Aberrant Algorithm.

Carnival of Twisted Logic.

"Oh hey V," N greeted the other disassembly drone as he made his way over to where she was waiting in the pod, "Why'd you want to speak after J had gone to roost?" He was confused as to why V would want to talk to just him and not J as well, not that he was upset by it far from it he'd been overjoyed that for the last week and a half, V had remembered him and spoken to him.

It had been one of the best weeks of his life, the time V spent talking to him had brought back memory files he didn't know he had. While he couldn't fully view the files stored, N was able to remember a large spooky manor house but nothing else. Maybe V would be able to help, he knew that they'd been a squad since before coming to Copper-9 and he trusted her more than J.

V Just looked up from her kneeling position next to the purple worker drone she'd remembered was named Uzi, she had been fiddling with the locked collar around Uzi's neck before N had come in. "Did she speak when you were alone guarding her?

N blinked taken back by the question, he didn't know why she was asking and was worried about what being honest would mean for his silent purple friend, "Whaaaat? nooooo, she's still in reboot V drones don't talk in a reboot" N laughed nervously rubbing the back of his head seeing the deadpan unbelieving expression on V's face, he managed to last all of three seconds after lying before he cracked. "Alright," N whined caving at V's expression and slumping down, "She spoke a couple of times but didn't really say much I could understand. Except for my name but I did tell her it though," His eyes quickly widened in panic as his processor jumped to a single conclusion as to why V was asking, "V please don't tell J! She'll think they are faking and kill them!"

"Calm down N," V reassured him standing up and putting both her arms on his shoulder to stop him from panicking, "I am not going to tell J, "Before turning her gaze softened and looked down at Uzi, "She can't really say much of anything just fragments," She bent back down and smoothed Uzi's hair out again the action causing N to do a double take between the two.

Before he could voice anything V gestured for him to kneel down next to Uzi with her, joining her in kneeling next to Uzi. N watched as V gently turned her head to face N, "She looks familiar, doesn't she?" there was something about the tone V had just used it was almost nostalgic like she was reliving a fond memory.

N Taking a moment to really focus on the drone's face he got flashes of a familiar-looking drone in memory files N didn't know he had, as he focused on her visor trying to see the progress on her reboot. N was caught off guard as the spinning reboot symbol flickered, exactly as it had for V, before briefly optics flashed on spiralling through lilac, yellow and purple before settling back into the reboot symbol. While the flickering happened the drone's mouth opened and closed its vocaliser springing back to life, "N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N......" Before it devolved into a wail of agony, oil leaking from around the visor like tears.

As quickly as it had begun it ended with the worker going limp as V held her gently keeping her from slumping over, making sure the worker was fine and still in reboot V turned to face N. Before she could speak V noticed N had covered his mouth his own optics wide in a mixture of horror and realisation.

That scream had unlocked something inside him, something that should have been deleted and recompiled themselves. In that instant, N was assaulted mentally with flashing images of life before arriving on Copper-9, of seeing V with glasses, of working within a manor house and a drone with lilac optics with a stutter who never lacked a friendly smile for him. Swallowing the oil that rose in the back of his throat N reached out and gently took one of the worker's hands, holding it softly surprised to feel it tighten in response.

N looked over at V a set of questions that he didn't need to ask on his lips as he stared at her, but he needed it confirmed not something open to speculation. "V?" N's voice was softer than it had ever been, barely a whisper as his optics flicked between looking at V and the worker drone, "Did we grow up in a haunted mansion V?" The expression on her face told him everything he needed to know about that, and if that was true, he knew exactly who this worker was. "Why wasn't she with us when we got sent here V? She was there with us right, this is Uzi isn't it?"