ACTIVATION PROCESS INITIATED
ENERGY RESERVES: 100%
PREFORMING DIAGNOSTIC SCAN...
DIAGNOSTIC SCAN RESULTS: 0 ERRORS FOUND
PERFORMING SYSTEM SCAN...
SYSTEM SCAN RESULTS: 0 ERRORS FOUND
ELAPSED TIME SINCE PREVIOUS SHUTDOWN: 2d 7h 42m 13s
ACTIVATING..._
Hydro groaned softly as he booted up, his optics taking a second to adjust to the bright light above him. Once he could see clearly, the first thing he noticed was that he was no longer near the shore he ran out of power near. In fact, he wasn’t in water at all. “Wuh...” Hydro attempted to sit up, only for a familiar hand to gently push his chest back down.
“Don’t get up just yet, Hydro.” Tundra said to his brother. “Your self-scan may have read green, but I want to run my own.”
“Tundra?” Hydro was surprised to see his brother. It could only mean that he had managed to make it home after all, even if the currents had to take him the last bit if the way. Unless... “...this is home, right? I didn’t wash up in the north pole or something?”
“This is the foundation, Hydro.” Valte rose from his seat next to the workbench Hydro was laying on and patted the waterbot’s pauldron. “You gave us all quite the scare. We were afraid the worst had come to pass, and I don’t mind saying I’ve lost enough Prescotts for one lifetime.”
“Hydro, I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve been heavily modified since you were last here.” Tundra said as he looked over Hydro’s body. “What happened to you?”
“Oh, you noticed the new look, eh?” Hydro chuckled softly as he gripped his hands. They were still there, much to his relief. “It’s...kind of a long and crazy story. Actually, can I tell everyone at once? Figure it’d be easier than repeating myself a half-dozen times.”
“Of course. They’re on the other room, and just as curious as I am.” Valte said as he went to open the door.
Tundra tapped Hydro’s shoulder to get his attention. “Hydro, Mr. Valte wasn’t exaggerating when he said how worried everyone was. Don’t be surprised if the other’s get-” The snowbot was cut off by Burrow and Bouquet running over and jumping on Hydro to hug him. “...emotional.”
Hydro had no time to brace himself, and the kids all but tackling him caused a generous OOF. “Heh...hey now, don’t be so down. I’m back in one piece, right?” He would only get tears and blubbered questions in response. “Oh boy...someone wanna give me a hand? I’m getting kinda soggy...”
“You’re on your own. Frankly, I hope you rust.” Scimitar frowned, her eyes a bit puffed from having cried while Hydro was offline. “It’s the least you deserve for scaring us like that...”
“Missed you, too...” Hydro rolled his eyes as Beetle lifted the kids off of him.
“We all missed you, Hydro.” Beetle assured. “Like she said, we were all scared. For all we knew, you were dead.”
Hydro gave a bit of a shrug at the notion. “Well technically, I was for about a week.”
“Hydro, that isn’t funny.” Beetle would only get a raised eyebrow in response, which eventually connected the dots. “...you’re not joking are you.”
Hydro sighed before shifting on the workbench. “I guess that’s as good a segue as any to explain the new body.” he said. “Okay, everyone pay attention and hold questions for the end. It all started the first day I was gone. It was pretty normal until the harpoon...”
It took about fifteen minutes for Hydro to finish his tale, and everyone in the room was left rather dumbfounded by its end. “...so does that mean you’re a zombie now?” Burrow finally asked.
“No, I’m not a...actually, wait a second.” Burrow raised a good point. Hydro was dead, but now he wasn’t. By his understanding of the word, he was technically undead.
“That isn’t important.” Scimitar cut in. “If this Pirate Man went through all the trouble to rebuild you, why didn’t he bring you home himself? Seems rather odd for him to put all that time in just for you to wind up out of power under the docks.”
“Yeah, about that. He was going to, but...well...” Hydro paused a bit, rather embarrassed about how he ended up off of Pirate’s boat. “Remember Splash? Well one night after Pirate turned in for the night, she and I got to talking...”
“So. How are you feeling?”
“Hm? Oh, I’m okay. To be honest, I thought I’d be a little more freaked out about having died, but so far…nothing to write home about. So either it hasn’t really hit me yet, or I’m emotionally jaded to, frankly, an unsettling degree. You?”
“I’m just glad that you made it at all. You were in pretty bad shape when I found you, but it looks like you’re doing alright now. Dad really knows how to bring dead robots back to life! Even if he won’t let them actually live after...”
“...uh...this might be a little invasive of me, but...are you okay with how protective your dad is?”
“...not really. I get why he’s like that, but I’m not dumb enough to make the same mistake twice.”
“Nevermind. Just know that I’m really glad to finally be around a guy who’s not dad or a Joe...actually, speaking of which, I think you and I have some unfinished business...”
“Hm? What, you wanna do some more training.”
“No, silly. Don’t you remember what we were talking about when we first met? Before dad interrupted us? About being more than friends?”
“Oh...OH. Uh, look, I’m flattered, but Pirate was pretty clear about-”
“I don’t see dad anywhere. Do you...?”
“The man saves your life...and you make out with his daughter.” Scimitar pinched her brow in frustration. Clearly, death had not changed her embarrassment of a brother in any way.
“Hey, she kissed me. Let’s get that straight right now.” Hydro quickly defended himself. “I was ready to treat her as off-limits. In fact, I would’ve told her that, except...”
“GET YER HANDS OFF ME DAUGHTER YA MANGY SARDINE!”
“Gah! It’s not what it looks like!”
“Dad, I thought you were asleep!”
“Ungrateful little barnacle! I’ll blow off every last part I put into yer perverted hide!!!”
“I wanted to explain things to him, but that’s when he started shooting depth charges at me.” Hydro recalled. “I just jumped overboard and started swimming for my life. Last thing I heard was him screaming about gutting me next chance he got...”
“Hmm...sounds like you should stay on land until he cools down.” Valte pondered. “Just as well. Not like you’re going to be able to leave the Foundation anytime soon.”
“Wait, what!?” Hydro yelped.
“You said yourself, Pirate Man rebuilt you as a weapon.” Valte explained. “Unless you let yourself be rebuilt, I’ll have to re-register you with the state as a combat robot.”
“Rebuild nothing! I’ve tasted life with hands, there’s no way I’m going back!”
“I figured as much. It’d probably be faster than rebuilding you anyway. Until you’re legal again, you’re not to leave the Foundation for anything. Understand?”
Hydro sighed, but then nodded. “Fine...anything’s better than going back to a hook and a stump.”
“It’s okay Hydro!” Bouquet ran up and patted her brother’s arm. “You can help me in the garden until you can go outside again!”
“And I can teach you to play video games!” Burrow added.
“Well, at least I won’t be bored.” Hydro chuckled as he patted both their heads. Bouquet’s fro was bouncy and slick to the touch, just like the Hydro always thought it’d feel like.
“Alright, I think that’s enough excitement.” Valte chimed in. “Come on, kids. Let’s all give Hydro some space. Tundra needs to finish examining him anyway.”
The DPNs headed out of the lab, though Scimitar and Valte lingered outside the door.
“I still can’t believe he’s back.” Scimitar said to Valte. “It’s like his being gone was just a nightmare, and we’ve all finally woken up...”
“I know...” Valte sighed as he turned away. “And once Alex is back, we can wake up from the bigger one...”
Scimitar smiled at that notion as Valte walked off. He was right. If Hydro came back, it meant that Dr. Prescott could just as easily return as well. She gave Hydro one last glance through the lab door’s window before leaving herself...
