I just wanted to be human. Ch. 12 A SPG Fanfic

Suggested listening:
Song: Bumblebee
Album: Transformers
Artist: Steve Jablonsky

Chapter 12: Puns

Just like taping into Jon's network, Rabbit was surrounded by color and formed into an avatar of himself. Except where Jon's circuitry was solid underneath him and bright, Spine's was full of holes and decrepit. A false step and Rabbit could get lost in a swirling vortex of wires, receptors, and electricity. He knew things were bad, but seeing the true internal damage made Rabbit want to curl up. Trying to be strong and push back his fears, he began to take that long walk down the galvanized brick road.

It was uneasily quiet. No filters, no anti-virus. He usually would have been scoped and probed by the smallest of programs, but like Spine's external shell, there were no signs of life.
Rabbit paused, letting his arms fall flatly at his sides. His eyes raised to the top of what would have been Spine's main firewall. A colossus gray wall as far as he could see. Yet in the center was a giant crater blown out. The size could let in an army of aggressive malware. Not only was he not protected from her, but he was also at risk from anything and everything floating on the WI-fi, and now so was Rabbit. He stepped over the rubble and pressed on. What would the main programs look like?

He wandered for what felt like hours amidst the circuitry, but the time lapse was different in programing. As he turned a corner he nearly jumped out of his shell. A small distance ahead of him was a large group of Spines. They marched in a strong military like formation. Their eyes... something was wrong with them. They were too dark, black. Even as avatars of programs they held a certain level of malevolence. Rabbit turned on a heel, trying to hide when he fell into a hole. All of the Spines turned to him in unison and screeched.

"Halt program!" They commanded, sprinting towards him but still in formation. Rabbit struggled to pull his leg out of the hole but they moved in on him fast. He never really had a chance to escape. "Identify yourself program." The Spines circled around him, aiming red cross-hairs on his face. Like 8 laser pointers all aimed for his digital skull.

"...hey buddy... don't cha... remember me?" Rabbit chuckled nervously. To be deleted now would waste time, plus it would sting.

"Program not identified. Deleting program." The spines announced as they collectively whirred, preparing to rid Rabbit.

"Wait wait wait!" Rabbit pleaded with both hands. "Look I uh... I'm the Slow Clap Generator." He smiled uneasily. The Spines gave him confused looks, turning to each other. "Yea see...." Carefully he clapped his hands together, then a few moments later again. Forming a small sarcastic clap. The Spines were quiet, but they were clearly communicating with each other, or some other higher program. Finally the cross-hairs faded and they eased their stance.

"Program deemed non-threatening. Return to your origin or next time you shall be labeled as spam."

"Thank you sir..." Rabbit bowed. He stayed hunched over as the Spines regrouped and continued on their patrol. When they were out of range Rabbit allowed himself to have a brief moment to digitally 'wet his pants' as the humans would call it. His core felt like it was in his feet. That was a close call. From now on he had to remember that the Spines were just as tainted.

*********************************

"What do we do?" Hatchworth asked quietly from the driver's seat. He only knew a small amount of what was going on, but trusted the others to make the best decision to try and save Spine.

Micheal let out a sigh and rubbed his temples. "We should keep driving. I want to get back to the Walter Manor as fast as possible...." Without further instruction the Van jolted into drive and they were back on the road again. Micheal stared at Rabbit's empty eyes. How could he even tell if something was going wrong? "Lets hope that Rabbit knows what he's doing..."
"That... worries me.."
"Me too..."

*********************************

Rabbit spent more time avoiding Spine guards than searching the mainframe. Once he found a direction he was forced to turn around. Passing the same programs at least a dozen times. He was getting nowhere fast, just wasting more time.

A Spine patrol marched past and Rabbit took refuge behind another room. "This is ridiculous..." He cursed under his breath, waiting for the troop to pass. His rolling eyes paused as they spied something strange across the way. It wasn't the A.I. that he was looking for. It wasn't a troop of Spines. It was something smaller, hunched over against a wall. The silhouette looked like it was moving slowly, rocking. If it wasn't the main programs it at least was something different.

Rabbit checked to see if the coast was clear, then scurried his way towards the shadow. As he got closer its form began to take shape. It wasn't until he could see the clear outline of Spine's wide brimmed hat that he knew his hunch was right. There was something wrong about this Spine. It was different from the others, although different might not always be good. He was cautious and reminded himself that this one could be Program 2671.

He crept up on the figure, keeping his prey unaware that it was being stalked. The Spine sat against the wall of a program. Its knee's pulled into its chest. Rabbit couldn't get a good look at his face. It made no sound, its only movement was its head banging against the wall. At first it seemed erratic and without purpose, but then Rabbit began to read the taps. It was Morse code. A language of blips and lines they both had learned during WWI. Me. And. My. Baby. Love.

"Spine!" Rabbit cheered as he rushed the figure. It was singing, however melancholy, this Spine still had a song in its core. He spread his arms ready to give Spine an overdue hug, but the other robot shriveled as he got closer. Trying to hide itself in its own shoulders and arms. It was terrified of him! "no I... don't be scared. Its me... Rabbit!" He pleaded, trying to pull the Spine's arms away from its face so it could see him. "I'm not gonna hurt cha... please just. Trust me?" They continued to struggle until Rabbit was able to grip Spine's wrists firmly pulling them away from its face.

He now had a chance to give him a good look. No wonder Spine was terrified. His face was battered and broken. Large cracks ran the length of his titanium face. Instead of oil spewing out, there was a soft blue light. The true blood of programs. This wasn't just some program, this was THE program. The avatar of his A.I. His true self.

Rabbit forced his shocked expression from his face, it was upsetting Spine. Or maybe him holding him down was doing that. Or just the whole... attack in general. This was going badly from the start.

"Listen... I'm going to... let you go okay? I'm not gonna hurt cha... honest. Okay?" His words didn't seem like they were taking any kind of effect on Spine. Just how damaged was he? Could he even understand Rabbit? He didn't even seem like he remembered him. This was a look of fear so deep he had never seen before on Spine. Not even in the videos. "Do you... remember me?" He asked softly. Slowly starting to release his grip on Spine's wrists. The other bot didn't struggle, almost giving up as he gave Rabbit a new quizzical look. Maybe Rabbit's face seemed familiar somehow.

"yes yes. Its me." Rabbit lit up, pressing his hands against his own chest. "I'm Rabbit." Eagerly he grabbed Spine's hands and placed them on his features. His hat, Pappy's goggles, his collar. "Remember me?" His efforts were desperate. If the data was no longer there, could he really just revive a memory?
Spine continued to give him a confused look. Still not speaking a word, not even a gasp in fright as Rabbit tugged him around. Letting out a pained sigh Rabbit dropped his arms. Was it already a lost cause? How could he remember a song and not remember Rabbit?

Rabbit raised his eyes and nodded. That was it. The song. Spine loved songs, but Rabbit... Rabbit loved puns.

"Okay just... listen." He cleared his throat, he couldn't hide the fact that this was gonna be fun. Usually Spine wouldn't let him just start telling puns. But this was an extreme case!
"I went for a job as a gold prospector, but it didn't... pan out!" He smiled wide, giving jazz hands and a small *badum-chi * under his breath. Spine raised an eyebrow. He certainly wasn't scared now, but he seemed really confused. "No? Didn't like that one? Okay how about this one." He rotated his shoulders and began the set up. "I'm reading a book about anti-gravity, its impossible to put down! *badum-chi *" He went back to the wide eyed gaping smile and jazz hands. Maybe if he stared harder Spine would get it. If not, he would just have to tell more puns. "No? Not that one either? You are a tough crowd..." He pouted and tapped his lips with his fingers. "My dear pappy always told me.. Never trust an atom. They make up everything!" This one actually made Rabbit giggle. "I can't believe you don't love these! I'm hilarious! Okay okay..." He calmed himself. "another one? Last night a book fell on my head. I've only my shelf to blame!" He slapped his knee and shook his head.

His laughter paused as he felt Spine's hand grab his own, signaling him to stop. He turned over his shoulder, staring at Spine intently. He was rubbing his forehead the way he would for all of Rabbits jokes.
"You wanna hear another on-." Rabbit didn't get the whole statement out before Spine placed a hand over his mouth. He really did not want to hear more puns. Spine raised his eyes, making contact with Rabbits. Something was going on inside. He was starting to remember. Slowly he lowered his hand. "But... don't you think I'm punny?" At this point Rabbit couldn't stop.

Spine shook his head low, his body quivering. Rabbit thought it might be the end until he lifted his face. He was laughing and... sorta crying. Crying and laughing. But it was something.
"So you do remember me?" Rabbit squealed. Spine opened his mouth to try and speak, try and explain but he was speechless. After a moment he gave up and just nodded. Yes he did remember. Yes he was there. Yes he had a chance.

Rabbit lunged toward him, wrapping both arms around his brother in an embrace. Hugs weren't usually given between the bots, but this was one of those moments that truly deserved it. Rabbits grip was tight, almost suffocating. Spine couldn't even lift his arms to hug back, but they knew he didn't have to. This wasn't for Spine, this was for Rabbit. Just feeling Spine's body against his made the moment so real. That he was alive. He was conscious. He was still there to help fight. He may have been missing parts but he could still be put back together. That Rabbit wasn't alone anymore, he didn't have to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders by himself. Spine was always the stronger, more dependable one. The one that Rabbit turned to when he was in need, and now to have him back was just overwhelming. If they weren't digital avatars he was sure he would be sobbing. This was stronger than the artificial crying. This moment felt so organic.