You are awakened by voices coming from outside, and stand up shakily. Peeking through the window, you see a group of people standing outside the door.
Shit. It's a school day.
You duck down before anyone notices your glowing (F/C) lights. Another temperature warning flashes across your screen and you feel yourself burning up.
No, no, no... I can't hurt these innocent kids...
You run your hands through your hair, thinking of what to do. The door handle shakes. Out of pure instinct, you leap up and latch onto the ceiling, praying to god that nobody sees you. The door opens and you hold your breath.
Kids begin entering, too busy with chattering to notice the Disassembly Drone hanging from the ceiling. Once everyone files into the classroom, you quickly drop down and bolt out of the room, not caring to be quiet.
You zip through the conveniently empty halls, taking random turns. You have the awful feeling that someone is chasing you. You come to a dead end and skid to a halt, not daring to turn around. Another warning flashes across your screen. You are certain someone is standing behind you, but you don't look. The fear of whomever is standing behind you is a mix of worrying that they will hurt you, or that you will hurt them.
After a long moment of silence, you hear a young girl's voice.
"B?"
It's Suzy.
"Suzy... please..."
You say shakily. Fear spreads through your body like ice. Another temperature warning.
"...R-ru-un..."
Your voice glitches out, along with your screen.
"Are you okay? What's going on?"
A splitting headache forms and you grip your head with both of your hands.
"Yo-ou d-on't understa-and..."
Your screen glitches to the point where you can't see.
"You h-ha-ave to run-n..."
You dig your fingers into your scalp as you are overwhelmed with agony.
"But, I-I wanna help!"
The concern in her voice brings tears to your eyes. Every inch of your body is aching to turn around and strike, but your heart keeps your feet planted firmly on the ground.
"Su-Suzy-y... pl-e-ease, sa-sav-e y-ourse-elf!"
You beg, bending over in pain.
"I-I'll go get someone! I'll find help!"
She says, and you hear her footsteps fade away. You are relieved, but it does not get rid of the throbbing sensation in your head. Unable to support your own weight, you fall to the ground. Steam escapes out of the top of your visor and you struggle to breathe. You begin to lose your hearing, and your headache fades as you pass out.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
[UPDATE COMPLETE]
You hear muffled voices around you, and you don't open your eyes. You only vaguely remember what had happened earlier. The sounds become clearer, and you're able to understand what they're saying.
"How long have they been out?"
You hear Katie ask.
"At least an hour..."
Uzi answers.
"But N, how-"
"I... would rather not talk about it."
N sounds very distressed.
"What if they don't-"
"Suzy, stop! Can't you tell he's scared?"
Katie cuts her off.
They keep talking and you struggle to move your body. You manage to twitch your hand, but nobody takes notice. You do it again and the talking stops. You feel a hand rest on top of yours, and you shift your head slightly. Everyone holds their breath, waiting for you to open your eyes or say something.
You slowly open your eyes, and squint at the bright hallway lights. Everyone inhales sharply. N's hand tightens around yours.
"I'm so tired."
You say very slowly.
"Wh-where have you been?"
N asks with a hurt expression.
"We looked everywhere for you!"
You see the pain in his eyes.
"N..."
You blink slowly.
"I just... I didn't want to hurt anybo-"
"I don't care!"
His voice cracks.
"You almost died! AGAIN!"
Suzy, Katie, and Uzi watch nervously.
"Do you have any idea how terrified I was?"
He does not let go of your hand.
"I-I didn't know what to do... I almost killed Suzy!"
You defend.
"I value your lives over mine."
You state plainly.
"Well I don't value my life over yours."
He closes his eyes. You notice something on his arm. It's a bite mark, still leaking oil. Your eyes widen in shock.
"Wait... you didn't..."
N lets go of your hand to cover the wound, opening his eyes.
"I had to."
You shake your head.
"No..."
"B, you were literally about to combust!"
Uzi says with a frown.
"No... I got the update..."
You explain. Katie and Suzy seem confused, but Uzi and N look at you in horror.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
You sit in Uzi's office chair with the device stuck to your head once again. N, instead of sitting on the bed, is on the floor next to you with his head leaning against the armrest. It looks super cute, but you are too busy worrying about your programming to acknowledge it. In fact, you are subconsciously running your hand through his hair. Luckily, Uzi doesn't notice either, as she is busy typing away on her laptop.
"Oh... holy shit..."
"What?"
N asks, not lifting his head.
"An entire new weapon system has been installed..."
Your eyes widen.
"...and apparently a new facial expression..?"
Uzi says, sounding unsure.
"Why would they add a facial expression?"
You question. She just shrugs and keeps scrolling.
"These weapons... I've never seen them before. They must be really new."
"So the company is having me test weapons now?"
You ask bitterly.
"I mean, they wouldn't waste an opportunity to-"
She turns around and sees you. After staring for a moment, she lifts an eyebrow. You look around, confused, then realize that you are still messing with N's hair. He notices as well, and is quick to sit up, looking embarrassed. You do the same and avoid eye contact with Uzi.
"You two need to get a room."
She scoffs and looks back at her computer.
"Hey! Do you have any idea what anxiety is like?!"
You snap back.
"We're robots."
She deadpans.
"We still have feelings."
You argue.
"You and N? That's more than just 'feelings'."
She turns to you with a smirk and holds up finger quotes. You simply glare at her, knowing that you can't disagree with that. You have been becoming very fond of him. His kindness, somewhat innocence, and his care for you has a special place in your heart. You've always tried to ignore these feelings, knowing that your job wouldn't allow such "nonsense", but it's hard to push someone away when they mean so much to you.
You look at N, who's sitting in an alert position, clearly still flustered from earlier, and can't help but smile a bit. Uzi returns to the computer and keeps scrolling.
"'Mood swings'? What the hell?"
She says after a moment.
"Seriously!?"
You stand up and look over Uzi's shoulder at the screen.
"Why the fuck would they do that!?"
"Well, you do fight better when you're angry..."
N says, standing as well.
"N... can I talk to you for a sec?"
Uzi asks with a worried expression.
"Uh, sure?"
You watch as the two of them walk across the room. You can't make out what they're saying, and they have their backs turned, so you can't see their facial expressions.
Nervously, you turn to the computer and look at the list.
-Weapons
-Facial Expressions
-Emotional Shifts
-Strength raised to full potential
-Oil tolerance raised to full potential
-Cooling system disabled
Before you can read the last thing on the list, Uzi's voice draws your attention away from the monitor.
"B, listen."
You turn to look at her.
"Your system has been altered to make you unable to control yourself. For all we know, you could..."
She trails off.
"But... y-you'll find a way to fix it. Right? You always do!"
Your breathing quickens and you stumble backwards slightly, bumping into the chair.
"B... there's nothing I can do."
She says sadly.
"Well, we have to do something!"
You say frantically, feeling a strange energy coming from Uzi and N that causes fear to crawl up your spine. Uzi whispers something to N. He takes a deep breath, waits for a moment as if mentally preparing himself for something, and walks forward.
"N, wh-what did she tell you?"
He avoids eye contact and continues making his way towards you.
"N?"
You ask again. He seems to be caught in a trance.
"N!"
You walk sideways in an attempt to go around him and escape, but Uzi blocks the door. Pure terror causes you to freeze on the spot.
"Uzi!"
You lock eye contact with her.
"Say something! What's going on!?"
She simply watches with a saddened expression.
Sensing N's presence directly behind you, you look around the room desperately for anything that could help. The moment you feel N's hand on your shoulder, your instincts kick in yet again. You leap upward and grab onto the metal pipes on the ceiling. You crawl upside down to the opposite corner of the room, where you find an air vent. Wasting no time, you yank off the metal plate and pull yourself inside the shaft.