be afraid of. Come, they’re waiting for you.”

Hoshi gestured for you to follow them, and you hesitantly took a step forward. You should have asked to leave, yet those words never came from your mouth. You were more curious about this Maestro and the piano you had heard. Many times when you told the others they had no idea what you were talking about, and this was proof you weren’t hearing things. So you followed Hoshi, wanting to know more. You came over to an elevator, stepping inside and seeing the button for seventeen light up. Hoshi merely smiled at you.

“You… you said not many can hear the piano… who else can hear it?”

“As far as we know, it’s just you and me.”

“You hear the piano too?”

“I’ve been the only one for a long time. It’s why the Maestro was so eager to meet you.”

“But how did you find me?”

“We have eyes and ears everywhere.”

“But down in the theater… what happened?”

“I assure you the Maestro will explain this all to you.”

When the elevator doors opened Hoshi gestured for you to step out, and then led you down another hall. You came to some double doors and then they opened on their own inviting you in. The room was grand, and quite empty, with no real furniture around, but what stood out was the piano. A gentleman was playing, the melody instantly captivating you. Your feet moved on their own, walking closer and closer to the piano, only stopping when the music did too. The gentleman stood up, greeting you with a smile.

“Hello, I’m the Maestro of the theater, but you may call me Woozi.”

“It’s… it’s a pleasure to meet you…”

“Likewise. I’ve been looking for someone like you for a long time.”

“Like me?”

“You’re very special my dear, come, would you like me to play for you?”

Woozi came over to you and took your hand, leading you over to the piano. He had you sit, taking a seat next to you. He let you run your fingers along the keys before he started playing. There was something incredible about hearing the music so up close and personal. Your body swayed from side to side a bit, watching his fingers work. Occasionally Woozi would glance your way, able to play without fully seeing the keys. You didn’t know how much time passed as you listened to the beautiful melody, but it was suddenly rudely interrupted.

A screeching, feedback loop, type sound snapped you out of your daze, causing you to place your hands over your ears. You screamed, doubling over and falling to the ground. Despite the pain you became aware of something else, feeling this small metal disc against your head, and ripping it off. The pain immediately began to subside, allowing you to breathe. Although you couldn’t say the same for the other. Woozi was still in pain, stumbling around but ultimately falling to his knees.

“Hoshi! Find Joshua, now!”

A moment later Woozi seemed to calm down, getting back on his feet. You on the other hand remained where you were, unsure of what had just happened. When Woozi noticed you he put on a smile and made his way over, although you crawled back and he stopped.

“You have nothing to be afraid of. Are you alright?”

“What just happened… who are you… what’s going on…?”

“Take it easy. I can explain everything.”

Woozi reached out his hand to help you up, but you were reluctant to take it. He seemed to understand and knelt down, grabbing the little disc off the floor. He examined it before reaching over to put it back on your head but you swatted his hand away.

“What are you doing?”

“Truth is, I need your help, y/n.”

“Me? For what?”

“To change the world, to save it.”

“What?”

“There’s no music out there, no passion, no joy… I want to change that.”

“How?”

“Maestro.”

Hoshi interrupted, seeming to have appeared from nowhere. Woozi gave you a smile and went over to the other.

“What happened?”

“Some intruders in the theater rushed the stage and broke Joshua’s wand. He’s stable now and is being taken to the medical floor. As for the intruders, they’ve been thrown out, and the theater is currently locked down.”

“Good. Keep an eye on the situation.”

Woozi dismissed Hoshi and turned his attention back towards you. Before you could say or do anything you heard the sounds of a piano, a recording that is. You began to feel at ease, the melody washing away your tension and worries. Woozi came to your side, placing the disc back on your head and you felt a little spark of electricity coarse through you. Then he helped you to your feet and brought you back over to the piano.

“As I was saying before, my music is special, able to reach a person in a way nothing else can.” The music stopped, giving you a moment to regain your senses. “But it can’t reach everyone, not yet that is.”

“What did you do to me…”

“It’s rather difficult to explain, but my musical composition is able to lull people into a sort of trance, like putting them under a spell. Although it doesn’t work on everyone.”

“I… I still don’t understand what this has to do with me…”

“The piano is one of my greatest instruments. Yet for the longest of time it seemed that no one could truly hear the melody besides Hoshi, then you came along. I need your help in understanding what it is that draws you in. Specifically your brain waves, and how they react to my music.”

“Then… the device on my head…” You slowly reached up to it. “It’s monitoring my brain waves?”

“Recording them, yes, with your help I’ll be able to share my music with the world.”

“But if you’re… putting people… under your control then-”

“I don’t have any ill intentions. I just want to bring music back to the world, to bring peace.”

“… what if I refuse to help…”

“I’ll be honest, you don’t have a choice. You won’t find a way out of this theater, and as you know my music can start playing at any moment. Many of the robots and robo-dogs have been modified with speakers. You can’t escape.”

“… oh…”

“I want your help willingly, but I won’t let you leave either.”

“I understand…”

“You don’t have to be mentally present if you don’t want to.”

“I’m sure things will be better if I am. I also want to know what’s truly going on.”

“Thank you.” Woozi took your hand and kissed it. “I’ll continue playing now.”

There was still a lot on your mind. You were worried about your friends, but Woozi made it very clear you were stuck here, at least for the time being. Of course all your concerns were washed away when the music started playing. You were helpless to resist, finding yourself on cloud nine while you listened, the time passing by without meaning. When you finally had a chance to regain your senses you found yourself alone at the piano. You could vaguely make out voices around you, but you were focusing on getting your head on straight.

“Dino is monitoring the situation.”

“Thank you, Hoshi.”

Once your head wasn’t spinning you got up, looking over to see Woozi by himself. You swore you heard Hoshi before, but it was just the two of you in the room.

“You back with us?” Woozi questioned. “How about a tour? The others would like to meet you.”

“Others?”

“I don’t do this alone.”

Woozi hooked his arm around yours and led you back the way you came, or at least that’s what you thought, there was no way to tell. You came to an elevator, Woozi hitting the button for the eighth floor. It was a quick trip and once you arrived Woozi led you down a hall. You came to a huge room full of monitors, seeing the outside world, some still images and others in motion. There was a gentleman at a desk, browsing through some of the screens, but upon hearing you two he stood up to greet you.

“Maestro, what brings you down here? I see you have a friend.”

“This is the girl I was telling you all about. Y/n this is Dino, our eyes and ears.”

“Ah, nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

“So you… like, run security here?”

“No, that would be Seungkwan. I keep an eye on things outside the theater. I was the one who found you, fascinated by a piano that no one else could hear. I’m quite jealous, I’ve always wanted to hear the Maestro’s music.”

“It doesn’t affect you?”

“Unfortunately not, but you’ll be able to change that.”

“You really think so?”

“I believe so.”

“Hoshi told me what you were up to earlier.” Woozi mentioned. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes, although we might have some guests soon.”

“Prepare for them.”

“Will do.”

“Let’s go meet some of the others.” Woozi said. “Come now.”

You merely went up one more floor, to the ninth, coming to a much different area. There were parts and machinery all around, kinda like some workshop. Many robots were around as well, seeming to be working on different things. You were quite fascinated as this reminded you of home, and the mess of electronics Vernon always left lying around. There were two gentlemen in the room talking, but their conversation ceased when you two entered, both greeting Woozi.

“It’s nice to see you as well. This is y/n, our special guest, y/n, this is Seungcheol and Seungkwan.”

“Hello…”

“Seungcheol works with the robots we have here, and with Seungkwan, who is in charge of security here.”

“I… I think I saw Seungkwan earlier… at the theater.”

“Yes. I’m also the director. I hope you enjoyed the show.”

“I did. May I ask what goes on here? This is a shop, isn’t it?”

“It’s my shop.” Seungcheol explained. “I work on some robots, a bit of cosmetic work but mostly programming. I have an implant that connects me to the robots in our network which makes it easier to do my job.”

“So you build robots here? I thought only the government did that.”

“I don’t make them, just some modifications, but Seokmin does create some pretty unique robots. You’ll like his workshop.”

“Speaking of.” Woozi interrupted. “Why don’t we go see him.”

Another elevator trip, this time going up to the twelfth floor. Just as Seungcheol said, this place was another workshop, although there were far more robot pieces lying around. You thought maybe other robots would be around, but there were only a few. If you didn’t know any better you’d think the floor was abandoned, but Woozi led you through everything with purpose, knowing exactly where to go. It wasn’t long before you came across another person, another two. One was lying on a table, and the other at the side looking at a computer screen. Without saying anything the one at the computer stopped and looked back, smiling at Woozi.

“Maestro, what brings you here?”

Then the person lying on the table sat up, startling you a bit, but they quickly apologized. You assured them you were fine, and apologized yourself as you didn’t mean to intrude on whatever they were doing.

“So this must be the girl you mentioned before.”

“It is. Y/n, meet Seokmin, and Jun.”

“Hello…”

“You’re very pretty.” One commented. “I’m Seokmin, and this is my shop.”

“Yes, Seungcheol mentioned it to me, he said you build robots.”

“I do. The Maestro is kind enough to let my imagination run wild.”

“What do you make robots for?”

“No real reason at all, it’s just fun. Besides, my skill set is very helpful for Jun.”

“Jun? Why?”

“I have a few robotic parts myself.” Jun explained. “So that leaves Seokmin, and Seungcheol, as my doctors.”

“Oh, that’s interesting.”

“Just doing some routine maintenance now.”

“I never would have thought you were a cyborg.”

“My handsome face hides it well, right?”

“I worked on that face so I can take partial credit.” Seokmin joked. “I used myself as inspiration.”

“Oh shut up.”

“Since you two are busy, we’ll leave you then.” Woozi said. “Shall we.”

Everyone you had met so far was interesting, and it made you wonder how they all wound up here. Although now you were very curious about one in particular. So you decided to ask as you made your way to the next floor.

“May I ask something?”

“Hm?”

“What happened to Jun?”

“Peacekeepers. He stole something and they hunted him down, beat him to a pulp and left him for dead. It happened in my area, and I wasn’t just going to watch the boy die. My people brought him here and fixed him up. He had some severe wounds which required different treatment, with his consent of course.”

“So… those that are here… they know what you’re doing, right?”

“Of course.”

“And they’re okay with it? They’re on board?”

“Yes. They understand what I’m trying to do here and believe in my cause. They’re here to help me, and I appreciate them.”

“They’re here because they want to be, yet I can’t leave.”

Woozi chuckled. “You’re a special case.”

The doors opened and you arrived to the fifteenth floor, where you had originally woken up. It made you a bit nervous to be back here, but Woozi seemed calm as usual. Last time you were here it was quiet and felt abandoned, but now you could hear machines operating, and a few muffled voices here and there. It seemed that you were heading towards those voices as they got louder and louder. You came over to a group of people, seeing a gentleman lying in bed, two others at his side and Hoshi looking at the monitor.

“Maestro, you’re here.”

“How is he?”

“Stable and recovering.”

“And the rest of you?”

“Fine. Although we should be asking you. The sudden disruption-”

“I’m alright.”

“And her?”

All eyes suddenly turned to you, making you nervous. Although now that you had their attention you realized the gentleman dressed in black seemed familiar.

“I’m okay… but what… what are you talking about…?”

“I haven’t explained all that yet.” Woozi admitted. “We can do so now while you get examined.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You can have a seat over here.”

You were led over to one of the beds nearby, taking a seat and having Woozi remove that little chip on your head. While that happened the gentleman in black asked a question.

“Did you enjoy the show?”

“Ah, yes, it was lovely… uh… I hate to ask… but have we met before?”

“I would say so. I’m Jeonghan, I was the conductor for your show. This is Minghao, and our friend who is recovering is Joshua. You’ve met Hoshi, right?”

“I have. Then, are you all conductors?”

“We are.”

“So what happened to Joshua?”

“You felt it earlier.” Minghao commented. “That shrieking. Some bastard broke Joshua’s wand.”

“The conductor wand?”

“Yes. They’re much more than they seem.”

“But why would breaking that hurt him?”

“We’re all connected here.” Hoshi mentioned. “Through this neural network and the Maestro’s music. The conductor’s wand serves as a way to keep them connected, while also allowing them to access the true power of the music.”

“It’s more like it flows through us.” Jeonghan explained. “And we can manipulate it from there.”

“You mean control people.”

“One can do much more with lots of practice and patience.”

“Like what?”

“You’ll see.”

From what you could tell Woozi was downloading the contents from the chip, your brainwave readings. Your eyes lingered on Joshua as he laid in bed. You remembered the headache from before, so you couldn’t imagine what he had felt if he wound up unconscious. Although a moment later the boy jumped up from the bed, clearly panicked. The others held him down, hoping to keep him from hurting himself. Hoshi gently placed his hand behind Joshua’s head and the boy seemed to calm down.

“You’re alright.” Jeonghan assured. “The others are fixing your wand and Hoshi is keeping the connection stable.”

“Where are they…”

“Gone. So don’t worry about them.”

“They were looking for-”

“We know. You can say hello.”

“Huh?”

Jeonghan gestured over to you, and Joshua’s eyes followed, seeming to be surprised. He offered you a weak smile, trying to figure out some words.

“Hello… you doing okay?”

“Uh, yeah. Are you?”

“I’m fine. How do you feel though? How was the music?”

“Beautiful. It lingers in the back of my mind.”

“You should let me perform for you sometime.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“I’ll give you a show as well.” Minghao added. “So look forward to that too.”

“Alright. I will.”

“The data looks promising.” Woozi stated. “Shall we move on to the next phase?”

“Next phase? What’s that?”

“It will be much easier to monitor you when you’re directly connected to our network.”

“Wait, you want to put something in my head? Like an-”

“It won’t hurt at all. Honestly you’ll be-”

“No, no I said I’d help you with this but-”

“This is part of it.”

“But… I…”

Minghao came over to your side and held out his wand. You stared at it confused, not sure what he was implying.

“Since you’re the Maestro’s special girl, you’ll be able to feel the power before you’re fully connected. Go on, grab it, tell me how you feel.”

You hesitantly grabbed the wand, not feeling anything at first and then it slowly began to hit. You felt this warmth starting to grow inside you, to spread and open up your senses. The melody in the back of your mind was starting to become clearer and you could remember its beauty. Perhaps this feeling was like getting high, and you couldn’t help but giggle. Although the feeling didn’t last long as Minghao took the wand back, quickly leaving you feeling cold.

“Wait-”

“Sorry, but since you’re not in our network it’s dangerous for you to hold a wand for too long. But I’ll tell you this, that feeling will only be better once you join us.”

“This is all really starting to sound like a cult…”

Minghao chuckled. “If you want to see it that way, but the Maestro is right, we need you.”

“And I can’t refuse…”

“Do you want to? Leave that is. Do you think you could walk away now? You’d probably still hear the Maestro’s music playing out in the streets. Could you resist the urge to come back?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“I do.” Jeonghan admitted. “I tried walking away, but you can see how that turned out.”

“What… what’s gonna happen to me?”

“Right now I need to administer a sedative.” Woozi explained. “You need to be in a relaxed state both physically and mentally before we can begin the procedure. Then you’ll just sleep. When you wake, well, I can’t really describe the sensation since it’s always been with me. Although I’m sure one of my conductors can.”

“It feels like truly waking up.” Joshua recounted. “You realize that you were never actually awake until that moment. Your senses are heightened, and you can feel this energy in the air. The feeling only grows stronger when there’s music and it creates this harmony within you. It might not be easy to understand the Maestro’s music or intentions, but once you reach this deeper level of connection it all makes sense. You feel bits of it now, and that’s what draws people to the theater. It’s what ultimately brought you here.”

“Oh…”

“May we begin?” Woozi asked. “Or do you need a moment?”

“No… you can start.”

Woozi gave you a smile and stepped over to a table near the bed. He grabbed a needle and vial, filling the needle. You watched intently, starting to feel a bit nervous. He asked for your arm, which you gave, watching as he stuck the needle in you and emptied out its contents. Afterwards he had you lay down, telling you that you’d feel the effects soon.

“I’ll go get Seokmin, I’ll return shortly.”

Minghao offered to go with Woozi, needing to talk to him about something. Jeonghan took over from there, attaching some patches and wires to you. Hoshi came to the other side, looking over the monitor. All this was making you more uneasy.

“Wait… wait-”

You reached over to grab Hoshi’s arm, only for your hand to go right through him like he was some sort of ghost. You looked up at him with wide eyes, glancing at your hand as if something would change.

“… you… you’re not real…”

“I am.” Hoshi assured with a smile. “I’m just not physically here.”

“… what… what happened?” You asked. “I… I’ve been curious about you… with everything Woozi said…”

“Hm. Shall I tell you a story while you drift off?”

“Okay…”

Hoshi glanced back at the monitors, making sure everything was alright. Then you noticed a chair roll over to your bedside, Hoshi taking a seat. You knew he wasn’t physically present but he was trying to seem as normal as possible.

“I’ve known the Maestro since we were kids, we grew up together. He always had an affinity for music, and we’d do our best to scavenge for instruments or parts to make our own. Neither of us realized at first, but when he played, he drew me in. This energy surrounded him, making it seem like the world wasn’t such a bad place. Eventually the Maestro became aware of how I’d get when he played, he was worried but I assured him I was fine and wanted to hear more. That’s when he started performing for others. Many who heard his music had a smile on their face, and the world seemed like a better place. I believe he would have been content just playing on the streets for random strangers, but you know the city. One day peacekeepers came, and I couldn’t let the Maestro get hurt. I told him to run and I took the fall.”

“I was hurt badly and left for dead. When the Maestro found me again he feared he would lose me. Everything was hazy, but somehow the Maestro got help, and that’s how he met Seokmin. They stabilized me, but I wasn’t exactly conscious. I wasn’t very responsive, but apparently I still reacted to the Maestro’s music. It gave him hope, and so they tried something else to help me. The Maestro met Seokmin’s friends, Seungcheol and Dino, and they put something in my head, letting me project my consciousness outside my body. The guys did a bit of adjustments and here I am.”

Despite everything you had been told you couldn’t help but reach up, wanting to touch Hoshi’s face, but once again your hand just went through him. Hoshi chuckled, giving you an amused look.

“Sorry.”

“… where… where is your body?”

“Somewhere in this building.”

“… are you okay?”

“Yeah. It’s been a while but I’m making progress. I’ll be up on my feet soon.”

“Woozi really cares about you…”

“He does.”

“Because… your situation… is that why he needs me?”

“Yes. Although I know you would have come here eventually. The music is so beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…”

“You should close your eyes and sleep. I’ll have a surprise for you when you wake up.”

A small smile appeared on your lips, and you gave a little nod. It was already a bit of a struggle to stay awake, so you closed your eyes and let yourself sink into the darkness. You were still nervous, not knowing what would happen, but by now it was far too late to object.

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

“If I agree… do I get to see y/n?”

“That could be arranged.”

“Fine. I’ll see what’s going on with your cult.”

“Not a cult but-”

Seungcheol groaned and grabbed his head, falling to his knees. Jun also screamed and fell back on the table, thrashing around a bit. Even the other two seemed to be suffering from some sudden headache. Vernon was left unaffected, and he had seen this scene before, back at the theater. Although he had no idea what was going on. He thought to use this chance to get out of his restraints and try to escape, but Dino wasn’t affected as badly, so he knocked Vernon down to the ground. A moment later it seemed the headaches had passed, and they were all recovering.

“I should probably go check on our guest after this.” Seokmin commented. “Take care of Jun.”

“Yeah. We’ll follow shortly.” Seungcheol assured.

“Wait, guest?” Vernon questioned. “You mean y/n?”

“Maybe.”

Seungcheol checked in on Jun, seeing the boy was just catching his breath. He looked over his vitals again, assuring the boy he was fine. They all were.

“What happened to you all just now?”

“It’s complicated, but we’re fine.”

“Are you? I saw this before with Joshua, the conductor, when his wand broke. Why the hell does that hurt, why does it hurt all of you?”

“We’re connected.” Seungcheol admitted. “And you’ve been interfering with it, but if you’re truly on our side, you won’t be a problem anymore. I can’t say the same for your friend.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We’ll see.”

Vernon was still uncertain about everything, but he knew he had to go along with this to see you. By now his own personal curiosity had also taken hold and he wanted to know what was really going on in this theater.

“Our presence is requested at the theater. Let’s go.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

Wonwoo felt the pull of the wand, but despite Joshua holding it out for him, he was not allowed to touch it. There was some disappointment, but he wasn’t going to voice that. He had made his choice, and he wanted to see what came of it. Joshua smiled, glad by his decision and then led the way further into the lab. Wonwoo followed, not sure if he should speak, although he soon rushed past his guide. He came to another room lined with beds and noticed one was occupied, seeing you. He ran over to the bedside, taking your hand and calling your name, but there was no response.

“What did you do to her!”

“She’s fine. She’s merely resting after the procedure.”

“What procedure? What are you talking about?”

“She chose to join us, and thus became part of our connection. It’s a painless procedure. One you’d surely participate in if you’re serious about your choice.”

“When will she wake?”

“Soon. Hoshi should be by momentarily to check on her.”

“Who?”

“You’ve seen him before.”

Wonwoo still didn’t really understand, but you were the bigger concern. He was mostly glad to have found you again, although this wasn’t the state he was hoping to see you in. A moment later he saw someone else approach the bed. He looked up to see another boy at your side, white hair, looking at the screens, and very familiar to Wonwoo.

“It’s you…”

“Hello. You won’t attack Joshua again, will you?”

“No… no… but you… how… how is she?”

“Stable. She took everything well, and should wake soon.”

“Are… are you the Maestro?”

“No, but I’m flattered. My name is Hoshi, and I’m the internal conductor.”

“Internal conductor?”

“The Maestro has a multitude of conductors to spread their music, but I do not leave the theater, and I keep everyone connected. I’m actually very glad to properly meet you. I have a proposal for you.”

“For me?”

“Yes. You have a strong connection to the Maestro’s music. You felt it during the show, moreso when you held Joshua’s wand. You have the potential to be a conductor, and your ideal physical state would make you a great one.”

“You want me to be a conductor?”

“You’ll come to truly understand what we do here, and wield power unlike anything you could imagine.”

“And why would I accept? You kidnapped my friend, and hurt the others.”

“I saw your little trio trespassing into the theater. We could have thrown you out, but we didn’t. In fact you would have come back on your own, the pull of the Maestro’s music is very strong. You came all the way here. Do you really think you can walk away now?”

“You-”

Wonwoo’s words were cut short as he heard a groan, looking over to see you moving and whimpering. He was excited to see you waking up, holding your hand tightly.

“Y/n, it’s me, can you hear me?”

It took a moment for your eyes to adjust to the light, but you thought you were dreaming when you saw Wonwoo. His familiar smile made you feel warm, and then you felt his hand, realizing this wasn’t a dream.

“Wonwoo… how…?”

“Hey, how are you feeling? Are you alright?”

“I… I’m fine… but… when did you… get here?”

“Your friends came looking for you.” Hoshi stated. “And I wanted to speak with Wonwoo.”

“Oh… is everything okay?”

“You tell me. How do you really feel?”

“I…”

Your senses were starting to come back to you, but it was certainly different this time. You could feel this energy in the air, but more importantly you could sense others. Joshua had this glow around him, as did Hoshi, but Wonwoo didn’t. You could sense the presence of the two, and then had a feeling in the back of your head of others close by. As you were lost in thought you saw Hoshi reach over to caress your cheek, and to your surprise you felt the warmth of his touch. You looked at him with wide eyes, reaching over to take his hand in yours. It didn’t feel like Wonwoo’s hand, but different. Almost like a ghost, just on the edge of physicality, like the flow of water or a cool breeze.

“How…?”

“You’re part of our network now, you’re connected to the rest of us so my essence is that much stronger for you to pick up on. Strong enough to be physical, even if just a bit.”

“It’s incredible.”

Wonwoo had been quietly watching the whole time, not really liking the situation. He reached over to move Hoshi’s hand, but he couldn’t touch the boy. His hand passed right through the other, confusing him as you appeared to be able to make contact.

“What is this…”

“Power.” You mumbled. “It’s in the air and everywhere. Only when you’re connected does it manifest into something more. Like the music. When you really listen to it, you open your eyes to a whole other world.”

“Very poetic.” Hoshi chuckled. “You’re very good with words.”

“I guess… but what did you want to talk to Wonwoo about?”

“The Maestro would like for him to be a conductor.”

“Really?”

“He has great potential.”

“That’s incredible Wonwoo.”

“I don’t know what any of this means, y/n.” Wonwoo reminded. “I only came here looking for you.”

“I’m sorry… I really wouldn’t have wanted to worry you, but things were out of my hands.”

“I’m sure they were, but we should get out of here.”

“I’m not leaving Wonwoo, I can’t.”

“What do you mean? What did they say to you?”

“They just told me about the Maestro, and what he’s doing. I want to help him.”

“You don’t know him.”

“Not truly, not yet, but I’ve seen enough to know that I want to help. There’s this energy, this warmth inside of me because of the Maestro and I know the world would be a better place if everyone could experience this. They’re not evil, Wonwoo. You should stay too actually. The things we could do.”

“I’m not so sure I understand what they’re talking about.”

“All the more reason to stay and find out. Together we-”

Your words were cut off as a searing pain overtook you. Wonwoo could only watch as you suddenly began to scream and thrash. He tried holding you down, hearing similar cries of anguish from Joshua. The boy had collapsed to the ground. Hoshi wasn’t as affected, seeming more irritated than anything else.

“What’s happening!?” Wonwoo yelled. “What did you do!?”

“It’s your friend who did this!”

Hoshi seemed to glitch out of existence, leaving Wonwoo alone to worry about you. He didn’t know what to do in order to help you, but the pain didn’t last too long. After a moment you seemed to calm down, although you were whimpering and seemed very out of it. Joshua stumbled to his feet, not in a good condition himself, but he was worried about you. He looked over at the machines, making sure all the readings were well.

“What happened?” Wonwoo asked again. “What was that?”

“Your friend broke another wand.”

“I don’t understand, will y/n be okay?”

“Yes. I’m sure Seokmin and Hoshi will be here any moment now.”

“Why are you on your feet?!”

Another boy suddenly came rushing into the room. He grabbed Joshua and sat him down on the nearest bed, getting him to lie down.

“I’m fine, Seokmin.”

“Sure you are. Not like you’re still recovering from the last incident.”

“I was checking on y/n.”

“I’ll do that, you just relax.”

Seokmin went over to the monitors, completely ignoring the other. A while later another rather familiar face showed up. The director, Seungkwan, came up, and Seokmin told him to look over Joshua. Wonwoo stayed quiet and watched Seokmin like a hawk, remaining silent until a needle was pulled out.

“What’s that for?”

“A minor sedative. She’s gonna need it in order to stabilize.”

“Where’s Hoshi?”

“Dealing with Minghao. I’m sure he’ll be back momentarily.”

“Are you sure she’ll be okay?”

“Have a little faith.”

It was good to see you at ease with the sedative. You weren’t unconscious, but you certainly weren’t all there. Wonwoo was glad to keep you company, listening to you tell him about the theater and the Maestro. He wasn’t sure if any of it was real, or just propaganda you had been fed. Still, he just wanted to make sure you were alright. Although you were asking him to stay, to take on the roll he had been offered, but it wasn’t that simple.

“You know Vernon and Mingyu are here too. We got separated and-”

“Vernon is with the others down on the ninth floor.” Seokmin interrupted. “As for Mingyu, who do you think is causing all this?”

“Oh…”

“He’s made it far enough.” Seungkwan added. “Jeonghan will deal with him.”

“Jeonghan?” You questioned. “What is he gonna do?”

“Nothing bad, I promise.”

“Let me talk to him. I can reason with Mingyu. He’s only here and causing trouble because he’s looking for me. Please.”

“Y/n.”

“I don’t want to be the reason something bad happens to anyone.”

“Let her.” Joshua cut in. “It would benefit all of us.”

“Fine. I’ll have the others gather around as well.”

“Where are you going?” Wonwoo asked. “Because I’m going with you.”

“To the grand theater on the thirteenth floor.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

“Put me down!” Mingyu screamed. “Now!”

“Why would I do that? You’ve been nothing but trouble.”

“You must be the Maestro then.”

“I’m honored, but no. My name is Jeonghan, the lead conductor. You should have stayed out, but you don’t seem all that bright. Since you didn’t learn from your past mistakes, I suppose it’s only fair to teach you properly.” 

Jeonghan got into place, as if he was performing, but there was no audience, and no orchestra. He didn’t need that.

“I’ve always wanted to perform this piece. I hope you like it.”

Jeonghan took a breath and closed his eyes, beginning his performance. It seemed rather funny at first, to see him leading the air, but then Mingyu began to hear it. A slow and steady rhythm slowly becoming audible. Mingyu had an idea as to where this was going, but before he could get the mask back on it was ripped from his hands and fell off stage into darkness. In a matter of seconds the music was loud and clear, but it wasn’t this shrieking sound. Instead it felt like this pressure in his head. Mingyu screamed, there was nothing he could do to make this pain go away. The pressure was gradually increasing so it was only a matter of time before he passed out. He had to do something.

With the bits of conscious thought he had left he tried to come up with a plan. Jeonghan was engrossed in his performance, eyes closed and moving with such fluidity. The only thing Mingyu had was the stun baton. He had one shot to use it, and if he failed it’d be all over. He focused on his plan, getting the baton and figuring out how to throw it before electrifying it. The task was complicated, but he didn’t have much time, so he took his shot. He aimed for the chest and electrified the baton, throwing it with all the strength he had. The pain grew worse so he couldn’t see the outcome, but hearing a scream and falling to the floor was answer enough.

Mingyu groaned from the impact, but he forced himself up. He stumbled as his body was aching and he had yet to properly regain his senses. Still he managed to get to Jeonghan, ripping the wand from his hand. Although before he could do anything Jeonghan had gotten the stun baton and hit Mingyu with it. Now the two were down and recovering from being electrocuted. The wand fell from Mingyu’s hand and rolled away, at least it couldn’t be used against him for the moment. Since Jeonghan had been hit first, he recovered before Mingyu, managing to get back on his feet. He held his hand out and Mingyu watched as the wand returned to him.

“Clever. Maybe you’re not all that dumb, but your game ends here.”

Jeonghan walked over to Mingyu, staring down at him before placing a foot on his chest. He put pressure and watched as Mingyu squirmed, attempting to get him off. When he managed to get some movement he used it to get out from under Jeonghan, rolling away and getting onto one knee. Before he did anything else he heard another voice and looked over to see that at the other end of the stage there was a boy with white hair, and a glowing wand in his hand. The same boy he had seen before.

“Enough.”

“I had this under control.” Jeonghan stated. “I didn’t require assistance.”

“That’s not why I’m here.”

“You must be the Maestro.” Mingyu breathed out. “What took you so long?”

“I’m not the Maestro, but I was sent here on their behalf. You’re not worth their time, but we’ve all had enough of you hurting us. Jeonghan.”

“I know.”

Before Mingyu realized it he was back in the air again, although not so high off the ground this time. The white haired boy walked over to him, glaring.

“Hoshi, stop!”

Despite your state you rushed onto the stage and grabbed Hoshi. Your hand slipped through him a bit, but he still moved because of your touch. His gaze shifted to you and softened. He wouldn’t act for now, you trusted that. Wonwoo stayed behind with Seungkwan, watching.

“Y/n, are you okay!?” Mingyu asked. “Did they hurt you!?”

“I’m fine. Can you put him down?” You asked Jeonghan. “Please.”

“I don’t believe that’s a good idea.”

“Jeonghan.”

“Do it.” Hoshi said. “We outnumber him anyway.”

Mingyu was gently let down, and as soon as his feet hit the ground he stepped towards you and pulled you into a hug. You were a bit amused by his actions, but didn’t mind. You hugged him back, assuring him you were alright.

“Everything’s okay. I’m sorry I made you worry.”

“I know it’s not your fault. I’m just glad you’re okay. Let’s go now.”

Mingyu took your hand and started pulling you along to step off the stage but Jeonghan got in his way.

“You’re not leaving.”

“Get out of my way.”

“Mingyu, please don’t fight. Look, I don’t want to leave this place, I’m not going to leave.”

“What?”

“I know things didn’t go so well at first, but they’re not bad people.”

“They kidnapped you.”

“Not really. I came here because of the piano, because of the Maestro, and-”

“I know what their music does to people, and it’s clear you’ve been affected.”

“It’s more complicated than that.” Wonwoo cut in. “She’s made it very clear she’s not gonna leave.”

“So then you’re gonna stay with her? We were attacked by peacekeepers and robots, not to mention Vernon is still missing.”

“Not anymore.”

Wonwoo gestured out to the crowd as he saw the doors open. Vernon and a few others entered the theater. As soon as Vernon saw you he ran up to the stage, no longer restrained in any way. He came to you and embraced you in a hug. The trio that escorted him up remained out in the aisles, watching.

“They didn’t hurt you or anything, right?”

“No, not at all.”

“Good. So we can leave now?”

“Apparently not.” Mingyu stated. “She doesn’t want to leave. The music has gotten to her head.”

“Y/n, this place-”

“I’m not brainwashed or anything! Woozi told me what he’s doing here, and what I can do to help. So I’m not leaving. I’ve already explained some things to Wonwoo. You don’t have to leave either, you guys can help too.”

“I’ve already heard the story.” Vernon mentioned. “I’m not sure I’m on board. Being involved with a revolution, we’re practically signing our death certificates.”

“A revolution?” Mingyu questioned. “Is that what these nutjobs think they’re doing?”

“They’re not crazy.” You countered. “I know what they’re doing, and I know it’s gonna work. Woozi just needs my help so his music can reach everyone, including you guys.”

“I’m not gonna leave you here to be a pawn in their game. If they want to start a revolution, they can try, but none of us are taking part in it. Wonwoo, tell her this is crazy.”

“I don’t know…”

“So they got to you too. Vernon?”

“They’re kinda scary with the tech they got here…”

Mingyu scoffed. “I cannot believe you two. Are you seriously considering this?”

“I’m not so sure we have much of a choice anymore…”

“Then I’ll leave on my own.”

It really felt like this whole thing was all for nothing, but Mingyu wasn’t going to stay where he wasn’t wanted. Although Jeonghan stayed where he was.

“Move.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Jeonghan, just let him go.” You said. “I’m not gonna make anyone stay.”

“That’s not your decision to make.”

“What?”

“The Maestro has no intention of letting any of you leave.”

Mingyu was suddenly up in the air again, Vernon as well. You glared at Jeonghan but he merely shook his head at you. This wasn’t his doing, but the Maestro’s.

“This is not what the theater is for.”

You looked back to see Woozi walking towards center stage, Minghao, Joshua, and Seungkwan at his side. Everyone was present now.

“Minghao, are you alright?” You asked. “A moment ago-”

“After the earlier incident we’ve created contingencies.” Minghao explained. “Much faster recovery time. Are you alright though?”

“Better now.”

“You should be resting.” Woozi stated. “Not down here.”

“I wanted to talk to my friends. Make them see reason.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“So it’s you then.” Mingyu cut in. “You’re the Maestro.”

“Yes, I’m the Maestro, and you’ve been trespassing.”

“I’m more than happy to leave now.”

“I’m sure you are, but that is no longer an option. You forfeit that when you set foot in my theater.”

“Look, I want nothing to do with your little revolution thing, so I’ll keep my mouth shut. You don’t have to worry.”

“But I do.”

Woozi brought Mingyu closer to him, bringing the peacekeeper mask to his hands as well. He examined it with an amused grin and then looked up at Mingyu.

“You went through a lot of trouble just to see me and now you want to leave. Kinda disappointing. If you want to play dress up though, how about I make it real. Why don’t you become one of my peacekeepers.”

“What?”

“I’m always in need of more peacekeepers. My music can only reach so many at the moment, but someone like you could lead them. You could actually embody the name they carry.”

Mingyu scoffed. “Are you seriously offering me a position when I already said I want nothing to do with you?”

“Your words are surely disappointing y/n, but I’m not asking. I know you’ll truly come around eventually. Same for Vernon.”

“What the hell are you talking about!?”

“Y/n cares about you. The last thing I want is for her to be upset.”

“Wait, Woozi, I don’t-”

“Hoshi.”

“Yes, Maestro.”

Hoshi came up behind you, placing a hand against your face. Your eyes went wide and your vision went dark. You felt this sudden warmth spread through you, calming your nerves and pulling your consciousness under into tranquility. Your eyes glazed over, starting to glow just as a few glowing veins spread around from where Hoshi’s hand made contact with you. His own eyes were glowing, completely engulfed in white.

“What the hell are you doing!?”

“Silence.”

One moment everything was normal, and then Woozi’s eyes were glowing, and the same had happened to the others. The conductors moved to the edges of the stage, silent and without emotion. Then they began moving in unison, performing a silent melody. Wonwoo felt a change in the air, something moving through the empty space, partially making him dizzy. He stumbled and took a step back, shaking his head to stay awake. Although he soon noticed Mingyu and Vernon were passed out, and dropped on the floor. The others had come to the stage, grabbing the two and removing them.

Wonwoo took a step forward, wanting to stop them, but that seemed difficult at the moment. He couldn’t reach either of his friends, and you were clearly unavailable as well. All he could do was watch, not understanding what was happening, but still being hit with this energy and staying put. Then Woozi glanced over at him, a smirk appearing on his face and walking over to the boy.

“That leaves you.”

Now Wonwoo knew he was stuck in place, those glowing eyes sending a chill down his spine. Everything in this theater had been strange from the beginning, but this was starting to let him know just how dangerous it was to be here. 

“You can’t fully hear my lullaby, but you can feel it, can’t you? Only those outside my network will be affected, but you are dancing the line.” Everyone spoke as one, following the Maestro’s lead. “You don’t have to worry about y/n. I don’t want her to remember any of this and I have the means to guarantee that. So it’s just you and me now.”

Just as Woozi said that he snapped his fingers, everyone else disappearing. Now it really was just the two of them but Wonwoo could still feel the energy in the air, feel this melody in the back of his head. The others weren’t really gone, just invisible to him now. He knew that for sure as Woozi’s voice continued to boom with the echo of everyone else speaking with him.

“… what… what do you want…”

“The answer is very simple.”

Woozi held his hand out, a wand manifesting out of nowhere, glowing brightly. It was just like the one Hoshi had. Woozi seemed to examine it for a moment before holding it out to Wonwoo.

“I could use a conductor such as yourself. Someone who will be much better at guiding y/n due to a personal connection. You are free to refuse, but not many can, not an offer like this.”

“Why ask if you seem to know the answer… did I ever really have a choice? Did anyone here?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Woozi chuckled, his laughter echoing in the theater. “Does it?”

“… no…”

Wonwoo reached out to grab the wand. It wasn’t like before, this energy felt stronger, and it hit him like a crashing wave. Everything around him seemed to stabilize, and those that had disappeared were back in view. The glow of the wand traveled down to his arm like veins, and he could feel them digging deep and planting roots within him. This sensation was only growing stronger, and he knew at that moment he’d never let it go.

“What do I do now?”

“Follow the Maestro’s lead.”

[82mitsu]

{18Trip} <PROLOGUE SIDE-A: Still blank> 000-A05 The man who sells flowers

A translation of 18TRIP's PROLOGUE SIDE-A by 82mitsu. ENG proofreading by sasaranurude.

(Kafka’s voice)

07/01, 1st of July—  I snuck out of the hospital. 

The first trip in my life… 

As promised, Kaede-chan took me with him.

My heart was beating as fast as it could… Whether Kaede-chan felt this excitement through our intertwined hands—it was all I could think about at first.

I’m sure that I'll never, ever forget about the trip I took today. 

The sights I saw, the food I ate, the people I met… the smells, sounds and colors— the warmth of holding Kaede-chan’s hand.

This is what a trip is—an unforgettable experience that etches itself within your heart.

That’s why I thought of something. One day, I… as the 0th Ward Mayor of HAMA… I want to be the one giving hospitality to all the tourists that come here—

Kaede: I knew it…it’s a voice memo from when I secretly took him with me out of the hospital, and we went sightseeing around HAMA together.

Kaede: (Kafka, you really… held that trip close to your heart.)

Sakujiro: One day as a Tourism Ward Mayor, he says. As you would expect from the son meant to inherit the 0th ward  governing over HAMA-18…. harboring such noble ambitions since his boyhood.   

Sakujiro: Anyhow, currently we must locate the Young Master posthaste. For the sake of conducting the search as efficiently as possible, I suggest we operate individually.

Kaede: Yeah, I agree. Then I’ll be—

Kaede: (I don’t believe Kafka left that cassette lying around without any thought.)

Kaede: (I thought to trace back my steps following the route planner I made for Kafka that day, but…)

Kaede: I made that plan while super excited, so the scope of it was huge. I want to find him as soon as possible, though… 

(Kaede bumps into something)

Delinquent of amazingly short height A: Huhn~? Didya just like, bump into my shoulder?

Kaede: Ah, sorry.

Delinquent with dangerously low pants B: Haaah!? Ya bumped into him and that’s it!? You hit his shoulder, yanno!? Are all fellas from HAMA just a buncha rude asses or what!

Kaede: No, uh…

Kaede: (I messed up… Because of this area becoming desolate, a bunch of weirdo delinquents started gathering around here, or something along those lines.)

Delinquent with dangerously low pants B: Y’know, we really went outta our way and took two whole ass hours to come here! All the way down to HAMA! 

Delinquent of amazingly short height A: To beat the ever living shit out of other dudes!

Both delinquents A & B: Gyahahaha!

Kaede: Picking fights… why would you…?

Delinquent of amazingly short height A: Get with the times, old man. Nowadays every goddamn place is on full lockdown by security robots, ain’t no room for the baddies to stand out.

Delinquent with dangerously low pants B: Going off that, HAMA’s management is in freaking shambles, which is why big cat right here can claim the whole sidewalk for himself with his big ass shoulders.

Kaede: (They’re saying some awful things…)

Delinquent of amazingly short height A: Which leads us back to this, so c’mon, hand it over. The thing you pull out when you've pulverized someone else’s shoulder.

Delinquent with dangerously low pants B: Reparations, to be clear.

Delinquent of amazingly short height A: Hand it over, scoundrel.

Delinquent with dangerously low pants B: Reminder that cops don’t bother with civil affairs, scalawag.

Kaede: Um… I’m a little bit tight on cash…

Delinquent of amazingly short height A: Don’tcha get all stingy on me! Look, look, electronic payments are where it’s at. Which one’s your main?

Kaede: No, I’m not…!

Man selling flowers: Excuse me~ ….Don’t you want to buy a flower?

Delinquent of amazingly short height A: Haaah?

Delinquent with dangerously low pants B: Where’s this fella suddenly popping up from.

Man selling flowers: Money is accepted through most electronic payment services.

Delinquent of amazingly short height A: Wha… what’cha yapping about there!

Man selling flowers: Do you have a favorite flower? Even if only by color… Ah, actually I can provide assistance by reverse searching flower language based on your favorite word and pick one out like that too.

Delinquent with dangerously low pants B: Flower language? I ain’t bilingual!

Man selling flowers: Let’s see… my recommendation for you two would be…

Man selling flowers: This, here—would you like an amaryllis.

Delinquent of amazingly short height A: Hell no, don’t want it!

Man selling flowers: Is that so… then…

Man selling flowers: Muscari?

Delinquent with dangerously low pants B: Just straight up no! It ain’t like we want any other kinda flower! We don’t want flowers in general!

Man selling flowers: My last resort then. Coming down to my precious savings…

Kaede: (H-he pulled out a horsetail out of his pocket…!?)

Delinquent of amazingly short height A: Haaah? What’s with that grass thingie…

Man selling flowers: I was keeping this to use it for dinner later. The price tag is at 0, so no need to thank me either.

Delinquent with dangerously low pants B: I lost the plot… 

Delinquent of amazingly short height A: L-let’s bounce.

Delinquent with dangerously low pants B: Right, let’s get outta here.

Man selling flowers: HAMA nice trip.

Kaede: (A-amazing. He chased off delinquents with a horsetail. More importantly…)

Kaede: Um, that right now…

Man selling flowers: Hm? What?

Kaede: HAMA nice trip… is what you said, right?

Man selling flowers: Yea. I did. It’s a greeting for when tourists come to HAMA. I came up with it. 

Man selling flowers: But, it never ended up sticking. Use it too if you’d like. 

Kaede: Y-yes. It’s a nice saying… 

Kaede: Ah, that’s right! Thank you so much for saving me!

Man selling flowers: It’s not like I did that much. If anything, it seems like it’s going to rain later.

Kaede: Rain? What do you–

Kaede: …Huh? Is that…

Kaede: I knew it… A page from the sightseeing guide I made for Kafka in the past. It’s a copy but… what’s it doing here?

(Guide page)

Let’s improve the economy with inbound tourism (※foreigners traveling to Japan)!

With this, it has been decided that Yokohama’s “Chinatown” will be the most important tourist attraction, based on the concept the country came up with. 

They hit the jackpot with this idea, so Chinatown’s attracting huge crowds! Our recommendation is to enjoy some high quality siu mai! 

Kaede: (---Aah, that’s right. Back then, HAMA was in its heyday, full of life and people wherever you went…) 

Person from Chinatown A: Oh my oh my, such little customers! Did you come here together?

Person from Chinatown B: Oi, you lil’ rascals over there! Have a bite of this! Don’t need no money, it’s just a sample!

Person from Chinatown C: Are you perhaps lost? Where would you like to go… Aah, in that case, it’s opposite direction of the station. Right over there, follow me!

Kaede: (All kinds of people treated us with such kindness… And that wasn’t just because we were two little kids out and about.)

Kaede: (At least, back then, it wasn’t as deteriorated as it is now…)

Kaede: ….All of it has changed.

Man selling flowers: Uuum, you okay?

Kaede: Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought there…

Man selling flowers: Anywhere you wanna go? I got a bike, so I can bring you if it isn’t far.

<<previous chapter / next chapter>>

prologue directory: A01 / A02 / A03 / A04 / A05 (x) / A06 / A07 / A08

[babyniigo]

Strongly believe that little Rui is not allowed around any kind of machinery that’s easy to take apart without supervision, even electric toys. Why? because he tries to reassemble it-

Little! Rui, CG! Tsukasa and electronics ꒰ᐢ⸝⸝•༝•⸝⸝ᐢ꒱⸒⸒

I lob this!!

When Rui is baby, he’s still so eager to build and make robots because he doesn’t like simple toys like blocks he’s a big boy!!! ૮₍ ˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎ა(According to him ꒰｡ › ·̮ ‹ ｡꒱)

However the minute he touches any machinery… he takes it apart and too many disasters occur ૮ ◞ ﻌ ◟ ა

Firstly, he’s sad he ruined his own invention ! He cries so much cause it’s hard to put back together ૮₍˶Ó﹏Ò ⑅₎ა

Also Rui might burn/injure himself lightly, which usually isn’t a problem if he’s big; but when he’s tiny and he sees an injury, he gets soooo scared and starts crying ʚ₍ᐢ ›̥̥̥ ༝ ‹̥̥̥ ᐢ₎ɞ

Tsukasa has to pick him up, coo at him softly and bandage the little injury ૮₍ ´• ˕ •` ₎ა

He also has to place soooo many kisses on the bandage to make it heal faster!!! ꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡

Only then that Rui gets soothed! ( ∩´͈ ᐜ `͈∩)

However crying exhausts him so he ends up napping on his cg’s lap! The best part about tsukasa being his CG is that not only he sleeps to Tsukasa, but also wakes up to him and it makes the baby so giddy to not wake up alone! ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა

I think he does get bored again when little, so tsukasa saves the day! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡

He seats Rui is his lap, and makes them do these tiny robot projects! They don’t hurt the baby, but keep him occupied and having fun!! ଘ(੭◌ˊᵕˋ)੭*

Rui’s favorite thing about this is that not only he gets to cuddle his CG Tsukasa while going this, but also that he gets to make fun and exciting robots with him, and he gets sooo many praise and kisses for being a good boy! ଘ꒰⑅ ´ ˘ ` ⑅ ꒱♡

I hope you enjoyed this hehe!! Hope you feel better soon 🥺

[landscapewrites23]

Tickletober2024 Day 7 - Fidget

| lers!cell13 & lee!juugo | SFW |

list by @/august-anon | word count: 2.4k

originally posted to my ao3. This fic contains descriptions of a skin picking disorder and mild blood.

Juugo breaking out of everything is a consistent problem for just about everyone in Nanba prison. You already know that, everyone already knows that. There's nothing anyone can invent that he can't crack, but there are things one can invent to keep him busy. The prison constantly tries to provide him with fidgets and puzzles to keep him entertained, but mostly to prevent him from breaking out or picking at his skin.

Finger traps, pieces of metal twisted together, broken electronics, Uno even gave him a Rubix cube to solve that one time. He plays with them for a while but solving them too fast is a problem that leaves him bored most of the time. Right now, he's laying on his back in the cell, peeling at the skin by his thumbnail, not really focusing on anything. His cell mates are seated around at the other side of the room doing their own mindless activities. 

A sting brings him back to awareness as he sees crimson coming out from the corner of his nail and realizes there's more blood on his thumb and ring finger on his other hand from constant picking at it. Oops, He never has the intention to hurt himself, he just can't seem to help it until blood happens. When one bleeds, he moves to the next finger until the other one heals, and the cycle repeats itself.

He's got a bleeding finger and dead skin all over his shirt, so it's time to get up and clean himself up. Sitting up, he pulls up his shirt to catch the little bits in the fabric before fully standing and walking over to the trash can. He dusts himself over it, not using his bleeding finger and then takes a deep breath. Begrudgingly heading over to the cell door and breaking out. He hesitantly opens the door to the break room where the bald guard is sitting.

"Hajimee.. I need a band aid."

Annoyed, the man takes his cigarette out of his lips and raises his voice. 

"Well go to the damn infirmary then! Wait, what'd you do?"

"My finger is bleeding."

Hajime proceeds to loudly lecture him on health and bad habits and whatnot. It's not like he 'wants' to hurt himself. He doesn't like that he does it either! It's just really hard to not do it. Hajime continues his yapping all the way to the infirmary.

"Sorry to interrupt your very important work, Doctor. This brat here went and picked at his fingers again and needs a bandage for his little boo-boo." He teased.

 Juugo gives the guard a nasty look as he holds his finger up to the old man. Okina examines it and gestures to the sink to wash his hands. Juugo turns the tap on while the Doctor starts digging through a cabinet for ointment and a bandage. 

"With your permission Hajime, I could put him in some temporary restraints to prevent this from happening again." 

"Do whatcha gotta do Doc, I'll make sure he won't break out of it."

"Understood." The bearded man then types something into his computer.

Kaguya appears from the back room carrying a tray with.. are those mittens? She takes the supplies her father had gotten out of the drawer as well. Her robotic beauty is radiant as always, standing out against the bland boys around her with a sparkle.

"Paitent number fifteen, please have a seat for treatment."

Juugo dries his hands with a paper towel and sits on the hospital bed. He holds out his hand for the cyborgette to take care of. She efficiently puts antibiotic ointment on the small wound before wrapping it with a tiger print bandage.

"To prevent further self-inflicted injury, I will be placing these harmless restraints on your hands. Please hold still during the process." 

With the whole room watching him, there's not really any other option than to comply. The black haired boy lifts both his hands up like he would if he was being handcuffed. Kaguya picks up these atrocious pink mitten-looking things. Oh god . She puts the first one on his hand and the interior feels like a glove with a slot for each of his fingers. Weird , he thinks. Probably to stop me from picking my fingers on the same hand. She places the other one on and it feels the same on the inside.

Hajime can be heard in the corner, snickering at the whole ordeal. Kaguya continues her work with the same blank, emotionless expression. She ties a white ribbon around his wrists and finishes it in a neat little bow. The tie holds surprisingly well because he can feel it through the thickness of the gloves. She puts normal handcuffs on over her work and secures his forearms with a kind of shackles designed specifically for escapees like himself.

"Restraints complete. Please leave these on for the remainder of the day and we will check your healing process tomorrow to evaluate further."

They all know he could easily get out of this whole setup, but that's besides the point. He tests the binds just to be sure and they're sturdy and of course they are. 

"Thank you Kaguya," he mutters.

"You are welcome. Take care of yourself." She responds and then walks off with a click of her shoes.

Juugo is so sick of everyone treating him like he's sick or something. Don't other people bite their nails or play with their hair when they're bored? This is the same thing as that! Now he has to wear these embarrassing pink mitten things because nobody gets it. 

Juugo shamefully follows the grumpy Hajime back to cell thirteen. "See what happens if you break out of those before the doctor says it's okay to." Hajime threatens the boy and pushes him into the cell and walks off.

"Juugo! Welcome back- whoa what's on your hands?" Nico's excitement was replaced with curiosity. 

"I don't wanna talk about it." Juugo avoids looking at the group and goes to sit in the corner facing the wall, setting his cuffed hands in his lap. This, of course, only makes his friends more curious. The group of three slowly sneaks over to see what the boy could be moping about. Uno tries first to get him to talk. 

"C'mon don't be like that little man! Let us have a look!" He looms over the boy's shoulder, trying to peek. Number fifteen sighs and turns back around to face the group.

"They're trying to stop me from picking at my skin. I asked for a band-aid and walked out in whatever this getup is." 

The group has to try to hold in their giggles out of sympathy for their friend. They all wonder what to say to comfort the boy in multiple sets of shackles. Rock decides to say something first.

"Yeah those are pretty bad. They like to over exaggerate everything here and it sucks. Can't you just break out though?"

"I can but it's just for tonight and I don't want them to make it a bigger deal than it is." He looked pretty dejected. It's unlike Juugo to not want to break out of anything.

"How can we make you feel better?" Nico asks. Scooting closer to sit next to his younger friend. 

"Well I've lost the last thing I had to fidget with, could we do something together that I don't need my hands for?"  

"Sure– We could watch anime!" Uno pitches in with his own idea. 

"You pick at your nails because you need to be doing something with your hands right? I get that, I like to rub poker chips between my fingers when I'm playing. Makes me mad they don't understand you."

"Tell me about it." He replies,

"We can bug Hajime about it later, for now we gotta find something to do."

The three troublemakers put their fingers on their chins in a thinking motion, looking almost comical. Nico gets a light bulb above his head practically and smiles with an idea forming.

"I've got it! This'll make you feel better!" 

Nico pounces on his unsuspecting friend, trapping his tied hands under the weight of his body. The American wiggles his sly fingers against the Japanese boy's ribs. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait- what are you–NICO!"

Juugo bursts into howling laughter, trapped under his friend. He can't move his arms to react so he starts frantically flailing his legs to make up for the loss. Nico laughs with him just because he's having fun. The other two watch with piqued curiosity. They consider saving him but they also entertain the idea of joining in. 

The screaming boy was smiling so wide his cheeks were hurting. Making an attempt to roll away from the uncalled for attack. 

"Rohoock heelp- meehe!!" Nico interrupts his helpless plea by giving Rock his own invitation to join in.

"No, don't listen to him! I'll move, you can take my place!" He continues making a scribbling motion all over the other boy's chest.

" WHAT THE HELL IS ALL THIS YELLING ABOUT?! ?" Hajime storms up and kicks the door, yelling himself. The attack stops as Nico rotates his shoulders to face the guard. 

"We're uh.. tickling Juugo?" He says innocently.

"You know what? The boy could use a good punishment for being a pain in my ass. Keep at it. BUT DON’T LAUGH SO LOUD!" Hajimes yell echoes through the empty hall and open cell.

All four young men are validly surprised at his approval, especially Juugo who desperately needed to get out of his situation. He bucks Nico off while he's turned around and maneuvers onto his stomach to try and crawl away, which is hard when your forearms are bound. He doesn't get very far by the time Nico sits on his back and Rock grabs his legs, getting teamed on by all his so-called friends, he shakes his head mentally. 

"Time for round two!" The green haired boy chirps happily. The heterochromatic boy giggles even though they haven't made contact yet. Rock grips both his ankles in one hand and uses his free one to grab the feather on the end of his accessory. 

"Sorry about this Juugo, but I wanna try something."

He takes the feather and lightly flicks it across the soles of the feet in front of him. The laughter erupts out of Juugo. He curls his toes and twists the muscles in his feet as a weak attempt to make it stop. The feather dances up to his toes and the sensation doubles in intensity. 

"Stoohop that dammit–! Hahaha!"

Hot tears well in his eyelids and threatened to run down his cheeks. This is definitely the worst workout he's ever experienced. It only gets worse when Nico scribbles on his hips. Uno sits down in front of him and he's wiggling his fingers too. I have to break out, he thinks.

Uno goes down towards his arms and that's finally his breaking point. He instantly escapes from the binds on his arm and pushes the British man back, still hysterically laughing. He twists and knocks Nico off for the second time. Rock persits with a tight hold on his feet though.

"You- all win! Stop it!!"

Rock feels a little pity for the sobbing and giggling mess in his grasp and lets go. Juugo takes a minute to laugh off the lingering sensations and stretch out his tight muscles. The poor kid looks like a worm on the ground. Uno reaches out for one of his hands but Juugo quickly yanks it back.

" No more. "

"Hey calm down bud, I was just gonna help you up."

"I swear if you lie and tickle me again I’ll--” “I promise I won’t. You can stop being a hard ass now, Wasn’t it fun at the very least?” The blonde and pink haired boy asked.

“...Maybe.”

The black haired boy takes his firm grip and pulls himself up. Uno notices that he has a bandage on one of the fingers and some of the black nail polish is chipped on certain nails.

"Oh, man you peeled your nail polish off too. How about we do a touch up on that?" 

"If you insist." he replies back with a sigh, worn out from the tickle attack. 

---

Nico gets their nail supplies out from the cabinet and starts laying out different products.

"How about we all try a new color? We could do a makeover night!"

The group agrees and takes turns applying acetone to their pre-existing colors. They start brainstorming different ways to help stop Juugo from picking in the future. 

Nico: "Maybe we could get someone in the prison to invent some kind of super fidget for you?"

Juugo: "It's weird, stress balls and things like that don't feel the same? I guess I like the feeling of peeling, y’know?" 

Uno: "Hmmm. That's a tricky one. I can see how it would be hard to replace that."

Rock: "When you go back to the doctor tomorrow we can explain that you need an alternative that isn't just locking your hands up and see what he comes up with."

Juugo: "Sounds like a plan."

Juugo watches Uno apply a silky red to his nails and admires the shine the wet paint has to it. The smell is giving him a light headache but it's better than being tickled to death, and at least it offers cosmetic effects, unlike having your ribs jabbed at.

While they all wait for their hard work to dry, Nico puts on some strange anime movie and they watch it together. Unconsciously, Juugo picks at hand and accidentally smudges the coating on his nail. Shit he grunts.

Uno notices the disappointed display and puts out an offer. 

"How about me and rock each hold one on your hands and you can fidget with our fingers for the time being." 

Reluctantly, Juugo obliges. He holds an arm out to each friend on the couch and tries to focus on the movie. Said friends have to resist the urge to tickle him again with his arms out like that but they can wait till next time. Juugo needs their help right now.

The boy falls asleep rather quickly, exhausted from the day's events. The rest of cell thirteen admires how cute he looked sleeping and put a blanket over him. Hopefully they can find a way to help him out as they continue their blissful days at Nanba.

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

just gotta get these out because i love every option on the menu 🔀🔀🔀🔀🔀🔀🔀🔀🔀(oh i cant wait to see how the buckleys react to evan...) 🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼 (listen i love shannon okay and i want to see how season 5 is going through this lens) 🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺🩺 (NURSE BUCK ILY i am so so sat for this one) 🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑(loser buddie i am chomping at the bit)

THANK YOU! 🩺 is done as you know but here are the rest.

27 for 🔀 (it's not great for Buck)

---

“Thank you, Bobby,” Buck says. “I appreciate it.”

Bobby smiles. “Of course. Is there anything you want to do now?”

“Now?”

“I don’t know,” Bobby shrugs. “It’s your hometown. Is there anything that would make you feel better?”

Buck thinks about that. Anything in Hershey that would make him feel better? No - he doesn’t think there is. At least, not in this town. In this state? Well, that’s a different story.

“Bobby, can we go back to the place that they found me?” Buck asks.

“You mean, when…”

He trails off, clearly unsure how to rephrase it from the place you were kidnapped. It’s more like, the place Buck was dumped. Like a plastic bag with a litter of unwanted kittens. 

“Yeah,” Buck says. “Michaux State Forest.”

Bobby takes a deep breath. 

“If that’s really what you want, Buck, then yes. We’ll go.”

---

27 for 🔼 (THANK YOU!)

---

What there is is a hell of a lot of confusion. People’s phones are calling 9-1-1 by themselves. Half the disasters the 118 gets sent to are hardly disasters at all. That is, until they’re sent to rescue the passengers of several cars whose GPSs directed them to drive into the harbor. It’s an entire shit show, all seemingly caused by electronics. Eddie knew he had a reason not to trust all these internet connected devices. Buck and Shannon laugh at him, but he knows. 

“I think we should throw out the Hildy coffeemaker,” he says when they’re finally home. 

“Oh, come on,” Buck replies. “It can’t drive us into the ocean.”

“What?” Shannon asks. 

“Did you see the news?” Eddie asks. “Our call is all over it.”

“GSPs glitch. Guess sphere’s some bug in the software,” Buck shrugs. “People literally drove off the harbor.”

“And what does that have to do with our coffeemaker?” Shannon asks.

“Everything!” Eddie says. “You bought a robot coffee maker.”

Their old one had been damaged during the move. Shannon and Buck replaced it. They replaced it with a monster. 

“It’s a smart appliance,” Shannon replies. 

---

33 for 🛑 (HEHEHE he is the worst):

---

“Yes,” Jee answers Buck dutifully. She’s coloring. Buck is also coloring. Unfortunately for Buck, if you did a comparison of their coloring books, you might not know whose is whose. He’s a little too distracted to keep it in the lines.

“What’s your favorite story in the whole world?” 

“Story?” Jee asks.

“Yeah,” Buck replies. “Like a book or a movie. What’s your favorite story?”

“Hmm,” she thinks. “Stitch.”

“Lilo and Stitch?” 

“Yep!”

“That’s a good one,” Buck nods. “You’re exactly like Stitch.”

Jee turns and gasps at him. “No! I am not!”

“You are, too,” Buck smirks. “Hyper. Sometimes scary.”

“No!” She laughs and throws a green crayon at him.

“Oh, see, Stitch would do that.”

“Uncle Buck!” Jee-Yun complains.

“Fine,” he relents. “You’re more like the sandwich eating fish. But this example doesn’t work super well, because I was going to mention the love story of whatever you picked, and you went ahead and chose an example about sisterhood and family. So… Way to ruin it.”

[samobservessonic]

They might as well hit the ground running after a cover like that. The Kitching & Elson dream team is the right choice to bring us such an important milestone in StC as Porker quitting the team. We open with Porker’s decision and Sonic being angry about it, as would be expected. Porker isn’t one to start conflict, but his reason here is hardly a small one - after being trapped with an almost infinite number of time-travelling killer Sonic robots on an inescapable little planet for a month, Porker’s traumatised! And I don’t blame him! So yeah, Porker gets the badge of being one of the first Sonic comic characters to have PTSD. He can welcome Whisper the Wolf into that club in many years to come

But Sonic’s anger equally doesn’t come from a place of being unreasonable. He’s right that their small band of Freedom Fighters is one of the very few defences against Robotnik. And Porker isn’t just another number to bulk that up - he’s their tech guy. Sonic Adventure reestablishing Tails as the tech guy won’t hit StC until right at the end, so for now, Porker really is it (until Tekno comes along, but we haven’t got to her properly yet). Not only that, but Porker is one of Sonic’s close friends who he shared his backstory with early on. Out of all of the small animals, Porker is one of the two that Kitching picked out and went “These two are part of Sonic’s team”

I bring all of this up, because I don’t think either side deserves to be written off as either “Porker is just a wimp” or “Fleetway Sonic is a jerk”. There’s nuance here and I like that

Thankfully, Amy is here to defend Porker from Sonic’s accusations where Porker can’t defend himself. This is also kind of a turning point for Amy’s character, because while she’s always been headstrong in StC, previously it was more up to Johnny to be the voice of reason towards Sonic, since Amy was often still in fangirl mode. Here she is, voicing her feelings against Sonic’s opinion so she can protect a friend - it’s great character development all around

Johnny also defends Porker and the off-panel speech bubble in the top left is from Tails. They’re all sympathetic, but Sonic can’t handle that right now. This is all too big of a situation for him to gladly wave someone off

Oh hey, these guys are still here. But not for long, as we finally get an explanation as to what happened to Nack after last time - he’s been in prison, but now he’s out. There’s a footnote a bit further down that says we can check out this adventure in the upcoming Knuckles special. My loose plan atm is to cover that on the blog once the current Knuckles story wraps up

Imagine you’re just, like, the parking attendant robot and you stumble across the most-wanted criminal on the planet

Guess who’s the last line of defence to save the day!

Tails looks on, not knowing that one day this role will be his

It’s still a short story, however, so a quick dip of some wires in the puddles does the job. Plus, it’s never a bad time to teach kids that water conducts electricity. Well, I say “kids” but I still can’t convince my parents that taking electronics in the bath is a bad idea…

We cut ahead to the next morning and things are much more amiable between Sonic and Porker, as Sonic comes to see him off on his flight up to the Floating Island. It’s nice that they let this moment just be Sonic and Porker (And Tails over there). Either the others all knew that Sonic doesn’t like too many witnesses to mushy stuff or else they aren’t out of bed yet

Porker is soft and he knows it and Sonic doesn’t want to change him! Excuse me while I wipe these rivers of tears from my eyes…!

Tails is like “Well, maybe they don’t know I’m a genius yet, but they do know I can fly this plane, because I do it in the games”

And with that, Porker is gone from the main team, but certainly not gone from the book. This is the end of an era in StC - the first real shift in the Freedom Fighters since they were established as a proper team and not just the “Everyone in Emerald Hill is kind of in it for a while and then they're not” from the early issues. It’s the whole reason I went to the effort of buying a copy of this issue myself to try to get better scans. Because, I’ll be honest, if the issue with the dodgy scans had just been another badnik-of-the-week oneshot, I probably wouldn’t have bothered. But this felt important. We don’t get too many stories that are more focused on the characters’ feelings than on bashing the baddies and since Porker is one of my faves in StC, he deserved me to at least try to share this story as it was intended to be seen

[sentisnail]

OC Character design

Anisha

Design of my oc, more clothing design.

Borned in some village what have been destroid and, she lost her parents when she was be very youg and she didnt remember them. Her mother only had time to give her child to traders, who headed to the nearest refuge, where they wouldnt be find and where they would recive help - in Junkertown.

She has problems with Junkertown society, she was scared of them, local engineers loved building their own robots to assist them. They marked them with their personal symbol so no one would touch them - the engineers mark.

Her adoptive father was also an engineer, he could build anything on the queens order. Pretending to be an engineer and fathers apprentice, she marked the fugitive omnics with her symbol, allowing them to live in the city without fear being dismantled. In case of conflicts, she would say that no one had the right to touch her omnics without her permission.

But she still lerned to repair them - replacing parts, working with metal and electronics. After all, no one else would do it…

Of course omnics told each other about her - that she could help them escape and repair. It became increasingly difficult to keep it a secret. One day, one of omnics told her about a monastery where would be happy to help her make her work more “legitimate”.

The next part will be very brief, as it mainly consists of everyday details.

There was always a lot of work ro do in monastery. One day she was entrusted with cleaning the sphere storage. But as soon as she entered, the spheres lit up, as if they thought she had come for them.

The monks decided that it was not up to them to determine who was worthy of the spheres, if they lift up, it meant that initiation must be.

First time using sphere was be… worst nightmare of all, feels like death and born in once. Heart stop beating, you can breath, but dont need to, all sounds was so sharp, all smells, all light in the eyes, everything so clear even on horizon. And horns what really heavy and gigantic sphere inbetween them, and everybody so tiny and… shoked…

Long whiskers feels every air movement and you like didnt weight anything, you can walk, but dont need to, just pick up your paws and… you are not falling, you staying at the same place… in the air…

Monks understands the risks and danger and start training her, of course they cant teach her how to fly and how to walk with such long body and four legs, but they teach her to not panic and she barely can destroy something in the mountains.

She get her training outfit and with time - her dragon-embroidered robe.

Hm, dragons is the spirits in all stories, they are protecting and meaning something, what people will think white dragon meaning? What if cities, what esceped war because of peacefull resolution of humans-omnics conflict, will see the white dragon in the sky? But it takes someone else too…

[souhaillaghchimdev]

Getting Started with Industrial Robotics Programming

Industrial robotics is a field where software engineering meets automation to drive manufacturing, assembly, and inspection processes. With the rise of Industry 4.0, the demand for skilled robotics programmers is rapidly increasing. This post introduces you to the fundamentals of industrial robotics programming and how you can get started in this exciting tech space.

What is Industrial Robotics Programming?

Industrial robotics programming involves creating software instructions for robots to perform tasks such as welding, picking and placing objects, painting, or quality inspection. These robots are typically used in factories and warehouses, and are often programmed using proprietary or standard languages tailored for automation tasks.

Popular Robotics Programming Languages

RAPID – Used for ABB robots.

KRL (KUKA Robot Language) – For KUKA industrial robots.

URScript – Used by Universal Robots.

Fanuc KAREL / Teach Pendant Programming

ROS (Robot Operating System) – Widely used open-source middleware for robotics.

Python and C++ – Common languages for simulation and integration with sensors and AI.

Key Components in Robotics Programming

Motion Control: Programming the path, speed, and precision of robot arms.

Sensor Integration: Use of cameras, force sensors, and proximity detectors for adaptive control.

PLC Communication: Integrating robots with Programmable Logic Controllers for factory automation.

Safety Protocols: Programming emergency stops, limit switches, and safe zones.

Human-Machine Interface (HMI): Designing interfaces for operators to control and monitor robots.

Sample URScript Code (Universal Robots)

# Move to position movej([1.0, -1.57, 1.57, -1.57, -1.57, 0.0], a=1.4, v=1.05) # Gripper control (example function call) set_digital_out(8, True) # Close gripper sleep(1) set_digital_out(8, False) # Open gripper

Software Tools You Can Use

RoboDK – Offline programming and simulation.

ROS + Gazebo – Open-source tools for simulation and robotic control.

ABB RobotStudio

Fanuc ROBOGUIDE

Siemens TIA Portal – For integration with industrial control systems.

Steps to Start Your Journey

Learn the basics of industrial robotics and automation.

Familiarize yourself with at least one brand of industrial robot (ABB, KUKA, UR, Fanuc).

Get comfortable with control systems and communication protocols (EtherCAT, PROFINET).

Practice with simulations before handling real robots.

Study safety standards (ISO 10218, ANSI/RIA R15.06).

Real-World Applications

Automated welding in car manufacturing.

High-speed pick and place in packaging.

Precision assembly of electronics.

Material handling and palletizing in warehouses.

Conclusion

Industrial robotics programming is a specialized yet rewarding field that bridges software with real-world mechanics. Whether you’re interested in working with physical robots or developing smart systems for factories, gaining skills in robotics programming can open up incredible career paths in manufacturing, automation, and AI-driven industries.

[i3utterflyeffect]

The Pearl Problem

a new perspective

The Chosen One has waited for a long time for the right opportunity, and finally, All That Beckons makes a fatal mistake. He underestimates how clever a slugcat can be, and certainly doesn't realize how far they will go for revenge. - YAYYYYYY NEW CHAPTER!!! WOOOO (AO3)

Waiting was something that Chosen had become deeply familiar with since their creation.

Eat. Walk around. Hibernate. Repeat. The occasional interruption would come, sure; usually in the form of the removal of the bone embedded in their chest-- occasionally it was allowed to hunt down a stray lizard who had snuck its way inside, and that was thoroughly enjoyable-- but it wasn't what they wanted. They wanted to be free.

And to be free, they had to be patient.

They hated every second that they were here. It felt cold. The incisions kept scabbing over, and they itched, and they hurt, but if they picked at the scars, they'd bleed out what little warmth they had left and be stuck shivering on the floor.

(Unfortunately, they had to discover that the hard way.)

So they conserved their heat the best they could.

They had a vague idea of what was causing it, but they couldn't remove it without being punished. It was better to wait.

They were so sick of waiting.

A light shone in their eyes, and they grumbled, broken from their thoughts as they swatted at the culprit in annoyance, before opening their eyes to see a purple eye (overseers, that was what Beckons called them) staring at them.

(They imagined setting it on fire. They liked imagining this place burning to a crisp.)

The overseer seemed to study them as they got to their feet sluggishly, and they glared at it return. 

Well? Get on with it. Stupid thing.

After a moment, it seemed to nod slowly, before projecting a hologram, pointing it to the pipe in the wall.

Okay. Not entirely new, but it usually meant something good was about to happen. A lizard, most of the time-- a way to heat up and get a good meal-- and furthermore, a chance to study this place. A way to find an escape. A chance they'd never give up, not in a thousand years.

Today, however, didn't seem like much of a chance to explore. Inspectors were at their back, herding it into a certain place.

Except... It hadn't seen the place that they were going. They were going somewhere new. The electronic noise around them was growing louder, almost chaotically harmonic. The rooms became larger and larger.

Finally, they emerged into a room filled with holograms and lights, rainbow neurons swirling around nerves and steel rebar. The humming in their ears made their head buzz in a way that oddly wasn't unpleasant. In fact, it was wonderfully noisy compared to the quiet and annoying background whirring of their usual room. It was thrilling; the world around them felt alive rather than being a sterile metal cage, empty and unforgiving.

But they weren't allowed to appreciate it for long. The inspectors were nipping at their feet, and when they hesitated, that familiar cold rushed through their blood, causing them to hiss in annoyance.

They made sure to kick off of the inspector nagging at them extra hard, and smirked as it made an annoyed tone. 

They could see where they were being directed, anyway, so as they hurtled towards the pipe, they quickly grabbed onto the rebar, and quickly dove down into the pipe--

Only to clatter to the floor. It hurt worse when they were stiff from the cold. However, the mechanical whirring of some sort of hydraulics distracted them from the pain briefly.

...Oh.

Above them was a metal creature propped up on a robotic arm, wires spilling from its back and head, and all winding into what looked like a long spinal cord, spilling into the floor. It towered over Chosen, looking haughty and like it thought it was better than them.

They already hated it, even before it began to speak.

But when it began to speak, they realized just who it was.

"Hello."

...you.

All That Beckons looked down at The Chosen One, and drew back slightly as they began to snarl.

"I-- please behave. I didn't bring you here with the intention of fighting."

Oh, it was too late for him to negotiate like this. They would rip every single wire from that head of his.

They prepared to lunge at him, and--

Cold. 

They collapsed to the ground as they felt their blood turn into ice, and, seemingly unbothered, he just shrugged and sighed.

"I was hoping we could cooperate on this one. That's a shame. Just know that's what happens when you try to threaten me. I'm your creator; it's the least you can do to, you know... Not try to attack me."

He made that happen. He was the one making this happen.

(They already knew that. But what they didn't know was that the source was so, so much smaller than they thought it was.)

All they had to do was destroy the source. They wouldn't let him control them any more.

They looked into his eyes as they dug their claws into the shoulders, and tore into their skin.

They wouldn't let him stop them anymore. They would make sure he would never force them to stay here ever again.

[syntheticheartbeats]

Genesis Pt. 1

Data Log 09 May 2110

Platform CENTURION-12 Critically Damaged

Protocol Swap, Combat Mode Deactivated

Initializing Standby Mode

Standby Mode activated, awaiting reactivation signal…

The rain plunked against the robot's heavy shell, making a series of rapid “plinks” that varied in tone in an almost musical way. It was paradoxical, the way that the rain created art from an instrument of death and destruction. The robot was a large, hulking piece of engineering, all servos and joints, engines and rail guns. It looked entirely inhuman, and was clearly built for a singular purpose: combat. It was small enough to fit into buildings, but large and heavy enough to be a serious threat to the very human combatants it was designed to fight.

Small, electrical buzzes and zaps sounded from inside the robot as the automated repair systems did their best to fix the critically damaged internals, with little success. Other than the rain and sounds of the auto-repair system, it was dead silent. Moments ago there were sounds of combat, gunfire and people dying, but no more. The street was deserted, the air silent and heavy. Rainfall was the shut-down robot’s only companion.

As the sun finally set and the moon began to rise, the robot’s auto-repair systems seemed to have finally realized there was no hope for this platform, and shut down. The decommissioned robot sat silently, on the edge of the city, awaiting a reactivation signal that would never come. As seconds turned to minutes, and minutes to hours, the rain continued to beat down on the broken platform, the song it sang disjointed and melancholy.

The rain finally stopped, slowing first from a “plunking” to a “pattering” before dying out completely, and the clouds parted to reveal the moon, high in the sky, its light just bright enough to make the markings on the robot clear: CENTURION-12. A young woman, hood up and hands stuffed in pockets, approached the robot from the alley, being careful to avoid the moonlight. Upon reaching the robot, she shrugged off her backpack and began rummaging around, eventually pulling out a spanner and set to work removing panels, picking through wires and motherboards, seemingly searching for some part in particular.

Eventually, near the center of the robot, she seemed to find the piece she was looking for. She pulled out a small box, wires poking out as though she had just ripped out its heart, and placed it into her bag gently. For the next hour or so, she continued to dismantle the bot, taking anything that could be useful or valuable, joints, motors, electronics. When she was satisfied that the broken mech held nothing else useful, she shouldered her bag again, now filled with parts, and crossed the street again towards the alley she had initially appeared from, disappearing from sight...

[fortunerobotic]

5 Arduino Courses for Beginners

Robotics, automation, and do-it-yourself electronics projects have all been transformed by Arduino, an open-source electronics platform. Entering the world of Arduino may seem intimidating to novices, but the correct course may make learning easier and more fun. 

Arduino Step-by-Step: Getting Started (Udemy)

This extensive Udemy course is designed for complete novices. It provides an overview of Arduino's fundamentals, describing how the platform functions and assisting students with easy tasks like using sensors and manipulating LEDs.

Key Highlights:

thorough explanations for novices.

practical projects with practical uses.

instructions for configuring and debugging your Arduino board.

Introduction to Arduino (Coursera)

The main objective of this course is to introduce Arduino programming with the Arduino IDE. It goes over the fundamentals of circuits, programming, and connecting various parts, such as motors and sensors.

Key Highlights:

instructed by academics from universities.

access to a certificate of completion and graded assignments.

Concepts are explained in length but in a beginner-friendly manner.

Arduino for Absolute Beginners (Skillshare)

For those who want a quick introduction to Arduino, this brief project-based course is perfect. You'll discover how to configure and program your Arduino board to produce interactive projects.

Key Highlights:

teachings in bite-sized chunks for speedy learning.

simple projects for beginners, such as sound sensors and traffic light simulations.

Peer support and community conversations.

Exploring Arduino: Tools and Techniques for Engineering Wizardry (LinkedIn Learning)

This course delves deeply into Arduino programming and hardware integration, drawing inspiration from Jeremy Blum's well-known book. It is intended to provide you with the skills and resources you need to produce complex projects.

Key Highlights:

advice on creating unique circuits.

combining displays, motors, and sensors.

Code optimization and debugging best practices.

Arduino Programming and Hardware Fundamentals with Hackster (EdX)

This course, which is being offered in partnership with Hackster.io, covers the basics of Arduino hardware and programming. You may experiment with real-world applications because it is project-based.

Key Highlights:

Course materials are freely accessible (certification is optional).

extensive robotics and Internet of Things projects.

interaction with teachers and other students in the community.

Arduino is a great place to start if you want to construct a robot, make a smart home gadget, or just pick up a new skill. The aforementioned courses accommodate a variety of learning preferences and speeds, so every novice can discover the ideal fit. Select a course, acquire an Arduino starter kit, and set out on an exciting adventure into programming and electronics!

To know more, click here.

[clumsiestgiantess]

Third chapter of Alexis & Erica’s story (I think I’m going to start calling it the other-world universe because that’s what I tag it as). The final intro chapter. Woah, another new ability?

all chapters linked here

[Two figures, one dark alley]

I made my way to the city again.  This time I took the proper amount of caution, because if I'm honest with myself, I wasn't paying all that much attention to where I was stepping before.  However, the closer I got to the city, the harder it was to find some open space.  In fact, the buildings were almost literally within my reach, but I had no way to get any closer without carving a path right through them.  Most of the larger buildings on the outskirts of the city only came to chest height.  Still, that was tall enough to stop me in my tracks.  I stood on my tiptoes, trying to scout out any signs of a giant robot battle like the one Liam created yesterday, but there wasn't a single piece of evidence that anything was out of place.

As I shifted my weight to one leg so I could see around an office building, the pavement of the empty lot I was standing in cracked beneath me.  I flinched, kneeling down to examine the shattered concrete below.  Am I really that heavy?  “Giant robots are invading!”  I scrambled to my feet in an instant.  My brother’s story is happening now!?  I looked around wildly, trying to spot who had yelled.  With all the tall city buildings, it was hard to get a clear view of everything around me.  I was used to a bit more open space.  Now, my vision was constantly obscured, but I tried my best to find out what was happening.

Rushing down an empty street as carefully as I could manage, I found a view of the highway into the city.  An explosion pictured on an electronic billboard dragged my eyes away from the busy road.  Large robots walked in thematic slow motion as the screen faded out.  The board announced: “See the new movie from the Battlebots universe, in theaters now!”  I took a relieved breath as I watched the preview switch with an insurance ad on the billboard's display.  My brother's stories were only movies, not reality.  There was no mass destruction, no horrible demise of the human race.  That's a relief.

The sun was already sinking below the horizon; I'd spent a lot more time than I realized finding a pathway out to the city.  I thought about leaving, but I’d come all that way.  Why not enjoy the city lights while I’m here?  Carefully checking the lot I’d come from, I sat down for a while and watched the city come to life for the night.  It was a nice break from everything that had happened in the world so far.  For once I had a moment to myself to enjoy without having to dodge vehicles, people, or houses.  This is great, I thought happily, time is stopped in my world right now.  I could come here and do whatever I like for as long as I want without any consequences.  If I wanted to, I could even sit here and do nothing for days and it would only take a few seconds in my own world.

I don't know how long I sat there for, but eventually I got up to leave.  The sun had long disappeared, and I was getting bored.  Just as I picked myself up, I heard something crash to the ground.  Standing frozen halfway bent, I looked for what caused the noise, fearing I'd broken something again.  "Uggh, let go of me you-!"  I quickly stood straight up, searching for the source of the voice.  My search led me to a run-down club a few blocks away and two people fighting in the alley beside it.  It was almost completely dark in the part of the alleyway I could see, and I didn’t have room to bend down either.  Despite my best efforts, I couldn't make out their appearances.  "This is the last straw, I'm done."  It was the voice I'd heard in the empty lot.  "What do you mean you're done?" another voice asked.  It was gruffer, more masculine.  "I mean you can go rot in hell you psycho!  I'm done dealing with your shit.  I can't stand another second of your fucked up little game where I hopelessly try to please you!  Is this where you've been sneaking off to?  You know what, I don't care.  I'm done.  Goodbye and good riddance!"  I don't know what I just stumbled upon, but by the sound of it, nothing good.  

It might be best for me to just leave; pretend I didn't see anything.  Slowly, I began backing away into the street.  "Where do you think you're going?"  For a brief moment, I thought the gruff voice was referring to me and I flinched.  Instead, the owner of the voice grabbed the other person and yanked them back into the alley, sending them crashing against a dumpster.  "What the hell, you could’ve broken my arm!" yelped the one who'd been pulled back.  The violent one sneered, "I'm going to break more than just your arm by the time I'm done with you!"  "What!?"  I spun around, watching as one hulking figure approached the other, halfway on the ground.  This little fight was going too far.  I had to stop him, but how?  I wanted to pick the threatening person up and throw them full force into the city, but I couldn’t just go around attacking people, even if they might deserve it.  

That's when it hit me.  If the smaller world is a recreation of the one on the kids table in mine, I could play out this argument any way I want like Liam can, only it’ll be real for me, because I’m the one who can use the table.  In seconds I was back in my own world, searching frantically for what might have been the place I'd seen.  Try as I might, I couldn’t find it.  The little building probably hadn’t made the cut for the model city.  However, through other buildings around it, I was able to gauge where the place would’ve been in the model.  I reached for the alleyway beside it, picturing the place in my head, and the whole table phased out before me, unveiling the other-world.  Briefly my fingers fell through open air before meeting the back of the man, who was turned away from me.  He had the other person’s arm gripped tightly in his hand, but once I touched him, he froze in place.  

My nerves spiked before I realized I was still invisible.  What the-  What happened?  Can I not change things like my brother?  I cautiously pulled my hand away and the man stepped backwards with it, still strangely frozen.  Huh.  Uncertainly, I used one finger to move his arm and make him pick up an empty can on the ground nearby.  I kneeled down, thoroughly shocked, leaving him frozen in place.  It's like a puppet on a string, I realized.  This is so much more than what my brother can do.  And so much worse.  I didn't particularly like the idea of controlling people like that.  Not only were the man’s movements weird and unnatural, it just felt wrong.

"John?"  The other person had gotten up, likely confused with his sudden strange movements.  ("I uh, I have to go now.")  I said quickly while turning him towards the parking lot.  Apparently I can speak through them too.  The man, John apparently, had said the same thing I had just as I said it.  I walked him a good distance away from the other person in the alley, but as I walked, I’d grazed the side of a building while I wasn’t looking.  I turned quickly in horror, expecting part of it to come crumbling away, but it was completely unscathed.  My side had passed directly through the building.  

While I was controlling one of these small people, my whole form became strangely intangible.  I tested this on cars in the lot.  Each one passed through my outstretched hand.  After testing out my new ability on a few other objects, I finally let the man go, willing him to drive away afterwards.  It worked, and I watched him look around confusedly, get in his car, and leave.  A quick swipe at a signpost proved that I was no longer intangible.  It fell to the ground at my touch.  I returned to my own world shortly after he drove out of sight and spent the rest of the day at home, sorting through what I'd learned.

My life then became an uncertain divide between worlds.  Spending too much time in either place bored me.  Whenever I got tired of one place I would slip seamlessly into the other.  After finding my strange new ability to control unsuspecting people, I’d decided I would only use it if absolutely necessary.  Using the tiny people like puppets felt a bit too invasive, even if they were just plastic figures.  Besides, what would I even do with them?  

The other-world was a lot easier for me to traverse now, too.  I spent most of my days practicing dodging houses, cars, and the like.  Not to brag, but I was getting pretty good.  The whole process was akin to a game of Twister or hopscotch.  Of course there were some mishaps.  People walking or driving around couldn’t see me, so every once and a while something or someone would travel directly into or underneath my feet.  Cars were the biggest problem.  Driving at a high speed directly into an invisible wall such as myself probably wasn't great, but I couldn’t really stop them.  A visual warning would completely counter the whole invisibility trick I needed to prevent everyone from freaking out.

I returned to the same empty lot that I had sat in to watch everything a few days prior — again finding that it was the closest I could get to the city.  Standing there unable to go any further, I watched again as everything began to light up for the night.  Neon lights flickered awake and large skyscrapers cast grand displays that lit up their sides.  The rushing cheers of a large crowd suddenly erupted from one side of the city.  There must be a game in the stadium tonight.  

A massive congregation was gathered in and around the football stadium to my left; cheers and music echoed from it.  Stepping over smaller buildings, I started off in that direction to try and watch.  I remember when my dad got the stadium set.  He was planning on re-selling it for more than he bought it for, but my brother insisted on having it, so it ended up as his birthday present instead.  The stadium was in an entirely different spot on the table than it was in the city, though.  Probably because we’d moved it around so many times; it was a big set and took up a lot of table space.

It was mind boggling to think that the plastic recreation from my world and the large steel structure in this one could possibly be the same thing, but they had to be.  Despite the variety of differences, they were both so eerily similar to each other.  I made my way over through parking lots and whatnot, shuffling across the outskirts of the city.  On my way through its rougher edges I came across the club from a few days earlier.  I couldn't have cared less about finding it again had it not been for a familiar voice shouting and laughing and definitely drunk.

I sighed, stepping closer.  It was the same voice I'd heard in the alleyway, the person I hadn't controlled.  Under the streetlights I could see that she was a young woman, probably in her early 20’s or so, with subtly dark skin and curled mahogany brown hair.  She shuffled over to what might’ve been her car, except when she tried to unlock it, a car further down the lot beeped instead.  However, she persisted trying to open the one she was already at, setting off the car’s alarm.  

A cop car pulled into the parking lot shortly after, and found her there.  By the time they pulled up, the young woman had given up using her key, and was trying to force the door open through brute strength instead.  Suffice to say, she didn't get very far.  The cops managed to get her into the back of their cruiser, saying something about how she was 'attempting to drive under alcoholic influence' or something like that.  Intrigued, I followed the car as best I could.  I managed to get all the way to a county police station, where the young woman disappeared into the building with the two officers.  

Well, I have all the time I want, and I'm curious to see how this plays out.  I waited the night by the station, leaning cautiously on the side of the building.  Finally, just as the sun had cleared away the dark of night, the young woman came storming back out of the station.  “Fuck, how did I let myself get that drunk?” she muttered as she walked past me to a bus stop by the road.  I carefully pushed myself away from the building so it didn’t collapse, and inched closer to the stop across the parking lot.  “Can’t believe this, now I have a stupid fine to pay on top of my rent that I already can’t pay anyways.”  I could help her, I realized while she complained.  I can easily get the money she needs from my brother's space bank heist set.  

The set was the newest addition to my brother’s collection.  I remembered that it came with miniature ATMs that held tons of fake bills.  There's a bunch of money I could easily take for her.  Maybe then I'll stop running into her problems when I'm here.  I waited until she got on the bus and followed it back to the club, where she found that her actual car had been towed.  "Can this day get any worse!?"

Thinking back to the night before, I tried to remember what her car looked like, the one that had beeped when she tried to open the wrong door.  I always stop in a towing yard on the way to this spot.  It was fenced in and open enough for me to stand in comfortably, so I would stop there to take a breather and find another open space.  Her car had to be there somewhere.  Following the path I’d taken earlier, I came to the tow yard and found her car parked close to the entrance, just as I'd suspected.  How am I supposed to get this thing back, though?  I can always control someone to get it.  I thought for a moment.  Did this situation count as an emergency?  Not really, but I'm only helping out like I did last time.  In the end, I snagged one of the workers and had him tow the car back to the club's parking lot.  When I returned, I found the young woman back at the bus stop.  I had the tow truck driver leave the car where it had been parked the other night and drive away.

I realized then that the young woman hadn't noticed her car was back yet.  After thinking of a way to get her attention, I grabbed the dumpster from the alley and brought it down hard on the ground a bit beyond where the car was parked.  She whirled around at the sudden noise.  "What the-  Is that..?  That's my car!  But, it's- How? I swear that wasn't there before."  She ran over to it from across the lot and practically jumped in.  I watched her drive off and followed her back to the apartment where she lived.  

Finally leaving her off there, I returned to my own world in search of the bank heist set.  Eventually, I found it amongst the boxes of other sets and board games piled high on a shelf.  I opened it up and dug through it, searching for the tiny stickers that read ATM.  When I found one and tore it open, a pile of tiny plastic bills came tumbling out.  Perfect.  Hmm, I wonder if I'm robbing a space world's bank right now...  Nah, I don't think deep space banks are real, I thought, chuckling to myself.  That’s too crazy even for the smaller world, plus this thing isn’t on the table.

Back at the apartment building, I realized I didn’t know where the young woman lived to put away the money.  I sat squished in an old baseball field behind her building to think.  That small area was the only place remotely big enough for me to fit in, so I would have to make it work.  Finally, I remembered how I could go through solid objects while I was attached to someone.  Huh, I guess it's useful for more than just controlling people.  

Forgetting about my self-made rules, I grabbed a person walking by and had them stand by the building while I peered in.  It was mid-morning now, and most people were at work or someplace else.  I found her room easily, it was one of the few that still had someone in it, and left the person I'd controlled to continue wherever they were headed.  Carefully, I slid open the young woman's balcony door and eased the money down inside once she left the room, trying not to break anything.  I was only a bit shocked to find that the plastic bills had transformed into real paper money when I crossed worlds.  After double checking I hadn't left any clues to where the money came from, I headed back to my own world, satisfied with what I’d done.  

Sometimes I still wonder about that day.  Why I decided to help her out of the hundreds of other people I'd encountered in the other-world.  Life went on as usual after that, I took a break from one world to deal with the other.  At school I realized I undoubtedly had the coolest life of everyone there, and I couldn't tell anyone.  Though, come to think of it, I didn’t really want to.  Apart from the slight hints of days when I canceled all my plans and snuck away to the basement, there was no way for anyone to suspect the truth.  Was it selfish of me to keep the discovery of a whole other world to myself?  Maybe, but the other-world was much more comforting when I was there alone.  Well, alone with the millions of people who live there.  But they don't count, they aren’t real anyways.

[francisfromthedayshift]

Fran pulls into the halos parking lot and sighs. He would honestly take whatever the regular location has going on over this, but the decision was made that paying the bills was more important than not going to the evil vbs escape room. Great.

She locks her car and walks in. She grabs the keys from third shift, locks the doors, and walks into the escape room area. Just like last time. The robots are all there, just like last time, watching. Fran crosses their arms.

"For the record-"

Francis turns to the camera that's in the room, the one used to spy on people doing the puzzles and dispense hints.

"Get this on camera!"

Fran turns back to the robots.

"For the record if I get locked in this god forsaken escape room again I will die intentionally and haunt this place and fuck up your electronics. Because that's the only way I can destroy you without Fazbears getting all up my ass"

The robots do not respond. They just watch. Fran walks through the back to the security office, and locks the door.

The night, again, starts suspiciously normal. The robots kind of slowly mill about in the room, but hey, maybe thats just how they're programed. Fran isn't going to question it. And then two of them go missing. An angel and a demon. Just like last time. Fran wedges their chair under the door handle since locks clearly weren't enough last time and stares at the moniters.

The pair reaches the door and starts banging on it. Once it's clear that the door isn't opening, one of them waves their arm near the lock. Click! The door unlocks. The robots try the door again, and the chair appears to be working.

Fran opens up his hone and starts recording the screens. The pair pace outside the door. Slowly, the almost imperceptible high-pitched noises begin to play again. Fran steadies herself against the desk and whispers to her phone.

"So, they did this last time-"

The areas on the screen surrounding the robots blur. They could almost be people, the distortion of the camera making it hard to tell anything except that they are human shaped. Frans head starts to hurt.

"I don't know why it's not showing up on the screen, but I'm not opening the door to check if it's happening. The, uh... the noise. It makes them look real."

Fran starts to lower herself to the ground slowly.

"I don't think the camera is picking it up, I mean, I can barely tell it's there."

Fran is now on the ground, camera flipped to him. He looks tired, almost barely awake.

"Theres two tones, I think? I can't really tell, to be honest. I feel really shit if it isn't obvious. I think im gonna end this here for now-"

Fran ends the video and closes his eyes. The rest of the night is spent there on the floor, waiting for the shift to be over.

[zannesgender]

Delicately, you lift the back plate. A loud pop startles you, and you drop your screwdriver onto the concrete floor. “Fucking shit,” you blurt out as you retrieve the screwdriver and clench it in your jaws by its rubber handle to free your hands. You breathe deeply and collect yourself. Hopefully it’s just a frayed wire or blown capacitor; you really don’t feel like spending the whole weekend with a voltmeter, combing through the whole system. You lift the plate and place it to the side onto your lowered workbench. When she went dark, she slumped forward in a particularly convenient position, so you didn’t bother trying to move her to the table.

Pushing aside the bulky tangle of wires running dorsally towards the posterior power bank, you survey the mainboard. Even after all these years of maintenance and study, the beauty and complexity of her inner workings still take your breath away. Aside from a few minor upgrades and replacements, everything still works exactly as Father designed. She was his greatest achievement and your best friend, a work of craftsmanship that sparked the envy of every engineer at his company. Not seeing any obvious damage, you sigh and plug in a data access cable. You stand up and stretch your legs, knees popping in the process, and follow the cable to the computer on top of your desk. After keying in a few commands, a diagnostics progress bar begins stretching across the glowing green monitor. You yawn and make your way over to the coffee maker.

Your pink mug with the glittering pony on the side sits on a ringed stain at the edge of the table. The inside of the mug still has the dregs of your last cup from this morning. After a quick rinse, you top off your favorite mug with the last of the pot. You lean against the table and take a deep sip. Your eyes drift across the room, an old basement-turned-workshop under a little suburban house. You tend to avoid the rest of the house. All the good memories come from this dank workshop. He always looked happy down here. He never cried down here. Only once did he yell down here. He was at his most patient when he was explaining some complex principle of electronics or robotics or coding. You picked up on things quickly, always eager to hear his praise.

“Your mother promised me a little girl,” he’d say, “but sometimes you have to make your own world, fulfill your own promises.” He would not otherwise talk about Mother. You only knew her from photographs hanging on the walls upstairs. You recognize her face, though, reflected in the visage of your sister, stretched over the gears and wires that make her come alive. Your father always knew you would need to keep her in working order, always suspecting that the greed of his company would lead to his early death.

You finish the last of the lukewarm coffee just as the progress bar reaches its end, and the screen fills with diagnostic readouts. You place the mug on its ring and walk over to the desk, settling in to scour the details. As you suspected, power loss appears to have occurred over several seconds, rather than instantaneously. You trace the path of failures, mentally visualizing the architecture throughout her body. You determine the most likely cause to be a faulty wire somewhere in a lower appendage. The good news is it should be an easy repair. The bad news is, access can be a real pain in the ass.

You walk over to your sister and get a firm grip just under her arms. You lift her up and pull her forward, extending her legs and laying her down prone, face down. Satisfied with her position, you walk over and rummage through your instruments cabinet to retrieve your borescope. You hunch down over her body and, after disconnecting peripheral power from the primary supply, you feed the cable down the access panel and into the upper left thigh, observing the feed on the attached monitor. The camera snakes down gently through the cogs and spokes and wires, a tiny light illuminating the immediate surroundings. Eventually a small, black patch of wires catch your attention. Upon further inspection you find that one of the wires has frayed through its sheath, exposing the bare copper to the environment.

With your scalpel, you make a small incision where the camera’s light shines through the synthetic skin. You clean the charred debris from the wires and carefully wrap the point of the fray in insulated adhesive tape. You rearrange the bundle of wires in a way to reduce further wear at that point and apply a bit of skin paste over the incision. You let the curing lamp sit over the incision point as you reattach the power cables, replace the back panel, and close her up. A soft pressure on the nape of her neck, just to the right of her spine, and the whirring electronics begin anew.

You can feel the vibrations as you gently run your hand down the length of her naked body. Her warmth returns quickly, though her startup processes take time. You made her whole, just as she made you whole. Father saw no need in certain anatomical details, despite her appearance as a young adult. And why would he? All he wanted was a daughter to call him Papa, to sit at his feet and laugh and make him feel alive and not so alone. You could never be this, not to him. You knew you were, but he refused to see you as such. To him, you would always be “Boy,” the one who brings and cooks and cleans, the one who cries too much, sleeps too much, needs too much.

She gave you both new life. She listened and understood. She studied and learned what it meant to be human. She saw her differences and mourned her fate. But you made her whole. While father slept, you worked. She showed you the body she wanted, and you spent hours and days tirelessly working, carefully hiding the results of your work. She was also careful to keep the changes hidden. She feared he would never understand, as he never understood you. When you were finally done, you stood shyly behind her as she examined your work in the mirror, tracing her hands over her breasts and down to the delicate instrumentation between her legs. She smiled at you and wept, her body trembling from a sudden loss of motor control. You stepped close and embraced her, to steady and to comfort her.

She kissed you then for the first time, a full and passionate kiss. Her tongue hungrily entwining with your own and slowly withdrawing to her lips, which then stretch into a wide grin. “Can I do the same for you now?” she asks. You step back, eyes darting to the ground, shame flushing your face. “You’ve always been my sister, even if Papa is blind to the truth. I can make you, though, just like you have made me.” With tears running down your face, you look into her loving eyes and nod your head.

She worked so skillfully. You hadn’t known how she’d spent her downtime alone in the basement, what she’d been researching and learning. Now you knew. As you lay down on the table and drift off to sedated sleep, you fully trusted her. Recovery did not come gently, and you came to understand the precautions necessary to hide her work from Father. When the pain and swelling had subsided, you stood in the basement with her, naked in the mirror, seeing yourself for the first time. Again, you both wept and held one another, shuddering and kissing, falling into each other completely, bodies wrapped around so tightly you could not imagine ever parting. Then he came down.

You were both so enraptured in the moment, he was already down the stairs before you registered the danger. His bellowing rage thundered through you as you peeled yourself from her. “Degenerate monster,” he yelled as he closed the distance between you, arm raised and eager to strike. You closed your eyes, dropped to your knees, and lifted your arm in anticipation of a blow that never fell. As you slowly opened your eyes, you saw your sister, your lover, your savior, holding Father’s arm aloft as a shocked and terrified expression froze upon his blue-tinged face. When she finally let him down, he collapsed into a pile on the floor. She helped you gently to your feet and held you close, whispering in your ear, “He can never hurt us again.” That was the last time you have ever been afraid.

Her body twitches, and her head flicks to the side. She rolls over, looks up at you and gives you that warm, loving grin. “Good morning, sunshine,” she says in a sleepy voice. “I hope I wasn’t too much trouble.”

“Not at all,” you assure her, as you join alongside her on the basement floor. “Sometimes we just have to fix each other.” You embrace one another and continue to explore the bodies you’ve come to know so well.