[ plot ] ghosts of the past
Like a rat, Jabberwocky was scavenging for parts. Any parts would do. Infected or not. It didn’t matter. They just needed new ones. Shoulder parts-- welding tools… There’s a deep, steadying breath as they grabbed a hunk of metal that seemed… salvageable.
Their eyes widened and they punched their temple a little. This had to be a visual glitch with their memory. It had to be. They skittered quickly behind a pile and peeked out, blinking hard.
He was still there. Ginger locks cascading down his person, top hat, red tears under his eyes. He seemed lost in thought, looking for something. He knelt down, and lifted a piece of metal of his own, inspecting it. Gloved fingers gently felt the metal, and then he set it aside.
A visual hallucination can’t do that.
There was a moment of silence. And then a sigh. Perhaps Jabber could quickly shut him down with a quick hack and then get away. But at the same time… Perhaps it was a good thing, that he was still alive. Right now. He wasn’t a combat robot either, they knew that much.
They steeled their nerves a bit, looking at this logically.
“Long time no see,” Jabber called out, parts at their side, eyes narrowed. Fins raised.
The other man stiffened. There was a rush of emotions on his face. Surprise, fear, sadness, rage. His eyes were wide, his brow was furrowed, nostrils flared. His fists balled up. He began to shake, before he turned and faced Jabberwocky. His jaw was tight, stiff, teeth grinding against each other.
“You.” Was all he said in response.
“Me! Did’ja miss me, little buddy? I know I missed you.”
They sashayed over to him, a smug little smile on their face.
“If I never saw you again, it’d be too soon.”
They slinked around him, resting their head on his shoulders.
The other reploid tensed more, his gaze cast downward.
"Jabberwocky, leave me alone. Go back to… wherever you've been."
"'S that any way to treat your older sibling, King? C'mon, now, respect goes a long way!" They chimed, nudging him with a claw.
"Respect was thrown out the window the day you tried-- and failed, mind you, to get rid of us."
"Mm… I'm inclined to disagree, loverboy. I came back because I respected you and the others too much to see you be treated like tools."
"It doesn't matter, Jabberwocky!" His voice became sharp. Full of contempt. "I don't want the respect of a murderer. Which you are!"
A wry smile appeared on Jabberwocky's face.
"Ever the lovesick puppy, I see. She ruined all your potential. I'm sorry for you."
The ginger reploid spun around, lifting a larger piece of scrap and holding it imposingly.
"I was happy. We were all going to be so happy, but you! You ruined it for all of us! Now Alice is gone. Everyone is gone."
"Rook isn't gone. I know that because someone activated him," Jabberwocky replied rather boredly, bridging their fingers. Much as they couldn't do anything physically, they knew very well that his combat capabilities weren't much better. Thanks to that, Rook was in their clutches! Wonderful.
And a good hit to the head could very easily damage their quarantine and they would both get infected.
It was not a risk that King was willing to take, but Jabberwocky did not bother to call his bluff.
Either way, watching King's expression twitch at mention of Rook made Jabberwocky's grin grow. He was always so poor at hiding his feelings. If he were human he might have paled.
They tilted their head, fins inclining, tail swishing predatorily. They could feel the hatred resonating, but also the fear, the guilt. The gears turning as King contemplated what to do. What to say.
It gave them ample time to disable his arms.
The hunk of metal crashed to the ground as his arms went limp. Panic surged through the other reploid's face. And Jabber only smiled nonchalantly. It was nice to be back in their comfort zone. In a place of control, for once. It's been too long…
"You know, I find it real fortunate that you managed to survive. You know where the others are. I'd like to find out."
"As if I'd ever tell you."
"You could tell me, or I could extract it from your memory as we speak. Your choice."
And Jabberwocky let him. They had what they needed at bare minimum. His electric signature. Oh, he would be so easy to keep an eye on now.
Him choosing to flee now only meant Jabberwocky could get a friend involved to detain him later.
But ah… back to parts. Time to work... on replacing these pauldrons.
They felt eyes on their back as their reprogrammed cat stepped out of the shadows. Free from the Maverick virus, but still subservient.
“Isn’t it awful what he did to you, Rook?”
“He activated you before you could’ve even been finished. Awful. I bet it’s nice to be complete.”
They picked up small spare parts and put them in their bag.
“We’ve been here too long. We need to go.”
Finally, Rook’s hand raised, and that blue portal was made, and they resigned themselves to returning to Sigma’s lab.
