I just wanted to be human. Ch. 7: 'tie collection'

"I Just Wanted to be Human"- A Steam Powered Giraffe fanfic
~by achgfd

Suggested listening:
Song: Demise of the Ritual
Album: Shadow of the Colossus
Artist: Koh Ohtani

Chapter 7: 'tie collection'

Rabbit waited patiently for the humans to head to bed. Hatchworth was going to be there in less than 12 hours. Rabbit would need to find definitive proof or else there would be no way he could convince Micheal... if there was proof.

Soon enough it quieted down, and after another hour of quiet Rabbit felt it was safe enough to do some investigating. He opened the basement door only a sliver, peeking one eye out. The kitchen was empty, and the house was dark. No light coming from the other rooms. Confident enough now he walked onto the linoleum floor, carrying Spine in hand. He wasn't about to do this on his own.

"If I had secrets... where would I hide them" He asked himself. Walking to the counter he pulled the cookie jar to the edge and opened the lid, pressing one eye against the top. "No such luck..." He grumbled.

Channeling the Spine, Rabbit very methodically opened every cabinet and drawer in the kitchen. They were all barren. The only dishes were in the dish drainer, enough for two people. The fridge was just as empty. Some bottles of water, left over Chinese food. "Nothing that could rot if forgotten..." He turned to Spine sitting on the table. "Ready for the next room?"

"I haven't seen furniture like this in... 40 years." Rabbit frowned. The couch was covered in a plastic wrap, probably never even sat in. A piano laid in the corner caked with dust. Unable to resist a button or key, Rabbit played a bar of Juju Magic, cringing at how out of tune it was. "This poor piano..." He pouted. "No TV.... no phone... and no taste"

He moved on now, standing at the bottom of the stairs. It was just the bedrooms that were left. "Micheal and that woman are probably asleep." He whispered to Spine. "You really gotta be silent, I know how chatty you are right now." Quietly he tip-toed up the stairs, keeping his ears sharp for any sound of movement.

At the top of the stairs was the bedroom he woke up in. He pressed his ear against the door but only heard soft breathing. This was a good sign, he would be able to explore the rest of the floor without being disturbed.

The bathroom was no threat, just as empty as the other rooms. The next bedroom had a clear carpet of dust. No one had even stepped foot in that room in years. The last bedroom, the one at the end of the hallway, was used. At least somewhat used. There was a box-spring on top of a bed-frame with a large wooden headboard but no mattress, a desk against the opposite wall with a small lamp with no shade, and a broken dresser in the back corner missing at least two drawers. The window was covered in black paint, keeping all light from coming inside. But the strangest part was the tracks in the dust. No footprints traveled to that side of the room. They walked straight from the doorway forward and into the wall. "... maybe its a ghost!" Rabbit gasped quietly, stroking Spines head. "D-d-d-don't worry, I still remember my ghost-b-buster training."

He walked to the wall very carefully, trying not to make too many new tracks. Holding Spine under his arm, he began to search the wall with his fingertips. Maybe somewhere there was a button or switch? Spine was always better at these kinds of riddles.

Rabbit raised his hat slightly and scratched his dome. "I don't get it." He looked about the room but there were no switches. "Maybe we just need more light." Leaning to his side he flipped the lamp on.

Suddenly the floor underneath him began to rotate, the wall opening. He stood still and let it spin him to the other side. A tiny elevator, really only room enough for one person, was built into a converted fireplace shaft. As soon as rabbit stepped on the metal grating to inspect it, it began to descend. Traveling down at least 4 flights before opening to a large room.

It was filled with lights, computers, and technical equipment. A miniature version of the lab back home. In the center was a Tesla coil. Against the walls were large computers and screens surrounded by a rusted metal catwalk.

"Ya know... I'm getting more and more convinced about this." Rabbit nodded to himself.
"But Rabbit-" He mimicked Spine's voice and shuffling Spines head around. "If she's an engineer, she would have a lab wouldn't she."
"Why yes Spine. You have a point." Rabbit as himself again. "I wonder if she has connector cables..."

Rabbit examined each computer as he walked along the catwalk. He was not a great hacker, he wouldn't be able to see her encrypted files. And all the computers were locked, except for one. It seemed to be the least powerful, mostly used as an external hard-drive and not for running programs. As he searched the convoluted menus he found a series of hidden folders. Once he saw the names he knew he had another clue. Jon. Rabbit. Spine. Hatchworth. Upgrade. Each robot had their own folder. Inside the folders were videos, audio recordings, and pictures. None of this material was held secret, available for free use. By why was she accumulating it? Spine's folder was almost triple the size of the others. Prodding further Rabbit found file after file hidden under different names. Labeled under the tag 'tie collection', he found a series of password protected videos. Unable to play them from this computer. He would have to download them, crack them, and convert them to a different format. Sighing he shook his head and turned to Spine's on the desk. "This is gonna take forever!"