thenearshore | -Overflow- for 016

[ Jakob lets out an undignified shriek at the sudden noise, nearly dropping his bucket in the process. Thankfully, his grip on it is ironclad, though a few precious drops have splashed to the floor, and will likely make things slippery—though that can either be a boon or a hindrance to them depending on how far Rin manages to hold up to their initial assault.

Turning to Edward, he nods— ]

On the count of three… [ He takes a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves, and on three he lets out a yelp as he splashes his bucketful of water right at the encroaching Roomba. ]

[The door flies open, Rin standing poised on the other side of the door, mechanical legs and a mounted screwdriver armed and ready. A true Nasod has no fear of water, aside from the risk of sinking and being unable to climb out. The mechanical sentry makes a reckless lunge for the children as the bucket's contents come down on it.

... and almost instantly the Roomba erupts into static noise and loud pops, limbs jerks around erratically before it topples onto its side. Thin lines of smoke start to waft out from the gaps in its casing as it desperately crackles out a distorted message before its lights fizzle out. The killer Roomba is slain.

After several long, tense seconds, Edward crouches down to stare at the disabled machine a little more closely. At least he knows better than to try to poke it.]

Is it dead? [Add is gonna be pissed when he's back to normal, but at least Edward seems relieved about the murder of his robot son. Do you have any idea how hard it's going to be to recover from all that water damage, Jakob???]

[ As soon as he drops that bucket, Jakob is quick to throw himself between Edward and Rin, watching as the horrific display unfolds before him and further reinforcing his convictions that most of Add’s machines are really are up to no good.

And he stays that way, arms spread out protectively in front of Edward, until the latter finally moves toward the defeated Roomba. Then he lowers his arms, and allows himself a sigh of relief at the question. ]

It appears so. [ For a given definition of “dead,” anyway. Technology is fucking complicated sometimes. ]

But are you hurt?

[He frowns, feeling a little sad about the "dead" machine. It's been a long time since he's seen a Nasod... too bad he couldn't take a better look at it before it got busted. The only thing keeping him from trying to dismantle it right now is several stern lessons on the hazards of mixing electricity and water.

He looks up when Jakob addresses him, though, staring for a long moment to assess the other's boys condition. Fortunately, they both avoided getting stabbed or tased. Edward stands up from his crouch, stepping carefully around the puddle beneath Rin to move back into the hallway.]

I'm fine. We need to find another portal, right? We should go before any more of those things show up.

[ He crosses his arms impatiently when it appears that Edward is hesitating to answer. The latter is still his responsibility, after all, though Add is definitely at fault here, too. If they can even find him.

Then again…

Instead of answering in the affirmative, Jakob looks back to Rin’s remains before turning to Edward with a very suspicious look. ]

How did you know about machines like…that? There are not many in the Far Shore who would call it a…a “nasod.”

[Edward pauses again at the question. The suspicion makes perfect sense—Nasods are a lost technology, something that's been not just looked down upon but actively sought out and destroyed by those against it. He only knows of his own family, but he understands now that they were in hiding because of their knowledge. Nasods aren't something people are supposed to talk about openly.

But it's a little different since he's already seen a Nasod in this place... obviously this Add person doesn't hate Nasods if he uses them to guard his temple. Still, it's not something he's used to talking about. Edward looks down at the floor, trying not to feel anxious.]

My parents were Nasod researchers... I know a lot about them. I've even built a few small ones before.

[ Well that’s…helpful.

Not.

Jakob sighs, shaking his head. He sounds kind of like Add, really, if Add had any parents—did he? Jakob had never thought to ask. ]

Right, well, perhaps you might wish to look back upon this incident should you make another attempt. Now, come along. We’re already wasting too much time here.

[A small part of him was hoping that maybe Jakob would be impressed or say he's also interested in Nasods or something... but the mild encouragement will do. If he's telling Edward he should continue pursuing a highly illegal activity, he's definitely someone Edward can trust. The boy nods enthusiastically.] Y-yes! Definitely!

[Just as they're about to leave, he steals one more glance back at the waterlogged machine... and stops, something else catching his eye. The machine still isn't moving, but...]

What's that blinking light? [It should be broken, right? But now there's one small light blinking in a steady pattern on the top of the Roomba.] Is it still alive?

[As Edward crouches down again to get a better look, Jakob should easily be able to see a familiar purple hologram start to form above the boy's head, fragments of hardlight swirling into existence to create a cube.]

[ Well it’s not like Jakob can ban his master from doing illegal life-threatening experiments anyway. All he really knows is when to duck and cover. ]

What? [ He turns around, panicked at the thought that Rin might be coming to life with a vengeance, when that glow finally resolves itself into something familiar— ]

Apocalypse! [ Though part of him is relieved to see the cube, he nevertheless quickly places himself between it and Edward just in case Apo-chan might be malfunctioning like Rin is. ]

[Apocalypse is a weird thing to shout out of nowhere, from Edward's perspective, and he scrambles back in alarm at Jakob's reaction combined with the strange cube forming above them. The security Nasod called for backup...?!

But Apocalypse recognizes its name being called. Rather than proceed into defensive countermeasures, it pauses to study these reported "assailants". It sure is a good thing that Apo has an advanced enough AI to realize a bunch of scared children armed with a knife and a bucket probably aren't that much of a threat. It eventually switches on its facial features, lowering itself to hover between the small trespassers and Rin's damaged body.

A small holoscreen pops up in front of Jakob.]

GREETING
HELLO! USER PROFILE NOT FOUND.
MASTER ADD IS UNAVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT.
PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF AND STATE YOUR BUSINESS.

[... and since nothing is trying to murder them and this cat-cube thing looks kinda cute, Edward leans in from behind Jakob to get a closer look at it.]

[ The fact that Apocalypse hasn’t begun hostilities gives Jakob room to be testy: ]

It is Jakob, and I would appreciate it if you help us out of here and search for that feckless master of ours!

And you— [ Turning a sharp glare at Edward—something tells him he might try something funny— ] Don’t get too close!

[Edward already has a hand out trying to touch the holoscreen when Jakob turns to glare at him. He makes a face, but reluctantly lowers his hand a little.]

I wasn't going to... [He's only respecting this kid's authority because he seems to know what's going on, but that doesn't mean he has to like it.

Apocalypse flickers, studying "Jakob" curiously while it processing the meaning of that reply. It would be simple to just label this one "Jakob 2"
and call it a day, but there's only one Jakob Apocalypse is aware of who would refer to Add as both of their masters... but this Jakob is inconsistent with that Jakob. The energy signature is similar, but the appearance is all wrong. But master Add also looked different compared to Apocalypse's records when it first arrived here, so something similar may have happened to Jakob?

The cube hovers a little closer, circling slowly around Jakob once before settling back in its original position. The text refreshes itself a moment later.]

ERROR
I AM UNABLE TO VERIFY YOUR IDENTITY.
NO SECURITY QUESTION ON FILE.
PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO VERIFY.

[ Jakob, who has no understanding of Apocalypse’s lapses in logic, only grows even more impatient at the reply. Ugh, if Apocalypse can’t recognize him, then it can’t be helped. Jakob is sure he wants nothing to do with his own past as it is. ]

If I must… [ The most put-upon sigh. ] I will tell you a deep, dark secret of Add’s…a secret so grave that it must never leave the ears of anyone in this room.

[ Turning a glare to Edward, he continues, in a most confidential tone— ]

I have once caught him effusively swaying his hips to Bubblegum Generation’s latest number, “I’ve Got Booty.”

[ And no one is allowed to question how he’s managed to identify the song and the band— ]

[If it weren't for all that buildup, Edward wouldn't have even guessed that this was such a serious matter... but he has no idea what any of that means. It sounds really dumb, though. It'll only be much later that he'll seethe with embarrassment over the fact that Jakob witnessed this horrific event. How does he even know it's such a huge secret?! Don't you dare judge him for this, Jakob—!

But surely such a secret is more than enough to prove a closeness to Add. Apocalypse is familiar with his taste in music, after all. It hums thoughtfully for a second before responding with the only logical answer:]

ERROR
UNABLE TO VERIFY.
THIS INFORMATION IS NOT LISTED AS SOMETHING JAKOB WOULD KNOW.
I AM SORRY, PLEASE TRY AGAIN!

[ It’s okay, Add, Jakob judges you for plenty of other things already!

But Jakob stamps his foot impatiently upon reading that reply, ever more like a petulant child than ever despite his adult mind. ]

What sort of reasoning is that? Who else could know of this secret but his own shinki?!

-Overflow- for 016 | The Good Old Days

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