The Great Multiverse Theory: Repairs and Recordings

by AppleTank

[2.A] Squishy

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Squishy

“...Record events, analyze data and new objects, and most importantly, tell me when the next big one comes.” The robot gets chucked into the time stream by Shtik’s glowing fist. A/VER-E buzzed “Confirmed,” before disappearing from view. The robot floated beside a stream of bluish light: the Time Vortex. The robot’s chest whirred a bit as it switched toolsets, then opens up, sticking a glowing screwdriver and a few USB ports into the light.


Years:

0

10

37

60

146

388

New Object detected. Investigate?

Scanning...

Object seems to be: adaptable, fluid, sentient, acidic, extremely dangerous.

Preparing to investigate. Switching toolsets from Time Mode to Investigation Mode.

Exiting time stream in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

Brakes Engaged

Vwoorrp...Vwoorrp...


Avery’s velocity slowed as he entered normal time, its particles soon catching up to the robot’s fuzzy outline. In no time, the robot was solidified, and took a quick look around. The place was dark, but it could echolocate its way around if need be. It could have been a cavern, or even deep underground, not that it really mattered. Little life existed here.

Its camera eye was fitted with more than just optical sensors. Besides its large range of frequencies, it could also see temperature fluctuations, normal radiation, energy levels within inorganic systems, auditory sensors, and after the upgrades Elma gave it, life forces and the flow of magic. The last point was kinda important since it was still a bad idea for the robot to go wandering willy nilly into powerful leylines. A large portion of it was still electrical, especially some of the disks. I really don’t want someone accidentally reading Avery’s mind, and so changed everything else I could spare organic. Therefore, if Avery entered a powerful enough leyline, I might be faced with a fried robot with corrupted memory. Yeah.

The robot detected a large, magical black haze over a hill of dirt. It rotated its cubical body and rolled over on steel treads. It waved its three fingered (includes opposable thumbs) arms; a slight shimmer passed over it as it placed a low level veil over itself. No, I haven’t gotten my robots (or should I call them androids now, since they all have a few organic parts) to do magic yet, though I’ve been working on making the gun-staff (aka a revolver with a wooden [slightly singed] barrel and clamps where the chambers usually are to hold various batteries) more machine-friendly. You may remember IN-4 using it against SuperNova. Due to my retcon, little evidence remains that IN-4 had ever held it. Repeated usage usually causes some wiring damage and power instability from the magic aura. So no, all Avery did was bend light around itself, its energy requirement easily covered by the black rods that power it.

One hill later, Avery could finally see what was causing that poisonous haze: a river of dark purple ooze, bubbling and seething with evil. Yep, definitely black magic. Avery rolled over to the edge and peered in. Apparently, Avery’s bio signature wasn’t big enough for the ooze to notice it. It waited for five minutes just to make sure, then silently opened its chest compartment, not unlike the chassis its body was based off of, its ancestor WALL-E.

It carried molecular detectors, scanning devices, and light laser cutters. A small tube ejected a probe into the river with a disguised skin of a rock. The purpose? To see how a blob could can retain intelligence. It collected a few minutes of data before melting; the sludge appeared to have a vast nervous network made of magic that connected every part of the body to each other. There was a core somewhere, but definitely not here. More tests would have to be conducted to see if this could be replicated in a safe manner. For the last test, it extended an bone white horn, to create a diagram of the leylines that inhabited this monster. It slowly pulsed to life...

Avery looked back at the sludge quickly. The current was changing. The sludge was slowing down and appeared to be aiming for the horn. Shoot, it had been spotted. Avery quickly spun around and made a break for it. Before it could go more than a meter, the ground in front of it cracked. A low wall of the purple sludge reared up like a frozen wave and forced Avery to brake, lest it smash head first into the ooze. The cloud of black magic that surrounded the sludge condensed and began flowing into Avery. Avery tried to jump over, but it was too late. His shell bleached white, and waves of black consumed its limbs and head. Avery’s treads gave a slight hiss from the air escaping its pneumatics as the robot fell limp. Its camera lens glowed a dull red. Seizing the opportunity, the purple ooze spilled over the stone floor and converged upon the disabled robot.

Smash Mode Activated

The robot’s eyes flared like bright orange headlights. “I Am R.O.B.” A orange force field blasted the sludge away. In the epicenter there was a swirling black twister, pulling in more of the black magic. Three equidistantly spaced fingers poked out of the twister, then segmented arms. Avery’s orange eye glowed through the shadows. Soon, the rest of its transformed body was revealed. Its chest cavity had shrank, and was now just a hub for the arms to connect to. Its treads were connected to the spine of the robot, a foot below everything else. Avery pulled out a thin cylinder with rubber grooves out of its chest cavity. “And You Will Be Terminated” The device made a whirring noise; the sludge shrieked in response and rolled away from the noise. With a flick, the back third folded down like a pistol grip. The activation lever popped out a centimeter along with it.

Avery depressed the trigger of the Sonic Saber Shooter. A rust orange beam of light swooped in a semicircle and burned the retreating sludge. With great effort, Avery ejected the smog running through its systems. Returning to Investigation. A hiss of black gas shot out of the exhaust/fuel pipe on its back. Its cooling fan staggered a few times from the choking steam, before finally resuming operation.

As soon as it recovered from the bugs in the Combat Mode, Avery immediately teleported before the ooze could figure out what it was planning. It was as suited for combat as a space rocket. Bright, flashy as hell, and dangerous if you’re too close, but not really a feasible weapon of war.


A slight mirage formed deep within a cavern. With a groan of metal, Avery popped out of the rift and barely kept itself from tipping over. Its HUD flickered erratically, sparks shooting out scarred joints at random intervals. Its fan gave one final rattling cough before dying out like the rest of the robot. A few minutes passed as an eerie orange glow pulsed from deep within. Yellow strands reached across the damaged wires and reconnected broken circuits.

The robot gave a jolt and stood up straight again (or as straight as a wheeled robot without hips could). “Emergency programs online,” the robot, now android, said in a young, child like voice. It did a quick systems check, moving all of its joints to make sure the organic systems connected correctly. Afterwards, its eye gave off a soft orange glow. Its chassis slapped the ground, hard. It felt the echoes and began mining for materials to repair itself. Once it was done, it will return to the Time Vortex. Its master (ahem, moi) will be pleased with this new data.


I opened a closet with rows and rows of various items, whether mundane, dangerous, or magical. I withdrew a jar with a large blob of mold covering a rotting log and shut the door. I want back to my worktable, cleared off except for the hologram of the data Avery had collected and several charging stations and sensing equipment stacked in a pile at the far end. This was my third jar. Due to the incompleteness of the data, I had to screw around with some of the missing variables. I believe I made the connections of the first one too weak, and did nothing. I ended up wasting half an hour spinning my thumbs. The second time, it turned black and bounced off the walls trying to kill me. That jar got the “instant vaporization” treatment. This time, however...

The jar sat upon a fresh circle of runes and wires, powered by glowing gems I charged by a large, fleshy battery with a horn. It runs off of butter. A sent a flicker of will into the gems, sending power into the runes. I watched it glow faintly, the fingers on my right hand tingling as if energy was being vacuumed from it, despite outward appearances, just like my left hand on bad days. I heard a few thumps from Elma’s sparring lesson with Janitor. I ignored it, carefully picking up the jar in my weakened state, filled with a curious yellow slime. After I caught my breath, I grabbed a few extra jars of various substances from my closet, mainly belief powered items. You’ll be surprised what a can of spinach can do when something, a story, a cartoon, or whatever demonstrates a particular usage many, many times.

When I unplugged the jar of spinach from its imprinting station, I brushed off some dust coating the adjacent wall. I froze at the sight of brain monitors nearly identical to my own. I haven’t touched this thing in, jeez, centuries? I look down grimly at the jar of mold I held. My hand unconsciously pulls out a prong rolled up underneath the monitors. I stared in horror as my hands plug it into the mold, and the new lights on the wall. I angrily flung the cord away and went out to introduce Elma her new assistant/secretary.

I pushed the recent events out of my mind. Questions about free will never seem to get answered, annoyingly.

I wished I didn’t have a soul, or what was left of it.

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