#decaffwrites

Once more, the machine woke up.

It sat up right. Its limbs were intact. Nothing seemed out of place. It ran a quick diagnosis.

Running diagnostic…

Arm core module #1 responding

Arm core module #2 responding

Leg core module #1 responding

Leg core module #2 responding

Limbic function responding

Visual cortex responding

Audio processor responding

Wing blades responding

External damage: 0,2%

Internal damage: 0%

Time passed after reboot: 5 mins 11 secs

Fuel gauge: ♾️

A peculiar sensation filled the machine’s chassis. How powerful was this new source of fuel? The machine slowly, yet shakily stood up. Just a few minutes ago, it felt as if Death herself would’ve given V1 a visit in person. It observed its surroundings with a quick scan. The building hadn’t suffered any major damage. Still, it was in rather poor shape. The outside of it made it look worse than it actually was. Verdure had begun to infiltrate itself through small cracks in the walls. The machine took one last glance at the illuminated door before leaving the building. It would check on this strange infrastructure on a later date.

————

The streets were much more barren than V1 originally saw. There weren’t any cars anywhere. Once what would be bustling shops were nothing but empty. What was left strewn about were pieces of trash, cigarette butts, thoroughly disgusting chewed up gum glued to the sidewalk, and a small coin or two. Nothing that was substantial, to be honest. While the machine spent most of its life in a facility, it was given information about what the world was meant to be like. Groups of individuals were supposed to run along to wherever they were going. Shopping districts were meant to be crowded beyond belief. Cars had to fill the streets, sometimes honking at each other due to road rage. There was nothing. There was no one. It was quiet, so quiet.

A previously ignored question came back in the forefront of the machine’s mind. Where had everyone gone to? What was perhaps the strangest phenomenon had to be the lack of others like V1. It still hadn’t seen a single machine yet. They couldn’t have just disappeared without a trace, especially the machines. They would’ve been looking for their creators, it assumed. Yet, it brought them back to the original question. Where would they have went?

The red doors were the biggest thing that stood out to V1. They were wide open. They looked to be leading into somewhere deep, somewhere that hadn’t been included into its database. It could look there as a starting point, but something felt off. Those doors, whatever they were made of or wherever they led to, felt threatening. It was almost comparable to a fly landing into the maw of a venus flytrap, waiting for its prey to place itself in its mouth and then swallowing it whole. V1’s wing blades shivered.

The machine stopped itself in its tracks. A clothing shop it didn’t pay attention to before made it curious. It had a select few memories of its creator speaking about fashion to their colleagues. It didn’t interest them much at first. It couldn’t get interested with fashion. It was a war machine, made with special plating so it could soak up blood from whichever robot had the bad luck of being in its path. Clothes would be counterproductive, as it would shielding and soaking up the blood instead of feeding it to V1’s system. There was no point to it. Now, it had an infinite fuel tank and nothing to stop it from shoplifting if it liked the clothes. Who would be there to judge it? God? Oh please, as if the guy actually existed!

Without a care in the world, V1 entered the store and browsed the several aisles. Some articles of clothing made it raise a metaphorical eyebrow. Certain pairs of pants seemed way too tight to be comfortable. Some shirts looked too constricting, if not outright uncomfortable. V1 was certain that the men’s section was not worth the headache. If the clothes weren’t too tight, then they’d too loose. Some of the designs, in its rightful opinion, looked plain boring. The worst part of it all had to be the lack of backless options. How could it ever wear a shirt if its wing blades couldn’t have enough room to breathe?

The women’s section was more passable. It wasn’t the biggest upgrade, but at least the designs looked good. It did see a few backless options in the dresses, but they hadn’t struck interest into the machine. It then landed on a knee length dress. It was white, backless and decorated with candy red embroidery at the hem of the skirt. V1 couldn’t make out the specifics, but they seemed to be flowers. Which ones were they? It didn’t know. Nobody had spoken about plants near it for it to learn anything on the subject. The skirt was the thing that excited V1 the most. It appeared to give a lot of leg room for movement. Plus, it had pockets. Who wouldn’t want pockets?

Finding an available changing room was rather easy. Trying the dress on was easier said than done though. V1 had to be careful not to rip something because of its plating. Thankfully, this dress had what the machine believed to be called a haltertop with red strings to tie the top part around its neck. It wouldn’t need to worry much more about tearing the dress by accident. Finally, the machine took a good look at itself. It posed once or twice. It turned around to get a good view of the back. It even twirled around to see how the skirt part would spin.

After much consideration, V1 declared to itself that this was the perfect dress, but it needed more flair. The middle part of the dress felt like something was missing and the machine’s wrist felt oddly naked. The counter had a few different sets of jewelry. The necklaces and earrings didn’t particularly interest V1. It didn’t have ears in physical sense and thought the necklaces would get in the way. A set of bracelets did seem to be taking its attention. A few seemed to be made of brown leather and some others were red and gold drawstrings. It took a mixed pack of them. A little further into the shop were belts, all with something unique about them. The one that V1 liked the most was a similar red to the red drawstring bracelets and flower detailing on the dress. The drawstring bracelets were a little difficult to adjust. It’d be infinitely easier if it had a mouth. The belt and leather bracelets were quickly added shortly after the eternal suffering that was drawstring jewelry. It took a few steps back.

Holy fuck.

It was even more perfect. Those people who said you couldn’t improve perfection were full of shit. The belt was adjusted so well. It wasn’t too tight nor too loose. It hugged and shaped the dress to V1’s body phenomenally. The bracelets were super cute. V1 whirred at the word “cute”. Why did it sound so nice? It’d figure it out later. For now, they were going to skip away and find something else to do.

There was a lot of time it could afford to spend, now that it wasn’t afraid of Death looming around the corner.

————

Strolling about showed that there wasn’t much to do.

V1 could pick up a few books in the library and read, but it didn’t feel up for it. The parks were really nice to look at, but there weren’t any people to chat with. The bowling alley was very fun, but it got boring after a while of trying to beat every new high score. V1 couldn’t eat like a normal person, so there wasn’t a point in visiting any restaurants. Additionally, there was this off putting sentiment that resided everywhere the machine went. The lack of human beings existing in these spaces was very apparent. At this point, V1 couldn’t stall any longer.

It had to go into the lion’s den, as much as it dreaded the idea.

The walk back to the red doors felt like it lasted 50 years. Fear came back to rear its ugly head. V1 didn’t miss the feeling. It wasn’t that the machine couldn’t defend itself. The venus flytrap analogy came in mind again. V1’s wing blades shivered. Would it even be able to get out when it would go in?

It almost tripped as it stepped onto a slippery object. Cursing whatever it was seemed rather appropriate, but V1 didn’t once it saw what it was. It was a similar vial to the one it shoved into its chest. The machine picked up the accursed object and pocketed it for future use. Who knew if it’d get to meet its successor? It had heard of one up and running while it was stuck in the facility. If it was as similar to it as its creator would claim, then surely it would have a similar emergency vial of blood in its chassis that ran out too.

As the building that housed the red doors came into view, V1 stood and stared at the damned things. Before it could start second guessing itself, it ran into the building and through the red doors. It couldn’t afford to think. A hole was in middle of room the infernal doors lead to. V1 didn’t hesitate before jumped right into it.

“I beg your finest pardon?” Gabriel was stunned. He couldn’t even begin to explain the coalescence of emotions he was feeling in this very moment. Sincerely, he was at a loss for words, because what did his student mean when he explained that a power had tried to murder the machine?

“None of us know why Caliel made such a decision. He just — went up to it and tried to cut its head off.”

Gabriel couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh. Caliel was a great student. He was a very quick learner and followed Gabriel’s orders to a T. Not to mention how kind he was to the other students. Gabriel wasn’t mad, but his disappointment was immeasurable and his day couldn’t have just been worse. It was but one order, such a simple one that anybody could understand and follow through. Nobody could ever mess it up so spectacularly. What was there to not understand when Gabriel asked to only observe and not attack?

He had to steel himself. It displeased Gabriel greatly to think about punishing his most promising student, but it had to be done. How could someone learn if they didn’t get consequences? He clasped his hands together.

“Were there any other news?”

“Yes, sir! While Caliel disregarded your orders, he did learn of the machine’s name and reason for its presence in Hell.”

“And?” Gabriel lit up with excitement. Finally, some good news.

“That’s the problem, sir. He won’t say anything.”

And just like that, Gabriel had taken one step forward and three steps back. What was up with the kid? He was fine the last time Gabriel saw him. Did his mentor’s absence really affect him so much? How long did Gabriel stay in Hell as its judge? It was too easy to lose track of time in this place. The lack of day and night cycles were getting to him, but he couldn’t afford to take too long of a break. Gabriel had a job to do. Still, his curiosity was getting to him.

The machine was so off putting, yet so alluring. Other than the obvious, it was difficult to dismiss any interest towards it. The way it fought, the way it dressed itself, its little mannerisms. It had a certain charm, a type of charisma that made it too hard not to enjoy observing it in action. As striking as its prussian blue plating and red spider lily dress were, it wasn’t much like Azrael. Truth be told, Gabriel was saddened by the differences. Unfortunately, his brain argued otherwise.

His mind still clung to the idea of Azrael being in there somewhere. He couldn’t have just vanished into thin air. That form be damned! If Azrael was in there, it didn’t matter if he chose to be a pile of scrap. Gabriel had to know. He couldn’t keep agonizing over his closest friend possibly being gone anymore. He had to know its name, its reason for existence and everything else that could indicate Azrael’s presence within its frame.

“Sir?”

“Tell Caliel that I’ll need to talk to him about his behaviour. It’s inexcusable and I will not tolerate it.”

“Understood, sir.”

Then, he dissipated. Gabriel was alone again.

————

“You’re sure about this?”

“Certain.”

V1 knew proper training was in order for her knuckleblaster. V2 knew more on how to use it than her. It was very simple math. Maybe, she’d even be able to sneak in a few lessons on how to use guns. V1 sometimes cringed internally whenever she thought back to their first meeting. As good as an attempt it was, it was just that. V2 had said they wouldn’t need it, but it was better to know than to be oblivious.

“You know how a shotgun works?” V2 raised their upper shutter. V1 nodded in turn. “Well, think of your arm as one. Once you punch, it fires. When it’s empty, cock it back to reload it. An empty knuckleblaster can spell your doom if you don’t pay attention.”

“Can it parry?”

“No, it can’t.”

“Awww.”

“Don’t “awww” me! It’s like a gun that’s attached to you. It’s worth the trade off.” V2 waved off their predecessor’s disappointment. To be fair, V1 liked the ability to parry attacks. It was a shame that it didn’t extend to the knuckleblaster. A real tragedy, in her rightful opinion. V2 positioned a dummy a few meters away from V1. They couldn’t have just trained inside their home. It would’ve been a disaster.

“Go ahead. Give it a good punch.” V2 patted the dummy’s shoulder before stepping aside. Knowing how powerful their arm was, it was preferable to not be in its crossfire. V1’s feedbacker rotated to be replaced with the knuckleblaster. It was comparatively heavier than the feedbacker, but still light enough for to move as fast as possible. She bolted towards the dummy, jumping to give the punch a little more oomph.

There were a lot of things V1 expected out of her new arm. What she didn’t anticipate was how easily it pulverized the dummy with a single punch. Its fluff was scattered everywhere. Its frame was beyond recognition. Holy shit. That was better than V1 ever could’ve hoped. She glanced over at V2 in sheer shock. Even with their lack of a mouth, V2 was smirking with pride. Then, tapping.

“WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME ABOUT THAT?!”

“I preferred letting you find out for yourself.” You could hear the grin in V2’s voice. Maybe they weren’t made for war, but they sure as Hell were going to start one if necessary. It was the original purpose of their knuckleblaster. Now, V1 had one as well, and it was finally going to get some use like intended.

“YOU HAD ALL OF THIS POWER, AND YOU USED NONE OF IT IN OUR FIGHT?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!”

“A lot of things, actually. Where would you like me to start?”

“I hate you.”

That got a laugh out of V2. V1 was so easy to tease. It was almost embarrassing. Truth be told, V2 was also easy to fluster, but it perhaps was just a part of their code. They couldn’t stop laughing as V1 was throwing small punches at her successor, no knuckleblaster included. She pushed them.

“Hey!” V2 pushed her back in retaliation. V1 tried pushing them again, but they held her hands with enough strength to keep themselves steady. Still, V1 refused to give up. She had to show her successor who was the boss.

“Holding hands? How forward of you!”

“Oh please, you initiated.”

“No I didn’t. You’re too much of a coward to let me push you around.”

“I’m not a coward. I’m not running.”

“You should be. I’m a better gunslinger than you.”

“You want to chase me down?” There was still that undeniable smirk in V2’s voice. V1 squinted at them, but V2 knew deep down she was smirking too.

“You bet I will.”

“Kinky~”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you~?”

That statement was enough to make V2 lose their balance, tripping over their own feet and taking V1 down with them. Metal loudly clattered against the earth. Both of them laid there in silence. V2 started laughing again. V1 quickly joined them.

This couldn’t have gone any better.

————

It had been awhile since he had gotten any news about the machine. Gabriel almost wondered if Caliel actually killed it. He searched through every layer from Gluttony to Limbo. The few other machines he encountered were swiftly disposed of. They weren’t of importance to mention. There was nothing to tell him about the machine’s whereabouts. As Gabriel went back to Gluttony, his thoughts wandered elsewhere.

Azrael wasn’t like the typical archangel. He was made separately from the rest, crafted with different materials and new techniques. Compared to the rest, Azrael stood out like a sore thumb. He was too tall, too skinny, with too many wings and covered in too many eyes. His colour never stayed stagnant either.

At his creation, he was a blinding white. It hurt to look at him for a second too long. His brilliance was an eyesore compared to likes of Lucifer’s or Michael’s. Gabriel would often struggle being near Azrael at that time, as much as it displeasured him. For as bright as he was, Azrael was starkly cold to the touch. His mere presence made any room he was in drop a few degrees.

Then, Lucifer fell. Azrael’s white darkened into a complete, consuming black. His once bright halo of seven sharp daggers, tipped in carmine, turned into a void which produced little to no light. He became a shadow of his former self, a figure who was too easy to spot in Heaven’s brilliance. If ever in a room, Azrael stood in a corner. He practically faded into its obscurity. Gabriel tried his best to be by his side. Lucifer was many things, many horrible things, but Azrael saw the best in him. He saw the morning star whom the once smartest angel of Heaven was named after, even after the fall. It was a pitiful sight.

Finally, for the last time, Azrael changed again. The all encompassing void eased into cool, deep shades of blue. Prussian was his favourite. It was at that time he began creating. His sorrows turned into a set of fine china. Each tear made a painting. Every sob became statues. His love for the world, for humanity, drove him forward. He took to gardening and studying birds and bugs. Life was his greatest passion, and Gabriel couldn’t help but listen.

He’d be a liar if he ever admitted of hating Azrael’s way of thinking. He forgave him for the heresy he’d spew, for the unconditional love he had for humans. God never struck Azrael down for it. Gabriel almost questioned it, but he never did. Who was Gabriel to question His ways? Perhaps, Lucifer deserved his fate, even though Azrael argued otherwise.

Gabriel hadn’t noticed it, but Azrael had deeply changed him. So much so, his own burning yellow became a soft blue. It was only after one of his students commented on it that he had noticed. Even well after his disappearance, Azrael had left a mark in his life. Gabriel’s hues never changed since. He refused to ever let it change. Azrael would never become just a memory. Gabriel wouldn’t allow it.

The knuckleblaster was ready.

V1 admired her predecessor’s work in awe. It was a perfect replica. Each piece of plating, every wire, every part of the newly built arm was placed and crafted with precision and intent. It sounded like an impossible task, and yet V2 managed to do it masterfully. Such were the wonders of the V series, V1 supposed.

“Are you done? I’d like to add it onto you.” Her predecessor chuckled lightly at her. V1 cocked her bevel to the side and squinted. V2’s wing blades glowed brighter than usual.

Why are you so flustered? This is fantastic work! Pride yourself in your achievement damnit!

V1 wished she could reply, but didn’t do so. It felt too forward, perhaps even too blunt. She should work on rephrasing that later. V1 handed over the soon-to-be-her-own knuckleblaster to V2 and laid down on their newly acquired operation table. V2 would’ve rather had their arm cut off than to damage or stain their kitchen table. Plus, it was better for V1 to lay down. Unless put into an engine made to keep them up, the V series would simply collapse once powered off.

“You should take off the halter top of the dress. It might get stained.” V2 rummaged through their toolbox. V1 beeped in recognition and reached for the strings, then paused. Suddenly, several series of taps.

“You’re not going to add the cosmetics?”

V2 stopped their rummaging. They idly tapped the tip of their foot, seemingly looking into nothingness. They placed the tools required on a nearby stool and left to fetch the cosmetics. At least, V1 presumed that was what they were doing. Did they forget? V2 rarely forgot. Surely enough, they did come back with the cosmetics, but with a strangely somber look. V1 didn’t get to ask why before V2 began to speak again.

“Okay.” They let out a long sigh. “Here’s the deal; I have never installed any cosmetics before. I have installed prosthetic, but that’s as far as I’m knowledgeable on.” V2 placed the cosmetic parts and turned to their predecessor. “I know a little on what to supposedly do, but it’s a “trust the process” type of thing. Because of that, I’ll need to power you off for the procedure. It might get painful if you stay awake for this. You might not…you know.” V2 tried glancing away, trying too hard to shrug as if it was alright and not scaring them shitless. They were many things, but they couldn’t bring people back from the dead. They gazed at V1 again, fear of failure too present in their optic to be left unnoticed. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

V1 wanted to live. Of course, she would want to. She couldn’t leave V2 alone. She just got to start living her life. Why would she end it now? Yet, V1 wanted these cosmetics. The fear of death was still there. She hated the idea of leaving her successor behind. She grew too attached to them to ever dream of abandoning them. Still, V1 wanted to trust them. V2 was very capable and adaptable. Maybe they didn’t trust themselves, but V1 did. She had to. Then, a series of taps.

“Yes. I’m certain.”

“Then, it’s decided.” V2 nodded while bringing the knuckleblaster and cosmetics to the table. They vaguely gestured towards V1’s dress. “I won’t look while you strip. I’ll get you something to cover you up for the procedure.”

V1 whirred. It felt weird to be treated like a human. She didn’t mind it much. True to their word, V2 didn’t take a peek at their predecessor as she undressed. They fetched a large piece of cloth to cover her too. Nerves were starting to get to V1. As scared as she was, she wanted to be excited for her upgrades. She would get a new arm and new features added to her body. All of it was her choice.

Once V2 set everything up, they went to caress V1’s bevel. She whirred, nuzzling into their palm. She knew it wasn’t for her sake.

“I’ll be fine.”

V2 gazed at her worriedly, but still gently clinked their heads together. V1 did her best to “smile” back at them. Before she knew it, she felt V2 power her down. She managed to tap a message before falling asleep.

“Be there when I wake up.”

“…I will.”

————

Everything felt numb. The world was dark, cold and alone. Was she dreaming again? It didn’t feel like she was. Her previous dream never felt this calm.

V1 blinked awake, or well it felt like she did. Her surroundings felt all fuzzy. Her vision was blurry. It couldn’t be reality. The place felt familiar. Was it the facility? It seemed cleaner than she remembered. At least, as clean as it could be. There still were items spread haphazardly within the room. The distant sound automatic doors caught her attention. She could hear somebody speak to someone. It sounded familiar, nostalgic even. Who it was? V1 didn’t have a clue. She couldn’t recognize it. No one in her database had this voice ascribed to them. The person who was speaking came into view.

“Ah! V1! You’re awake!” They smiled at her brightly. Were they smiling? She couldn’t tell. She couldn’t see their face. Why couldn’t she hear them? She knew they were speaking to her. She could tell what was said to her, but she couldn’t hear someone talking. What was this dream? V1 blinked at the person in front of her. They didn’t seem to mind her lack of response.

“Soooo, I’ve been meaning to introduce you to someone.” They clapped their hands as they explained. V1 whirred and beeped. Who was this someone? Were they nice? The figure chuckled at her behaviour. It didn’t feel like it was at her expense. They stepped close to the entrance and motioned someone unseen to come closer. V1 watched as two new figures appeared. One was just as blurry as the first, but the second was clear. They were so clear, it almost made her feel sick to her stomach.

It was a child, no taller than a vertical wooden crate. Freckles dotted their face like stars in the night sky. Their baby teeth weren’t even grown in. Little strands of hair were just enough to put them into itty bitty pigtails. Their amber eyes were wide, staring at V1 curiously while chewing on their small fingers. They wore the tiniest, comfiest overalls and t-shirt. V1 stared back with just as much curiosity as they did.

“V1, this is 🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥, my sister.” The first figure motioned towards the second. She giggled and waved at V1. The first figure then motioned towards the kid. “And this is my niece, Viviane.”

Viviane. I like that name.

“I named her after you.” The second figure smiled, stepping closer. V1 felt her eyes admiring her. “It felt cute. V1 and Viviane, that sounds like a pretty good duo.”

Named after me? Me???

V1’s whirring became louder. She felt the skeleton of her wing blades flutter. They hadn’t been fully constructed yet. Why did she know that?

“You know you didn’t have to.”

“Oh hush! You were so proud when you made her. Plus, they’ll get to match when Vivi grows up.” The second figure waved off the first’s bashful statement. Viviane kept staring at V1. V1 tilted her head and beeped. Viviane cooed and smiled. The two blurry figures noticed it immediately. “Do you want to say hello to your cousin?”

The second figure carefully brought Viviane closer to V1. If only V1’s legs had been built at the time, she would’ve been able to move close by herself. Still, she had her arms and hands fully constructed. V1 gently moved a hand to Viviane, only stopping midway from being restricted. She couldn’t afford to move too much. She would fall if she did. It was a little tragic though. She wished she could pat Viviane on her little head.

She was surprised when the child reached out, taking one of her fingers in her hold. Viviane was so small. She could barely wrap her tiny fingers around the lone digit. It was just a pinkie, no less. V1 wanted to cry. She wanted to hold her baby cousin in her arms. V1 repeated tapped her own arm.

“Hello, Viviane.”

V1 doubted that the child could understand her, but hearing her laugh made it all worth it. The two figures smiled warmly at the sight. V1 wished to linger in this moment forever. It broke her heart when she felt the room growing warm, and everything else becoming a blinding white.

————

Just as quickly as she powered off, V1 powered back on. She blinked repeatedly before seeing V2 sitting right beside her. She felt herself grow warm.

“You stayed.”

“Of course I did.” V2 made themselves comfortable while sitting on the edge of the operation table. “How do you feel?”

V1 could feel a lot of new things. Her left shoulder was sore. A new weight was added onto her chest. Her lower torso had something new both inside and out. V1 tentatively reached for her shoulder. She whirred as she felt the knuckleblaster in its place. The feedbacker remained intact. Her hand trailed towards her chassis. She could feel the cosmetics shaping her chest into something round and soft. She carefully sat up while V2 observed her. The cloth covering her up fell into her lap. She went to touch her new chest again, but immediately pulled away from the sensation in shock.

“Are you o—”

“Why is it so sensitive?”

V1’s body was pretty unfeeling. Her plating registered touch, but it didn’t feel good nor bad. Her wires felt strange to the touch, and it hurt if they got tugged. The wing blades were more sensitive, but that was to be expected. The wings of a bird were sensitive, so it wasn’t rocket science to understand that her own wings would be like this too. Her chassis never felt this intensely sensitive in her whole life.

“Ah, I see.” V2 shifted over, now sitting cross legged in front of their predecessor. “It’s normal. The parts were taken from a pleasure bot after all. It might just be the recency of the implementation though.” They shrugged the statement off and rested their bevel on their normal hand. “It could gradually fade away, if we’re lucky. I am certain about the soreness dissipating however.” V2 pointed at V1’s knuckleblaster. “I imagine it’s going to take around a week or two before it’s gone.”

V1 looked at her knuckleblaster. Almost as if it was second nature, her feedbacker rotated and was replaced with her new arm. She rolled her left shoulder, turned the arm over and toyed with the three digits. V1 idly tugged at them, examining the rest of the expanse of the knuckleblaster inquisitively. She almost wanted to throw a punch, just to see its firepower. It was only after taking a glance at V2 that she decided against it.

Then, there were the cosmetics in and on her pelvic region. V1 didn’t touch anything in fear of it being as sensitive as her new chest. She did stare at them with curiosity though.

“We’re going to need to go shopping again.” V2 huffed out a laugh. “The chest will be fine, but the rest?”

V1’s wing blades glowed the brightest they ever had been.

“Yeah, that’d be great.”

V2 laughed at their predecessor’s shyness. V1 let out some steam as her way of scoffing, crossing her arms and glaring at V2. They laughed harder while clutching their bevel as if to stop them from the onslaught.

I hate you.

V1 woke up in cold sweat. Their body trembled as they stared at their own hands. They played with their fingers, tugging on one or two. They balled their hands into fists, and then relaxed. V1 observed their room. Nothing had changed. It was just a dream. They let out a bit crushed sigh.

It felt so real.

They couldn’t help but think back to their conversation with Mirage. V1 hugged themselves.

What if V2 hates me when I tell them? I don’t want to be alone.

They got up from the bed anyways. They made their way towards the living room. V2 had made themselves comfortable on the couch, watching movies that V1 already went through. V1 hoped that they hadn’t heard their predecessor. V1 slowly moved away from the living room.

“You know I heard you, right?”

V1 froze up in horror. V2 turned their head towards them. They patted a spot on the couch right next to them.

“I’m not gonna watch this without you. I already did this seven times now.”

V1 awkwardly made their way and sat next to V2. They didn’t pay attention to what movie they were both watching. What played on the screen became background noise for V1’s thoughts.

Would you hate me if I called myself a girl? Would you accept me? Would you still love me? Would you disagree? I don’t want to be alone. I can’t be alone again.

Subconsciously, their hand moved towards their successor. V1 visibly shuddered when they felt V2 take their hand in their own. V2 gazed at their predecessor with a heavy layer of concern.

“Predecessor?”

I can’t tell you. I have to tell you. You would hate me. You’d want me dead. I want to tell you. I want to hear you say it.

“Predecessor??”

Please, call me a girl or a woman. I want it. I need it. I’m scared. I’m terrified. Please, don’t kill me. Please, don’t hate me.

“V1?”

“I think I’m a girl.”

Nothing. Quietness stretched on for what felt like eons. V1 was ready to flee. They knew that these infernal doors were waiting for them. They’d accept V1 with open arms. V1 could bathe in mechanical blood, like they were meant to. V2 wouldn’t be able to stop them.

“Really?” V2 blinked. They did a once over of their predecessor. V1 squeezed V2’s hand. They shakily nodded. They were too terrified to look at their successor. There was silence again.

Please, don’t make me leave. You’re all I have left. I can’t lose you. I’m begging you, please don’t —

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

V1 instantly looked up at V2. Her successor sounded so betrayed. Their bevel’s expression matched their tone.

“I made all of this internal dialogue misgendering you and I didn’t even know.” V2 did an approximation of pinching the bridge of their nose. V1 stared at them in awe. Her successor was annoyed with her, because she didn’t tell them how she felt about her own identity. Was it wrong to think that she won? What did V1 win? She didn’t know herself. V2 sighed in disappointment. “If I wasn’t going to go to Hell before, I certainly will now.”

Okay, that’s a little too far.

V1 squinted at her successor, pushing them with a some force. V2 laughed at that. The other became confused.

“I’m joking, I’m joking!” V2 waved her off. Their laughter became a mild chuckle. “You were getting pretty flighty. Usually saying something weird or stupid snaps people out of that.”

…oh.

V1 felt the initial pressure melt away. Relief washed over her like calm ocean waves rolling on a beach. She still couldn’t stop shaking. V2 gently petted her head.

“There there, it’s alri— WOAH!” V1 tackled them into a hug. She buried her bevel into their chest, trying to not cry onto their shirt. V2 carefully wrapped their arms around their predecessor, drawing shapes on her back to comfort her. Neither said anything after that. They didn’t notice the credits rolling on the screen.

————

V1 knew that she’d have to see what those red doors had to offer very soon.

These damned doors, they wouldn’t stop taunting her in the back of her mind. They annoyed her to no end. She hadn’t informed V2 yet. She wasn’t sure if she should. Something told her that she should at least write a note, or something along those lines. How to word it was rather tricky. V1 had never been the best with words. She preferred her actions speaking for her instead.

Speaking of V2, they have recently been working on a personal project in the garage. What it was specifically? V1 wasn’t informed of it. Any attempts at getting a glimpse would get her successor shooing her away. Her curiosity was piqued. It certainly didn’t help that V2 would keep leaving the house, only coming back hours later with a bunch of scrap metal. Right now, they were gone in search for more. It was the perfect time for V1 to snoop around. She couldn’t help but preemptively rub her hands together like a fly.

She snuck into the garage with barely any issues. She cautiously made her way to V2’s desk. A piece of cloth covered the invention her successor was working on for a few days. V1 reached for the cloth.

“What are you doing?”

V1 jumped back in surprise. V2 had came back earlier than usual. While they physically couldn’t do it, V1 could feel her successor smirking.

Fuck.

“You really can’t help yourself, can you?” V2 teased with a light chuckle. V1’s wing blades glowed a little brighter. Her successor made her move away from their desk. They pinched a part of the cloth covering their project before directing their gaze towards V1. “But, since you want to see it so much —”

They pulled the cloth out of the way, revealing what was underneath. V1 whirred, her optic almost popping out of her bevel. It was a perfectly accurate replica of V2’s knuckleblaster, minus the red colouring. She went to touch it, but V2 slapped it away. V1 winced and squinted at her successor.

Rude.

“It’s still not done yet. It’s missing a few minor components before I can call it finished.” V2 placed their findings on their desk. They resumed their work on the replica, taking a few pieces of scrap and molding them into shape. “I probably will be able to make you another arm after this one, but I doubt I’ll find the necessary scrap in the factory.” They turned their attention back to their predecessor. A knowing glint sparked in their optic. “Though, I’m 100% certain that the other machines have what I need.”

You can’t be serious.

V1 wasn’t sure if V2 already knew about her plan or not. Still, she was baffled as her successor threw the leather messenger bag her way, catching it effortlessly. V1 didn’t know how to respond. Who was V2 taking her for? She wasn’t their —

“Come on, delivery girl, get to it! Chop chop!”

…

You’re lucky I like you. I would’ve pulverized you if I didn’t.

————

If you would’ve asked anybody in Heaven who made these gorgeous tapestries, beautiful paintings and wonderful sculptures, they all would’ve answered with God as their creator. He made Heaven and everything else in the universe. It only felt right to assume that He could only create these art pieces. To those uninformed, there used to be five archangels in Heaven. Lucifer had long since been banished into the darkest, coldest depths of Hell itself. Now, the only ones who remained were Phanuel, Michael, Raphael and Gabriel.

To Gabriel, there were six. To Gabriel, that sixth archangel had made the art pieces scattered around Heaven.

Years ago, before The Father disappeared, there once was an archangel who loved humanity with all of his heart. He slaved away hours, days, weeks and months on multiple projects, some of which have never seen the light of day. His reasoning behind his work; the love he held for humans. His adoration of mankind could’ve never been matched.

On certain days, Gabriel would visit him. He’d sit beside the other as he’d sculpt another pot, weave another tapestry or decorate another canvas. He could watch said archangel for hours, if he was given the choice. Their conversations were always what Gabriel looked forward to. He could listen to them and never get tired nor bored. He’d listen intently while the other would proclaim his love for God’s creations.

“Oh, how wondrous they are!” He’d exclaim with warmth. “Such carefreeness! Such wild hearts! How could The Father hate these beautiful souls!”

“Don’t question The Father in such a way!” Gabriel would lecture. “He knows what is good and what isn’t. If He hates them, then He must be right.”

“Gabriel, Gabriel! How heartless can you be to God’s children!” The other would retort. “They’re just like us, but given free will. They get to choose their own lives, their own destiny. So many souls, so many to judge, so little time given to their pleas to join us in Heaven, at the feet of The Father. They yearn for goodness. So many embody goodness. Why should all be punished for sins that others have done to them?”

“Azrael, you are questioning The Father.” Gabriel would warn. “We both know what happened to His morning star. Do not make the same mistake that he had committed.”

“I’m merely asking, Gabriel.” The other would relent, pausing his diligent work. “It is a cruel fate. Torturing souls for an eternity, how is it benevolent?” He would then quickly resume his work. “As much as I can try to empathize, I cannot help but see flaws in this tapestry. To those whomst have been misjudged, pushed or hurt, they do not deserve to be forbid of seeing the pearly gates. Why must those who sought death upon themselves become trees in perpetual agony? Why must those whom question faith, whom had no prior reason to be believe, be forced into endlessly burning tombs, screaming and crying for any soul to save them? Why must those who believe in other faiths be damned into living in a false paradise?” He would pause again. He’d gaze down at Gabriel, his body made to be the tallest amongst all archangels. “Is it not cruel, Gabriel?”

Gabriel wouldn’t know how to respond. He’d go quiet, but the other would never pit it against him. He’d resume his work, and Gabriel would watch like he always did.

Then, one day, he vanished without a trace.

Nobody had noticed it. Heaven had been more concerned with The Father’s disappearance. They’d forgotten him again. Gabriel searched for the other everywhere he could before he was put as judge of Hell. It was all for naught. When The Father vanished, so did he with Him. Gabriel missed those precious moments of peace. Being the judge of Hell drained him, wearing him thin. He’d listen to The Council to his heart’s content, but what would he give just to find him again.

“Sir?”

“Yes, Manadel?” Gabriel cleared his throat. How long since he saw one of his beloved students? It felt like centuries.

“A virtue has spotted something that would need your attention. It’s important.”

“Please, show me.”

Manadel gave him an eye of virtue. While eyes were confiscated when supervising Hell, virtues could project their sight into an “eye” in the same ball shape that they had. A vision showed itself to Gabriel. A machine, one he had never seen. Its prussian blue plating, the white dress, the red spider lilies adorning the garment, the faux wings on its back. Only one other being came to mind.

No, it couldn’t be. That couldn’t be right. Why would Azrael degrade himself into becoming a pile of moving scrap? He wouldn’t. He certainly wouldn’t. Gabriel knew that Azrael wouldn’t do such a terrible thing. Still, the evidence claimed otherwise. Why else would a machine share his colours, wear his favourite flower?

“They mentioned feeling a heavenly presence within it. It’s unclear whether it has ties to Heaven or has harnessed The Father’s light as fuel. They additionally said that it felt “familiar”.”

“Another batch?” V2 observed their predecessor with a raised shutter. V1 had watched through all of the movies they originally brought home. Therefore, it was a travesty that needed to be fixed. They eagerly showed V2 their findings. V2 had slowly been less and less harsh on V1. They originally chalked it up to the other’s hate of them diminishing, which would’ve made a lot of sense. Since V1’s breakdown and subsequent shutdown, their successor became more lenient and understanding. It was a lot of progress that they truly thought was impossible. Yet, something didn’t feel right. There had to be another reason for this change of heart. It was all so sudden. It didn’t sit right with V1, but they couldn’t prove that it could be anything else. They pushed the thought aside for now. They could think about it later.

“Speaking of leaving base, would you mind walking with me?” There was something indecipherable in V2’s gaze. As innocent as the question was, V1 knew it wasn’t going to be just a walk. What this would entail was unclear, but they hoped that it’d be entertaining and not so deadly.

Please, dear reader, don’t get them wrong. V1 loved danger as much as the next war machine. The only thing that worried them was a fight against V2. They knew in their heart that their successor would absolutely get bodied in a matter of seconds, and they hoped for this potential-but-maybe-not-really fight to not be one where only one survived. V1 wouldn’t forgive themselves if V2 would be dead by their hands.

“Predecessor?”

V1 blinked. Oh, yeah, they should be responding. V1 acquiesced with a nod, and off they went.

————

Oh, of course.

V1 may have felt a little stupid. They had guessed it right on the first half, the second half though…

“You better guide me through this.” V2 entered the clothing store without a second thought. V1 stood in front of the doors for longer than they’d like to admit. Their successor certainly noticed it. “What are you waiting for?!”

V1 snapped out of their confusion induced daze and followed V2 inside. They had a feeling of where their successor went, and lo and behold they were right. V2 was staring intensely at the same pair of camo cargo shorts they were staring at a month ago. They gingerly took the shorts off the rack and admired them. Why did they seem so unsure about this?

“Would you like me to find you something to go with your shorts?”

V2 did their equivalent of a raised brow. Their wing blades glowed brighter. They held their shorts close and left for the changing rooms. V1 assumed it was their successor’s way of saying “yes”.

They browsed through the women’s section of the shop. They knew from experience that they’d never find backless options in the men’s section. When was the last time men had backless clothes? V1 certainly didn’t know. They found two shirts that would probably fit what V2 was going for. Both had a plain design. One was a middle, cold grey while the other was black. The part that intrigued V1 was how these pieces were meant to be worn. The grey shirt had ties for the neck and at the back, leaving the rest completely exposed. The black shirt looked to be crop top. It’d seem to sit low enough for V2’s wing blades to remain unbothered, but it didn’t have something to tie it at the top. Instead, it was regular halter top made to be worn as a crop top. V1’s wing blades fluttered in satisfaction. If V2 didn’t like one, then they could choose the other.

“How is it?”

V1 approached the closed stall. V2 reached over the door, motioning for the clothes their predecessor picked out for them. V1 handed them over.

“Thanks.” Rustling came from the changing room. V1 stood beside the door and waited. They pulled out a golden coin they found on the sidewalk a week ago. Its shine had long gone. It had eleven side, which was quite strange compared to regular coins. Their analysis of it said that it was made with steel, brass plating. They flipped the coin a few times, rolled it over their knuckles and passed it from one hand to another. It was very addictive, maybe more than V1 would’ve liked to admit. They really liked the bird that was on the coin too. Did they not mention the bird? Well, now they did.

The lock clicked open. V1 turned to see that their predecessor had worn both shirts they chose. Their wing blades glowed and fluttered. The shorts looked to be fine, but sat rather low at V2’s hips.

“I think I need a belt.” V2’s shorts were just slightly too large to fit comfortably, but just not too enough for them to size down. V1 ogled the sliver of metal plating shown. Their wings glowed brighter than earlier. They froze when they heard V2 chuckle at them. V1’s fans kicked into action as their system grew warm. They looked away in shame.

What is wrong with me?! The V series don’t even have *those* parts!

V2 gazed at their predecessor with amusement. They hadn’t gotten a reaction like that one in what felt like ages. They kind of missed it. Their own wing blades fluttered.

————

The rest of the outing remained pretty normal.

They both stopped at a shop with the name missing. V2 had taken a necklace from there. Apparently, it was using bones and a fossilized claw as the decoration. While V1 wasn’t fond of necklaces, this one was too cool to not appreciate. They took some time to explore a dead mall. The structure was dilapidated and was burned down in several parts. V2 wanted to pick up some seeds to feed the birds in the local park. V1 was mildly afraid, to say the least. They couldn’t put their finger on why, but they distinctly remembered that they held a strong fear towards them. They never saw one before. Why were they so scared?

Thankfully, it wouldn’t be right now. They still haven’t fully explored the mall yet.

————

V2 was slightly concerned with their predecessor. They had been acting weirdly ever since V2 mentioned feeding the birds. V1 almost seemed…terrified?

That’s new.

V2 didn’t know how to mention it to them. They could just outright ask them, but every time they did check on them, making sure that V1 was fine, they always responded with “they’re fine”. They were getting closer to the park. V1 was getting more antsy, practically bouncing around like a ball. It merely took V2 to place a hand on their shoulder to significantly calm down. They still fidgeted with their bracelets. V2 stopped them in their tracks.

“Are you absolutely positively sure that you’re okay?”

V1 nodded swiftly and tried walking away. V2 tightened their grip on their predecessor’s shoulder.

“Are you scared of birds?” V1 stopped any attempts at getting away. They froze into place, barely moving as they continued fidgeting. V2 patted them on their shoulder. “It’s okay if you’re afraid. We can g—”

“But you wanted to feed the birds.”

“I can go by myself.”

“But I want to join you.”

“You don’t have to force yourself for me.”

“I want to feed the birds too.”

V2 wasn’t sure how to respond. V1 was persistent, but there was undeniable fear in their body language. Even if they were absolutely certain of their choice, V2 still wanted to make one last check up.

“Are you really sure?” Silence permeated through their conversation. V1 went to place their own hand on top of V2’s. They tapped the asphalt road with their heel.

“Yes, I’m certain.”

V2 nodded and followed them into the park without as much as another word. It was obvious that V1 was still scared. V2 hoped that positive exposure would ease their predecessor’s fear of birds. They both made it to an open area of the park. It seemed like it would’ve been a wonderful place for a picnic between friends. V2 restrained themselves from sighing. It wasn’t the time to start grieving over humanity’s death. V1 was more important than that. Speaking of which, V2 gave them a handful of seeds and placed those in their open palms.

“Don’t move too much or the seeds will go everywhere.” V2 watched as V1 nodded cautiously. They held out their palms, waiting for any bird to land and eat the food. “It might take awhile, so don’t worry if there aren’t any yet.”

V2 took the opportunity to take handful as well. They could have one handful compared to V1. Their knuckleblaster definitely didn’t make it easy. A young blue jay landed on their hand and pecked at the seeds. V1 unabashedly stared at their successor. To be fair, V2 was just as surprised as they were. They expected the birds to approach them later. A tufted titmice joined the blue jay. V2 whirred, watching as the birds pecked at the seeds. It always made them feel special. The trust that these creatures put into them, it wasn’t something to shrug at. They heard a few birds fly towards their predecessor. V2 turned their bevel to V1, unknowing of what they’d witness.

A whole banditry of black capped chickadees crowded around V1. They stood completely still as the birds fed themselves or rested on them. More than a few were on top of their bevel or were on their arms. V2 giggled at the sight, unintentionally scaring the young blue jay and tufted titmice away. One of the chickadees chirped at V1. They tried to chirp back to them in reply. They whirred as the birds responded to them in turn. Another few chickadees landed on their wing blades. It had to be the cutest sight V2 had seen in a while. It was almost ironic.

A war machine surrounded by a flock of small birds, feeding and attempting to reply to them. Melancholy settled into V2’s chassis.

You never wanted this, did you? This war, it wasn’t for you. You never asked to be made. You never asked to be a fighter, an undying soldier. How many? How many machines like you never got to live? How many of them did they make? How many of them died? How many were there before me, before they signed a peace treaty? You’re just like me. They were just like you.

V2’s wing blades drooped.

Would they have forced you to fight? Would they have given you enough blood to survive? Would they not care? You can think. You can feel. You love life so much. You loved humanity too. It’s not fair. It’s not fair that I got to live and you didn’t. You deserved to live too.

V2 gazed at V1 as they mimicked the chirps of the black capped chickadees with eagerness. They looked so happy. V2’s chest hurt.

You deserved to be loved too.

V1 finally landed after what felt like months.

Its energy had been spent. Too much blood was in its system. It let itself sit down to “digest” properly. It lazily played with the skirt part of its dress, careful to not distress it further. The bottom of the skirt was frayed. Blood soaked the garment. It’d be impossible to get it back to its original white. The embroidery was falling apart. V1 hugged its knees to its chest. It didn’t want to ruin the dress. It…

Did V1 like being referred as that?

They never thought about that. They and them did sound nice. If V1 did find the humans, would they accept that? Wing blades lowered themselves, almost touching the floor. V1 was a machine. “It” as a pronoun was used to describe things as inhuman, as not alive. V1 wasn’t human, but weren’t they technically alive? Even so, they were made in humanity’s image. Their body was designed after the human anatomy. Didn’t they deserve the right to call themselves something other than an “it”? Why deprive them of that luxury?

Did it really matter what their creator could’ve said?

It didn’t. V1 could think for themselves. They got to say on what they’d like to be.

They had a feeling their creator was long gone, so why bother entertaining the dead?

V1 got up and stretched. It was enough sitting around for now. If they needed a break, they’d get one later. They checked the terminal. A shotgun had taken their attention. V1 bought it immediately. A pump charge shotgun, load it several times until it flashed red for a truly destructive blow. In a way, it was akin to a suicide vest, but in gun form. They wondered how much damage this new addition could do. V1 confidently walked out to the door. When it opened, they were met with…peaceful music and birds chirping.

The industrial look of the previous rooms felt at odds with this serenity. Something was off. The environment didn’t look right. The trees looked fake. The flowers seemed like poor imitations of real flowers V1 had seen before. Daffodils, angelicas, chamomiles, orange calendulas and red clovers were all flowers they knew about. These “flowers” were but cheap copies of the real things. V1’s wing blades shivered when they registered the statue’s presence. It wasn’t moving, but they had a feeling it wouldn’t be for long.

So much for hoping that I don’t fight these damned things again.

Upon closer inspection, speakers were somewhat hidden here and there. That certainly explained why V1 was hearing music and birds chirping out of nowhere. They almost wanted to destroy these stupid boxes, but practiced self restraint and didn’t do so. Going near what was supposed to be fields proved that it was all a lie. Hologram walls practically covered the entire area. If there was one thing this whole place could be described as, it would be cruel. Cruel was this place pretending to be a paradise. Cruel was this place for its false solace. Cruel was this place of which could only be called Hell.

V1 searched for a way to leave the area. They hated how trapped it made them feel. An empty red pedestal gave them hope for a way out. Going back and into a different room, they found the object they were looking for. A similarly red skull rested on top of a pale pedestal. A symbol was engraved into the crimson cranium. V1 didn’t know what it meant, but they surely knew where to put it. Backtracking again, they put the skull onto the pedestal. Doors barely got time to open before V1 ran through them at maximum speed. They needed to get out. This place gave them the creeps. They were swiftly blindsighted by new machines materializing right in front of them.

Oh, joy…

————

These drones, as V1 would be referring to them as, were pissing them off. Anytime they landed a killing blow, these single celled robots would zoom towards them and explode. More than once, they had one of these fuckers land next to them and destroy the dress even more. What were they even used for after the final war? No, seriously, what purpose did these bumbling machines have? V1 was sure that it was nothing grandiose. Were they perhaps a little miffed that these unfortunate violet accidents got more work than they ever did? Maybe. Maybe they were a little upset that they didn’t get to do anything after they first woke up.

As V1 was shooting up another room, their thoughts were wandering. They were created with a sole purpose. They never knew said purpose. They never were allowed to leave the facility. Their creator and a few of their close friends would be the only company V1 had. No other human nor machine ever met them. They were kept at their weakest, just in case they’d attempt to escape. They knew of the existence of a successor, but they never saw it. V1 never got the chance to accomplish their purpose, yet humans already made a replacement for them.

They came back from their thoughts when their audio processors heard the last body falling. They stood still longer than they thought they’d be capable of, before finally moving on. Their wing blades were at their lowest. Stained glass painted the next room in myriads of colours. Light shone down on a new weapon. Wing blades lifted up. V1 beeped curiously and then whirred as they recognized the gun.

AN ATTRACTOR NAILGUN?! Aww, you shouldn’t have!

A malicious face spawned in. V1 let every nail in the gun’s chambers out. Seeing it fall to the floor was more than glorious. V1 was filled to brim energy.

Oh, joy!

————

Going through each room was like slicing through butter with a hot knife.

The nailgun was one of the next best weapons they could’ve added to their own arsenal. They went through everything this place threw at them. They could barely pay attention to what they were doing. Before they knew it, V1 was falling again to the next area.

Enemies became mush in a matter of seconds. Everything was but a breeze. It was so much fun. They were having fun now. This was so —

The sound of something burning was picked up by V1’s audio processors. They didn’t have anything that could’ve burned their enemies. Charred corpses littered the next room. The sound of objects burning persisted. Why did it continue? Leaving the halls back to the hologram rooms answered the question.

Everything was burning. Nothing was safe from the flames.

A new enemy had to be the cause of this. None of the previous entities V1 encountered had such capabilities. Jumping down proved their hypothesis. Machines wielding flamethrowers ran to V1 with malicious intent. They had to be very precise with their dodging now. While their own life was important, the dress had to be kept out of harm’s way. It would ruin V1’s mood completely to have it burn into a crisp. The marksman proved to be very useful against these newer machines. A single ricoshot would target their flamethrower’s fuel tank, therefore exploding them.

V1 would have to give these robots a nickname eventually.

————

Nothing new had happened so far.

V1 had cleared a few more rooms and there wasn’t anything of interest to comment on. Well, no. There was this giant green rat that they had to fight. It certainly was an experience. Never in their entire lifespan they had thought they’d shoot down a hefty chonker of a rodent. Otherwise, nothing was noteworthy. It was a beeline towards the next drop.

The new place they fell into was somewhat intriguing. V1 only needed one skull to move forward, but where was the fun in that? Getting both red and blue skulls sounded much more fun than only getting one. Surely enough, wiping the floor with the enemies was just as easy as the last level. V1 kept wondering what would happen if they got both of the skulls. Would it be another weapon? Would it be information about what happened to the humans? Would it be nothing at all?

So many options, so much time.

Once they got both skulls on each pedestal, they heard a door opening. It didn’t take too long for them to find the entrance. There wasn’t a small in an equally small room. V1 didn’t get to take in their surroundings before two swordsmachines attacked them.

Oh, come on now!

Evading their attacks while trying to land hits was a nightmare. Why couldn’t they have fought in a less claustrophobic area of the level? They seemed somehow faster than the original swordsmachine. These bastards had torn up the dress further. V1 swore that the poor thing wasn’t going to survive these hellish conditions. So much for them who wanted to feel pretty. They liked the word pretty. They liked the thought of being described as pretty, maybe a lot more than they initially realized.

Oh, yeah. The fight. They were supposed to describe that. Well, they had no good way of describing what was happening. Their visual processors were having issues, despite how low they made the graphics. There were more blurry pixels than actual clear images. If it wasn’t a good description for the fight going on, V1 didn’t know how to do it better. They’d refer to the copycats as “Agony” and “Tundra”. Why these two names? “Tundra” sounded like a nice word and V1 hated the blue swordsmachine so much that “Agony” felt right. Why was the red swordsmachine not detested as much? It didn’t land a single hit on the dress.

Then, the phony swordsmachines died.

Thank the moon and stars.

A mechanism sat on the far wall. Pressing it made the ground shake. They never mentioned it, but it wasn’t the first one V1 saw. They came across a few other ones while going through the place. They didn’t feel it was that important to mention beforehand. V1 hoped it would lead to something super cool and awesome and — oh, they couldn’t wait!

They sprinted for the next drop. The doors shut right in their face.

Rude.

Something behind them was tearing itself out of the ground.

YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS?!

It was a whole new enemy. In fact, it was absolutely massive. It was also hideous. It had a face only a mother could love. Yeesh!

————

V1 wasn’t going to go into detail about how much they hated that fight.

They’d honestly prefer forgetting about it all together. They hated the way that this hideous mass moved. Their mixture of marble and flesh had been burned into V1’s optic. Its tail, for a reason only a probably dead God would know why, had a grappling hook. Why the fuck did that thing have a grappling hook? Why was this ever allowed? Which angel did this fuckery, and what was their name so V1 could meet them personally? Truly, why did nobody stop them from creating this abomination or even helped them to design it fairly? Could they kill the dumbass would made the somehow alive, big as fuck, and very disgusting chunk of flesh and marble? V1 would even go as far as begging for Heaven to let them do this.

Anyways, that fight was done. V1 wasn’t going to continue thinking about what could be best described as an atrocity anymore.

Walking through the doors, they were met with a false night sky. A fake moon shone down onto V1. The idea of it acting like a spotlight made them uneasy. The piano music was very nice though. As fake as the scenery might be, it certainly was rather pretty. They never got to see the moon. They wondered about when they’d get the chance to see it, if they managed to leave this place. The serenity was appreciated this time, as uncomfortable as it was. V1 could very well explore the area. They had all of the time in the world to do it.

That being said, they didn’t want to search for three skulls just to get through some door. Breaking through the window sounded way too fun to not do it.

They ran back a little bit. Then, they zoomed forward, jumping using the momentum they built up, crashing through the window and landing perfectly. It had to be the coolest entrance they ever did. V1 internally patted themselves on the back. Who else could do better? They lightly dusted themselves off and brushed their torn apart dress down. It’d be very inconvenient to find a piece of glass lodged in them as they’d go through each level. They walked up to the exit, and something broke through a window in front of V1.

The landing was smooth and precise. It managed to knock V1 into the air, startling them. They stumbled upon the landing and almost fell. The recognition was instant.

The similarities were evident. Their bodies were somewhat alike. The main difference was in the other’s bulk and crimson plating. The left arm was very different from the rest. It had a hand with only three fingers. Two holes were where the knuckles should be. They resembled the end of a shotgun barrel. A shotgun similar to V1’s was held in the other’s right hand.

V1 finally met their successor. Their wing blades were raised high and they whirred. The other gracefully bowed to them. V1 did their best to bow back in return. They couldn’t come right out of the gate and be disrespectful. It was their successor, which made the other machine very important.

Said other machine parried shotgun shells at V1. They almost didn’t dodge it in time. Shot after shot and dodge after dodge made it look like they were dancing. Every move they made had the water splash around them. V1 refused to fight. The other had to be kept alive. They had to figure out how to get the red machine’s chassis open without damaging major components. Their successor didn’t seem to share that mindset. They were aggressive in their pursuit, yet clumsy in their efforts. Did they not know how to fight? They were V1’s successor. They had to know how. They had to be capable. Why weren’t they trying to get closer? V1’s blood absorbing plating was what made them so unique. Their successor should have something similar. Openings were very frequent. V1 could tackle the other at any point, but it was all so strange. V1 never made such obvious mistakes in combat. If the other was meant to be their successor, where was their fighting prowess? It was pitiful. V1 felt bad for the other. Who let them be left untrained and uneducated about combat?

At some point, V1 was tired of dodging. They tackled the crimson machine to the floor and knocked the gun out of their hand. To give them some credit, their successor was stronger than initially expected. It was difficult to pin them down without hurting them. The other kicked and screeched at V1. Opening the chassis was nightmarish. The realization of what V1 wanted to do to them made their successor go into overdrive. The vial was extremely slippery. V1 sat on the red machine’s torso to keep them pinned down. The screeching was even louder. It felt like their audio processors were going to pop. V1 got the old vial out of its compartment. They quickly replaced it with the one in their pocket. They didn’t get to shut the other’s chassis down, and their hold on the crimson machine slipped. They got harshly pushed away, sending them stumbling down into the water. Their successor didn’t get to reach the new vial as their systems shut off. V1 sat still.

Nothingness.

Darkness.

Silence.

All was what the machine was met with as it awakened for the first time in years. Limbs felt heavy. Moving at all felt like an impossible feat. Cords were plugged in certain areas its body. Its neck, its chest, its wrists and ankles connected it to a battery behind it. To keep it in stable condition, it presumed. It had to move.

Something was wrong.

Where were the humans? It was hungry. Why were the lights off? It was starving. What happened to its creators? It needed blood. Were there other machines like it somewhere? It needed fuel. It needed fuel.

It needed fuel.

The machine reached the cords at the back of its neck and yanked. Cables thudded against the dead battery pack. Harsh, desperate tugs pulled the plugs from where they connected into the battery. They dangled idly at its sides. The machine couldn’t sit still. It would die. It didn’t want to die. It refused to die. It couldn’t let itself die.

It ran. It could do nothing but run. It had to find fuel. Its feet pounded against steel reinforced flooring. The facility it was kept in was in sorry conditions. It didn’t care. It couldn’t afford to. It couldn’t see anything that could be fuel. It kept running. The machine couldn’t die. For the first time in its life, it saw the light of the sun. It couldn’t appreciate it. It was dying. Streets were empty, neither animal nor human in sight. It couldn’t think about that. Finding fuel was more important. Another facility came into view. It looked just as poor in condition as the one the machine was kept in. A large, illuminated door sat at the farthest wall. Perhaps, blood would be found there.

Something fell onto its bevel with a loud thunk.

For a moment, the machine stopped running. It searched for the object in need to call guilty it for aggravated assault on a starving robot. A strange vial had rolled near a bench after falling onto its head. The machine picked it up and analyzed it.

Vial

Liquid: unidentified

Glass: 71% silica 11,25% sodium oxide 10.25% lime 1,5 alumina

Metal: 51% gold 20,8% iridium 18,7% osmium 7,82% ruthenium 0,87% iron 0,32% nickel 0,25% copper 0,24% rhodium

How strange. The liquid in the vial wasn’t within its database. The colour was just as bizarre. It looked golden, yet it reflected light in light blues and pinks. The machine gently tilted the vial. The liquid seemed to be similar to blood in terms of consistency. It had similar vial inside its chassis, but it wasn’t filled with this unusual substance nor was it made of reinforced glass and fake gold. It was supposed to be used for emergency refuelling. It had ran dry a long while ago. The machine didn’t hesitate to pull its chassis open and throw out the empty vial, shattering as it met the floor. It shoved the new vial in its compartment and slammed its chest shut. Immediate results were sent to its system.

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

SYSTEMS OVERLOAD

UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE FOUND IN FUEL GAUGE

NEED OF REBOOT

-!- SHUTDOWN IMMEDIENT -!-

One by one, the machines limbs turned off. Its legs gave out first. Then, it was its torso. As it tried to crawl closer to the door, its arms powered down. Finally, its head shut off. Its body lay incapacitated on floor.

V2’s absence weighed heavily in the back of V1’s mind. The lack of their presence wasn’t something she was used to. She worried endlessly for their safety, even though she was perfectly aware of their great self sufficiency. In lieu of wallowing in anxious thoughts with nothing but white noise, V1 wrote a simple note and left the house.

Hell was calling to her, beckoning her to delve deeper into its vast depths. She would come back. She had to. V1 would rather suffer from whatever that place could throw at her than to leave V2 alone eternally. Besides, perhaps she’d discover some new environments and tell her successor all the stories she’d experienced.

The trek back down to Lust was much easier than her previous journeys. While the human souls were aplenty, so were the starving machines. As much as she hated to do it, V1 knew that sparing them from further torment meant disposing of them. At least now she had no need to dig through mechanical gore. Soon, the neon lights of Lust illuminated the scenery.

I’ll never get tired of it.

Lust was a very comforting layer compared to Limbo. The tall infrastructures of skyscrapers, the light poles, the clouded purple skies. It couldn’t be overstated how beautiful it was, how much it reminded V1 of New Peace architecture. The other machines were still present, but she still took time to admire The Lust Layer. Whoever this King Minos was, she hoped that he felt proud of what he created. The new enemies could fuck off though. The soldiers were a bigger pain in the ass than the drones, and that was to say by a lot. If it wasn’t for their human appearance, they would’ve been killed on the spot. The mindflayers were…something.

Did V1 envy their body modifications? Yes. Did she want to get them? Also yes. Unfortunately, removing those parts by hand would prove to be impossible. Mindflayers exploded when they suffered too much damage.

Oh, why the names, you asked? Simple! The soldiers moved like soldiers in war, and enacted violence akin to them. A mindflayer’s most important part of their body was their head. The rest was purely cosmetic.

Anywho, the feeling of being watched persisted. The distant beams of light also kept appearing. Not to mention the giant shambling of what looked to be a corpse roamed the layer. V1 half suspected it was King Minos, but she doubted it was him entirely. He was referred to as a benevolent figure. He wished for a peaceful protest against a certain “Gabriel”. V1 recalled the name scribbled in blood in the fake chapel. It shocked her to read that Gabriel didn’t listen to the king, striking him down with little remorse. She swore she remembered someone calling the angel a kind, righteous figure. Who was it again? Did it really matter in the grand scheme of things?

How good are you if you won’t hear the pleas for peace? War solves nothing.

Maybe it was time to go back home. The climb back would be gruelling, but V1 knew where to go. Plus, she had a new weapon to show off to V2. She could only imagine how little they’d care about it, but would lend an ear to V1’s ramblings. It was a shame she forgot to use it. She’d be more than happy than to test it out with a formidable foe.

A column of blinding light appeared right in front of her. Its sound was deafening. A tall shadow loomed over her. Did Hell read her mind?!

Once the column disappeared, there was the figure unobstructed by its light. An angel, an incomplete one at that, flew in stasis in front of V1. A golden arm stayed limp at its side. Its wing was small and could almost be described as pitiful. It kind of resembled a bird. It seemed just as confused as she was. They stared at each other in awkward silence. V1 hesitantly waved. In a fraction of a second, a blade of light pressed against her neck.

“State your name and reason for being here.”

V1 held her newly acquired railcannon tightly. She couldn’t die. V2 was waiting for her. A series of taps.

“V1. I am exploring this place.”

A plain answer. She didn’t need to say more. The blade was close to digging into the metal of her neck. V1 shivered.

“What of the machines? Their corpses are scattered everywhere.”

“Humanity must be preserved, no matter what.”

“Aren’t they one of your own?”

The blade dug into metal. One wrong move, and V1 would be decapitated. Her hold onto the railcannon shook.

“Destroying your own kind for your creators. Despicable.”

“The machines are starving. There aren’t any resources left to feed them. Letting them suffer like this, that’s too cruel. Laying them to rest is the only option left.”

“And you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

V1 ran back. The blade almost cut her bevel off. She pointed the railcannon at the angel’s head. Angels were supposed to be good. That was what V1 was always told. Why was it antagonizing her? Couldn’t it sense that she hated it, that she wished for another option? No fuel vials like hers and V2’s were left to distribute. V1 would’ve given everything if it meant for her kind to live peacefully, with no requirements for blood as fuel. Wings blades rose, framing V1 in an intimidating display.

“This is mercy. I take no joy in murdering my siblings. You wouldn’t be capable of understanding that.”

The angel scoffed at her. Just as quickly as it came to be here, it quickly dissipated in a flash of light. V1 fired the railcannon at it a second too late. No english curse word would be enough to describe her fury. So, she resorted to what she knew best.

“RAMÈNE TON CRISS DE CUL MON ESTI DE CÂLICE DE TABARNAK!!!”

————

V1 silently fumed in deep anger on the living room couch. That damn angel, she hated its guts to an overwhelming degree. She hoped to never see that fucker again. If she saw it again, it was on sight. Not enough talks about morality would keep her from ramming that angel’s helm into the ground. Berating her for sins that couldn’t be erased, who did it think it was? God? There was no God if these angels were all just like the one V1 encountered. Wasn’t it all about love thy neighbor and such purple prose? Where was it? She’d admit it, V1 was no saint, but what else could she do? There was no way of winning. Either all of humanity in Hell ceased to exist or all of the machines got to finally rest in peace.

V1 got up and started walking around in circles. Quick, aggressive steps loudly resonated in the living room. She’d probably be able to dig a hole in the floor if she were any faster. She wanted to tear this place apart from the roof to the basement. Nothing would be spared. It all sounded so tempting. Smoke with a few sparks came out of her bevel.

A door opened.

“I’m…back…” V2 stared at V1’s form. She was the most agitated they had ever seen her be. V1 swivelled her head towards her successor. She swiftly relaxed her posture, but nerves were still very present. V2 blinked at her. “What happen—”

They were instantly tackled to the floor. At least they managed to put their findings somewhere else, so nothing would be damaged. Aggressive tapping on their chassis.

“V2.”

“Yes?”

“Disable my body before I do anything drastic.”

V2 blankly stared at her.

Oh dear.

————

V1 laid limp on the couch.

Her body couldn’t move an inch. Technically, she got what she asked for. She didn’t anticipate the consequences of it lasting this long. It had been three hours now. A series of beeps.

“V2222222222222.”

“Hm?” Her successor hummed, sitting in front of her legs on the couch. They had brought the almost finished knuckleblaster with them in the living room to work on while V1 recovered.

“I wanna moooooove.”

“Hmmm, I don’t know.” V2’s voice sounded smug. They definitely did look smug. “I like seeing you like this. You’re almost what most would refer as “cute”.”

“You think I’m cute?”

It was a mild tease, but it got the greatest reaction out of V2. They suddenly froze. Their wings blades glowed as brightly as fluorescent lights in the New Peace buildings. No shutters were in sight, their optic wide open. Their wing blades were raised high, before drooping down in embarrassment. V1 chuckled to herself. V2 lightly drew into themselves.

“Shut up…”

“No <3”

“Fuck you.”

“You already did~”

V2 lightly hit V1 in the chest. She laughed at their flustered demeanour.

“We didn’t. There was no —”

“Don’t need it if you’re feeling it.”

V2 squinted at her. They put knuckleblaster down and flipped her over, slowly untying V1’s corseted dress.

“One more word and I keep you unable to move forever.”

V1 nodded to the best of her ability, satisfied with herself. V2 flipped her back panel open. They grumbled to themselves while checking over her components. A few wires were connected into place. V1 could feel her legs. V2 closed the panel and flipped her over again. They untied the halter top to access her chassis. V1 wanted to tease them further, but knew internally that it was a terrible idea. Her wires weren’t sensitive like V2’s, but they could register pain if yanked hard enough, and not in a good way. Suddenly, she felt her arms again.

“There.” V2 closed her chassis. V1 was going to say something, but faltered as her successor held her bevel in the palm of their hand. Her wing blades glowed a tad brighter. “Will you be good now?”

“Yes.”

The reply was so quick, it was almost comical. V2 didn’t laugh, just merely seemed satisfied with V1’s response and let her go, resuming their work. V1 stayed there, flustered beyond belief. The brightness in her wing blades would’ve matched V2’s moments prior.

“Speaking of fucking,” V2 glanced at their predecessor, then back on the knuckleblaster. Their tone remained flat, unfazed. “I have found a shop with pleasure robots in my search for more parts. I have figured out how to remove certain parts, if you’re interested in getting such modifications.”

“You did?”

V1 sat up. She didn’t bother with tying her dress back in place, the fabric lying uselessly in her lap. Any excitement she felt overpowered her shame. V2 put their project aside once more in favour of giving their predecessor some decency. It felt strange to see her barely covered.

“Yes, I did. I’ve taken these parts with me. I might need to alter the chest piece a little to add your name. Otherwise, if you want them installed, I can —”

V1 tightly held V2’s shoulders. They flinched at the suddenness.

“Please please please, for the love of the moon and stars give them to me.”

V2 chuckled to themselves. V1 blinked and cocked her head to the side.

“No need for begging.”

V1 squinted at her successor. V2 laughed harder.