#silverwarmachine

[justbootlaces]

Boots sighed, as she quietly slipped back down the hallway. One friend checked on, now it was time to check in on the other. Keys was right, she'd been putting of this whole thing for way too long.

She hobbled into the familiar library, setting her diaper bag in an empty chair. She adjusted the sling around Emma, a bit, before looking up.

"Ollie... You home? I have someone here you really need to meet."

[preferbialkat]

[[no stopping 'til 50 babies! 8D]]

[[I don't think we have enough adults to take care of that many.]]

[silverwarmachine]

A Slight Miscalculation

[[Otherwise known as a story post to make up for the fact that my depression kept me away for about what, six months?]]

Something odd was happening. Ollie knew about dreams, but hadn't had one of his own yet, but there he was, subconsciously floating through a dark plane.

A small patch of light began to grow in the distance directly in front of him, which was where he was continuing to float.

Within seconds, he was in a first-person view and in an unfamiliar place, chatting with a woman. Looking down, he noticed he was human.

For a fleeting moment, Ollie felt an odd sense of peace.

---

"The Spine?" Colonel Walter's voice was muffled, Ollie's startup working painfully slow, his optics lightly glowing and barely focused.

"Oh thank goodness. It's about time!" There was relief to the Colonel's voice... What was he so elated about?

Before he could ask, Ollie felt the man forcing water into his boiler, which, after a moment, kicked into gear. In a matter of moments, he was functioning properly again and took a look around; he was on one of the workbenches across the Manor from his library.

"Colonel?" Genuine confusion and steam flowed from his lips.

The man was suddenly very close to Ollie's face, no doubt checking his optics. "You've no clue how long you were powered down, yes?"

"Only an hour, just like I usually do... Right?"

Peter Walter's eyes widened a bit. "No, not right. You were out so long I feared you a vegetable of a robot; it was nearly half the year, Spine!"

A spark shot off of Oliver's neck, which jerked at a painful angle.

"Hal-half a year-ear?!?"

"Calm down, Spine, or you'll shut dow--!" Peter pulled away as a few more sparks flew off, Ollie's optics going black. He sighed in frustration, knowing a long night of rechecking the silvery automaton laid before him.

[justbootlaces]

Keys had just brought his worry up to Boots, and was a bit boggled at her quiet dismissal of the idea.

“Dana, last time you saw them was a few days before she was born.”

“And?”

“It’s the middle of May!”

The woman rolled her good eye, and shrugged, folding more freshly washed onesies and tiny socks.

“When I came home, I did the same thing. Just give him more time, okay? And besides, if you’re really that worried, you got two feet. I love them both to death, but I have to look after Emma. And I can’t do that when I’m on my knees puking up what I ate three days ago.”

That, at least, Keys understood. This portal in particular always seemed to cause her issues.

“Your father and I are starting to worry. I’m sure certain friends of yours would be getting on your case, too. And don’t you think for one minute I won’t tell them, if you don’t shape up, soon. You’ve barely left the house since Emma was born. You’re getting pale, and you aren’t getting the exercise you’re supposed to be getting. Please. Seriously. Take the baby to meet them. It’ll do all of you some good.”

Boots opened her mouth to protest, and Keys cut her off, before she could speak.

“You’ll go, or I’ll tell the fathers of a certain group of little boys that you’re available to babysit every weekend for the next month.”

“... Fine.”

*~*~*

Boots leaned against the wall, letting the dizziness pass.

“Dammit, I hate this…”

She held Emma closer, as the little girl fussed, and smiled.

“I know, honey. Mommy’s okay.”

After a moment, she stood straight, picked up the dropped diaper bag and her cane, and set off down the hallway.

“Rabbit…? Ollie…? Anyone there…?”

[silverwarmachine]

Like New

"Come on, now, The Spine; don't you want to see?"

Ollie was slowly coming to, processing his surroundings, and wincing at the bright light in front of his photo receptors. There was a new sensation to his face, jaw, and hands, and a new weight to his right side.

He sat up, looking Colonel Walter over before looking down; there were new panels and plates everywhere, his right arm actually there again, but difficult to move.

"You'll have to readjust to the weight, but you're quick on the uptake... Hold out your arm."

With a bit of effort, he did as he was told, lifting his arm and holding it out, his creator watching him intensely.

"That took a few seconds... Perhaps something's a bit too tight?"

The bot nodded. "It strained at the joints, particularly the shoulder."

Peter Walter nodded back, grabbing a screwdriver, and going back to work on Ollie's arm. Without looking up from his work, he spoke again, smirking to himself. "I've made some adjustments to your face and hands; you'll be able to see the face in a moment, but go ahead and look at your free hand."

Lifting his left arm, Ollie looked down at the hand, fingers a bit less blocky, and turned his palm up. Where there had once been solid metal, a black mesh was now found.

"That ought to do it." Peter backed away before taking the bot's right wrist, bringing his palm up, and applied pressure to the mesh with his own fingers, making Ollie jump and Peter grin madly.

"I... I felt that."

"I was hoping so." The mad grin was plastered to the Colonel's face. "It's a new technology I've been tinkering with; figured you'd be more responsible and least likely to cause it damage."

All Oliver could do was stare at his hands, slowly flexing the fingers, then touching the palms together; it wasn't quite like being human, but it was damn close.

He didn't even notice that Walter had picked up a hand mirror and held it out.

"What about this?"

Ollie held the mirror, nearly dropping it at the sight of his face; larger openings for optics, a plate that nearly looked like it could be a nose, more expressive 'eyebrows', a more movable mouth, and... Did he have teeth now? The face plate was more exaggerated than the one before, but it seemed somehow more human, too.

He wiggled his face, trying to make the biggest, most cartoony expressions he could, since he had less restraint to his expression.

"It's... Interesting to say the least, Colonel."

"Everything's in working order, then?"

"So it would seem."

Letting out a tired sigh, Peter gestured toward the door to the workshop. "I'm sure the others would love to see you again, then..."

"That's a horrible excuse to get some rest, Colonel." He gave a sympathetic smile. "I... I would like to formally apologize for exploding on you as I had before, and--"

The Colonel held up a hand. "Just get out for now, The Spine. I'm too busy to hear it just yet."

Standing, Ollie nodded. "Hopefully busy sleeping, Colonel."

It got a bit of a chuckle from his creator. "If only, if only..."

With that, Ollie set off.

[justbootlaces]

Kenny dashes down the hallway in his grape costume, bouncing up and down as he slides to a halt in front of a doorway.

"OLLIE OLLIE OLLIE! HURRY UP, WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!"

And the pounding starts.

"HURRY UUUUUUUPPPPP!"

[justbootlaces]

Kenny was struggling, lately.

Sleep was even harder to come by than before, and he was having even more trouble with the other children in the neighborhood than he had been before the incident.

So, he wandered, in Boots' house. He knew where he wanted to go, but couldn't remember where the doorway was, at the moment.

So he stumbled along until he came to one.

... It was the attic.

Sorry, kiddo. Wrong door.

Once on the other side, Kenny did what any sleepy, cranky five-year-old does, when they realize they're lost and in big trouble.

He plopped down onto the floor and started to wail.

A little, yellow ball of light hovered worriedly around him.

[hornedchick]

Awwwwww!

Ollie and Junior together are just way too cute. It can't be legal to be that cute!