It's hard to communicate like this. Luckily Mika is a patient person, and realizes the gravity of the situation when Uzi's words just come out as unintelligible garbage. Even writing doesn't work, so there's no way for Uzi to just explain what happened to her. And thank Robo-God she didn't just forget her friend, like she had some others.
It takes Uzi a few tries to figure out the callback ping functionality, and a few more tries to figure out where the response is coming from; the Intraspace, a part of Spirale Uzi had never bothered to visit. The idea of uploading herself to a virtual space makes her nervous, because she isn't the only thing living in her head. So going in herself is out of the question, and thankfully, Mika seems to understand.
The two girls stand before the Intraspace terminal. Worry crosses Uzi's face, and she tries to tell Mika to be careful.
"Ugh, I'm sweaty. Who programmed that?" comes the words.
She frowns, because she sounds like a sentence-mixed video now. This sucks.
"Nobody traumatizes these weirdly-hot robots but ME!"
That one makes her blush a little, and Uzi tries one more time, because rule of threes.
"Just can't wait to murder all humans. Classic robot stuff."
C'mon, dude. Chunks of her memories are missing, but she's somehow quoting herself from a year ago. Uzi just shakes her head and waves Mika towards the terminal. There's nothing she can say or do, she just has to wait and hope Mika can retrieve the parts of herself that have been taken.
But at the last second, she puts her hand on Mika's shoulder. She wants to say something, to wish her luck or thank her for helping, but she literally can't. She can't do anything.
Small lines of worry appear beneath her eyes, and she gives Mika a forlorn look. Then she just gives her a thumbs up. It's all she can do. She watches Mika enter the Intraspace, worry clawing at her core. Worst-case scenario... the Absolute Solver corrupts the entire island and eats everyone. So let's hope it's just a little less worst-case than that.
Inside the Intraspace is Cyber Spirale, and inside the simulated city is the cyber Cotes Ward. And inside that is the cyber townhouse the girls call home, and it's within those cyber brick walls that the callback ping indicated Uzi's files had been uploaded into. It more or less looks like the same building that exists in the real world, aside from the unfamiliar heavy hydraulic door blocking the entrance. While it looks kind of similar to the one Uzi installed, it's not quite the same; its surface is covered in frost, and the thing is frigid to the touch, like it's never known a moment of warmth in its entire existence. But as Mika draws close, the sounds of heavy machinery can be heard from within, and the doors begin to part, revealing the simulated hallways of Outpost 3.
Uzi never really talks about her old home in much detail, because it's just not very fun to remember for a variety of reasons. But the concrete and steel innards of the bunker sprawl out in front of Mika, memories of a time and place Uzi never bothered to share with her friend. It's deathly cold inside, with thick icicles hanging from the ceiling and small piles of white powder scattered across the paneled floors. Voices can be heard somewhere in the distance, scattered signs of the drone inhabitants. As she walks, they gradually begin to appear, milling about and tending to their own lives. They glance up at Mika as she passes, but offer no comment, like they forget her as soon as they see her.
Maybe Mika sees the various places where the worker drones have converted human spaces into their own; cafeterias serving bowls of oil, vending machines stocked with batteries, abandoned cryosleep pods occupied by skeletons, and living spaces taken over by new families. The remnants of humanity are simply ignored or discarded, and it's clear the drones don't mourn their dead creators.
And as she walks, Mika finally hears a familiar voice. Well, more of a familiar screaming, because she can hear it even through the thick steel walls. Or maybe she's just meant to hear it, no matter where she is.
"Dad! I told you to stop frickin' touching my stuff!" shouts Uzi. "I need that for school!"
Her father's voice comes through with a mix of mild concern and amusement. "I just couldn't help but notice you're, uh, packing some heavy weapons there! Do you really need a gun for school?"
"Yes! It's for a project! And I did it all by myself, without you!"
"Oh, I see! Well Uzi, I really appreciate you understanding that working on my doors is far more important than your little projects. Thank you."
"That's not- Ugh! Bite me!"
The door in front of Mika slides open, and a short, purple drone comes charging out, not watching where she's going on account of being too pissed off at the world to acknowledge it. So she runs right into Mika's legs, falling onto her backside as she cries out.
"Hey, wh- What the hell! What's your problem?" she says, looking up.
For a moment, she blinks, as if recognizing Mika's presence isn't normal. And then the moment passes, and the anger returns to her face.
"Why are you just standing in the middle of the hallway? Frickin' move, dude!" she says, hopping to her feet. "Can't believe this, every damn day..."
She continues to mutter to herself, storming off.
@witchoftrinity
