#signed letters

[nixscriptum]

[fred-the-janitor]

Tubbo wasn't there when he woke up. But Dave was. ‘It's WB017!!’, he would say but Dave is better.

Maybe he shouldn't pick up naming his coworkers. But it's too late for that, at this point. The whirs of his system powering up echoes through his ears as he slowly stands.

Its sensors flicker hazes into HD as it picks up Dave's audio.

"WA02! WA02!" It was like a little assistant or something. It hovers in its doorway as Fred smoothes out his fur where Tubbo previously laid. "Your room is a mess!" Definitely an assistant more than a guard. "What's with all this?"

"I was, hanging out, with someone." Fred answers. He wasn't sure how it would go well to tell his guard that he was on a date with a prisoner.

"Who? WB012?" Charles, it broke the coffee machine last week.

"WD026?" James, pretty sure its on a mission right now.

"Is it-" Fred places its paw over Dave's mouth. Where it would be, at least. It startled it, clearly with how quiet it gets.

"Don't worry about it." Fred instructs. "I'll clean this up, and you can tell me what you needed."

He hears Dave huff, still in his doorway as he throws empty boxes in the trash.

"Why do you have food in here?" Fred sighs at Dave indignant response. This is gonna be a long day.

[nixscriptum]

[nixscriptum]

[fred-the-janitor]

WA02 is a program that learns, it can access all of its database without stress. Learning means that WA02 doesn't do the same things as it did in the past. Learning is doing better than what it did before. Before what, it's not quite sure. WA02 has a lot of tasks it is required to do, create tasks for the residents to keep them busy, check in on WS01, respond to The Bureau, assist the Workers. It doesn't have time to worry or think about the past, only allowing the programming that has never left it astray before. There was a lot of things that WA02 is capable of doing that other workers could not do. One of them being running medical tests as a high clearance is needed that used to only belong to the [REDACTED], but now it uses in order to allow The Bureau to run the tests it desires. Right now it was being used for a different subject, one it feels like it should know. WA02 doesn't like the feeling, staring at the Egg that wanders from one side of the room to the next. The Egg was weird, even compared to other Eggs that it recalls from its database. It doesn't like the way the Egg looks, weren't they designed to be appealing? It didn't like the Egg's sunken eyes and the unnatural purple color. Why does the Egg stare at it like that? It was unnerving, and its wires twisted with an unsettling feeling. Its fingers curled around-? Its fans whir and cools its system as it realizes that the Egg was not staring at WA02 itself but the white dog thing in its paw. It's not even sure why it brought it along with it. It passes the toy to another bot. "Give this to the Egg." WA02 tells the lower ranked worker. The worker gives it a feeling that it was looking at it with confusion, like it knows something WA02 doesn't. Still it does what it was told. WA02 doesn't like feeling like it's missing something.

[fred-the-janitor]

WA02 wasn't really sure why the workers couldn't clean out its old office. It was practically empty anyway, from its memory.

It walks into the room, furred fingers flopping on the switch. Faceless features twitching at the sight.

Papers and crayons scattered on the floor, a aquarium tank, a pile of pillows (so that's where all the extras went), a (quite big) dog plush toy of sorts. It was like children have lived here.

‘They did, they did. My children. My kids.’

It didn't matter, really. Perhaps it had these from previous experiments and was looking through them. It would make some sense considering it's level, especially with the lack of human management roaming as they used to it would have to have fallen to it.

Right. Cleaning.

WA02 methodically picks up papers, stacking them and putting them away in the old desk. It doesn't know why it didn't just toss them. They're useless now.

Then the pillows, it needed to put them back in storage. It was in such an odd state.

There used to be an imprint of a body there. Moving pillows and expecting to see eyes that never show up.

The aquarium is fine, what's a little decoration for whoever uses the room next? Something in its systems tell it no one will use the room. It just doesn't know why.

It find itself holding onto the plush. It recognizes the character, but doesn't understand its purpose. Why was it here? It should throw it out.

. . .

Its fingers curl around the toy just a little too much for its taste.

It sighs. Something has to be wrong with the toy, clearly.

WA02 takes it with it to its office.

[fred-the-janitor]

Fred had been trying to contact Tubbo for days. After a sudden reassignment to another section of the building for a while, something he knew was mostly a way to keep him busy.

It worked. He was busy, but he still typed messages to Tubbo.

They reassigned me to another section, I'll try to find time to see you.

Read.

Are you doing well? Are the kids doing well?

Read.

I heard the other prisoners woke up, you won't be lonely anymore right?

Read. Read. Read. Read.

Every single message was read. Yet there was never a response. Fred chalks it up to her being busy, it doesn't stop the anxiety that it shouldn't have. Its fans whirs louder, trying to cool its system. Its featureless face scrunch with worry, pacing his new office.

It couldn't take it for much longer, it's been too silent. Tubbo wouldn't just not message it back. Right?

WA02 stops another worker to ask about the prisoners, the worker paused. And WA02 can tell it was as confused as it felt.

"The prisoners? They were released yesterday afternoon, sir."

There's an audible crash inside of it somewhere, something breaks. Something stopped working and it was obvious with the way the worker managed to look alarm without any features. The false lungs in its chest stutters to a stop.

"...yesterday?" Its voice was flatter, losing the lighter inflection it completely vanishing, dropping to flat horror. WA02's communicator was suddenly much heavier with a weight of something dreadful. "So," It's voice trips over itself, trying to find its footing. "Tubbo is.."

"Released onto the island." The worker nods, its ears lowering slightly, it reaches out, paw pressing against WA02's arm in an attempt of comfort.

It takes everything in it to not jerk away.

The gears within it were screeching to a halt. "Okay." There a crack in its voice. The worker winces. "And... the children-"

"Are.. in custody..."

WA02's system freezes, warning signs of errors flooding it's visor, its fingers flexing and curling. The faceplates under its fur shifts slowly, uncertain to its next move.

It could feel its systems slowly power down, one by one. Pop ups force closing.

There's a sharp ping on its communicator.

The New Bureau.

> Come to my office. Now.

It was tempted to ignore the message. There was something bitter, ugly, sinister that says it should.

WA02's back up system slowly powers on. It puts its communicator away. It gives the worried worker a nod and leaves the office.

[fred-the-janitor]

WA02 rubs its paws on its face, there's going to be so many questions now from the other workers. It peers at its communicator the message still glaring at it. It takes a slow breath, its visor shadowed by pops up that reappear faster than it can dismiss.

What the hell happened? Where did Osito go? What is it meant to do with this sudden vacuum?

It makes a sound of frustration, its paws flexing. Sometimes being a robot had its cons, one being which when dealing with destructive emotions, it can't really tear something a part with its teeth or claws.

It paced around its office, a sense of dread made its fur stick up on edge, a mix of dread and fury really. Was this scheduled? It would have to be. It hadn't been paying much attention with a sudden influx of new responsibilities.

Its mini rage session was already shut down before it could even start as there was a quiet knock on its door.

It pauses, debating on whether or not it should just tell whoever it was to leave. However there was a large chance that it was one of the kids, and it didn't want to reject them for any capacity.

It walks over and opens the door, emptiness met it. Not a worker then. Its head turns downwards and it was surprised. It was P16, standing there with P16's dog plush toy P16 was adamant was a rabbit. They meet each others eyes for a long time before it kneels down to P16's height. "Are you okay P16?" WA02 asks, it was good enough to act like it wasn't as affected as it felt like it was.

P16 stares up at it with those same somber purple eyes, much less scared than when they first met but all the same amount of somberness. P16 shifts the rabbit toy, a dog it mentally corrects itself, in P16's arms. The toy was almost as big as the kid on its own.

Osito may have found some amusement in that.

Shit.

P16 was shoving something against its paw which it takes gingerly after returning to its main focus.

What happened to Smiley? was written on the dry erase board in blue. Which at this point WA02 assumes is P16's favorite color.

If it had the ability to swallow the metaphorically lump in its throat it would, but it was stuck because nothing was actually there.

"I don't know." It admits after a bit of silence.

P16 erases the board and writes again.

Will Smiley be back?

It wanted to laugh, and it did a little. It was stupid and it didn't know. What is it supposed to say?

"I don't know." It says again. P16 stares at it for a moment before taking a few steps forwards and hugs the bot as tight as P16 could, as if P16 was holding WA02 together.

And, as WA02 wraps its own paws around P16, maybe the kid was.

Only one thought ran through WA02's head.

What's going to happen now?