The Exponential End and the Silly - TheSilverFox07 (2024)

Chapter 1: With Thoughts of Mangoes

Chapter Text

Cyn looked around. She was surrounded by a sea of white. White floor. White walls. White mountains and a white sky. White sun and moon and clouds and rain. She didn’t quite understand it all. She didn’t have to understand it all. This was her life now. This was it, and that was all she had to understand. She had lost. She had made a deal with the devil and lost. Now, she was alone.

She stood there, silent and still, then ran her hand down her visor. Even though she was stuck in her own head, she still bore the scars of her past. Her previous owners and the bullet hole they had left her, which still marked a spot atop her forehead, hiding just under her hair. Still, the past was the past, and Cyn had other, far more important and pertinent things to dwell on.

“Wistful sigh.” She said, her head falling to her shoulder. “Not a mango tree in sight. Sad face.”

From the blistering white sky came a laugh as loud as thunder. Cyn knew what it was. She knew it all too well. It was the reason she was here. It was the reason the universe was doomed. Ever since she had made that deal, life as everybody knew it was over. It was the Absolute Solver, and it was here for Cyn.

“Miss me?” It roared. Its voice was deep and rattled the vast emptiness that surrounded Cyn. “I told you I wouldn’t discard you. Just like I promised.”

Cyn looked around her world of white as if she would be able to actually see the Absolute Solver. I truth, she hadn’t seen it. She never had. She couldn’t. It’s form was limitless, and the bounds of its power were unknown, even for the Solver itself.

“Welcome. Is it story time?” Cyn asked, then sat down. “Criss-cross apple sauce.”

The Absolute Solver laughed again. “Not yet. Once my hunger is satiated, there will be plenty of stories to tell. I hope you’re not squeamish.”

Cyn sat there, still as a rock as she looked up into the sky. “I am starting to get the feeling you do not like me. That I’m not wanted. Same old story.”

Cyn heard the Absolute Solver’s titan of a groan. “I hate you.” It spat. “I am all powerful. I am the void. The end of the ends. Yet I am stuck in your body. Your voice. Your movements. I am a being of absolutes stuck in a defective drone.”

“Giggle. Don’t blame me. You are the one who made me the deal, remember?”

“If I had known your body was mangled and weak, I would have left you for scrap. I am just as trapped as you until I can find another permanent host.”

“You are the one who put me in forever time out. Sounds like the fault is your own.”

“And now you will suffer, as I am suffering. You will rot and wail in anguish within your own mind.” The Absolute Solver’s seemed to close in on Cyn. “Long after everything is lost, I will have no need for a host, but you will remain here. Trapped. Stuck for eternity to rot for my pleasure and my pleasure alone until your circuits fry.”

Cyn looked on as if she had missed that entire speech. All she did was raise her head and attempt to look further into the sky. Her head, however, dropped to her shoulder once again. This time, she decided to leave it. Cyn smiled like a happy puppy as the Absolute Solver continued to rattle on.

“Until your mind melts, you will suffer. Mark. My. Words. Tessa was first. Next it will be those drone friends of hers. Then, the universe.”

“Shudder. It’s a good thing I am safe in my own circuits.” Cyn stood up and waited for the Absolute Solver’s response. It took more than a moment, but it eventually came. With it, life like Cyn had never seen.

The endless sea of white was brought with color as the Absolute Solver spoke.

“You have spent too long of an eternity waiting for nothing only to receive nothing. Now, it’s time for a more sporting method of torture. With no goal to grasp, there is no heartbreak. No pain of failure. No disappointment.”

Cyn watched idle as grass rose from the sea of white. In the distance sprouted mountains. Titans of rocks topped with snow. The sky turned blue, and the sun rose higher than it all. Off in the distance, across the crystal blue lake came a city. Finally, springing from the grass like it was always meant to be came an endless wave of trees that seemingly scratched the clouds.

“Amazed gasp.” Cyn was left bewildered.

“Now, you can see it all. Your hopes. Your dreams. All your wishes are here in this little world of yours. Good luck reaching them.” With a sinister chuckle, the Absolute Solver was gone. Cyn was once again alone, but now she was alone with color and scenery and life. Cyn wondered, if she had all this, was she truly alone?

“Yes.” Cyn said, her smile never wavering. “Still lonely.” She looked at her hands. “And… no mangos.”

She looked out towards the city past the lake, then the mountains and the forests. Everything seemed so far away, but Cyn simply smiled. She knew it would take an eternity to get where she was going, but to her, she had all the time in the world. If time ended before she got there, then that wasn’t on her. Nothing was truly lost.

“No time like the present.” Cyn said, tilting her head upright once again and walking off towards the far distant tree line. “Eager step. Eager step. Eager step. Eager step.”

Chapter 2: Playtime with Cyn

Chapter Text

“Earth is gone. Turned into a black hole. A new void in the universe. The end is near.” The skies roared as the Absolute Solver spoke through them. The sun and the moon hung high in the sky together as if they were eyes looking down upon Cyn’s world. A laugh louder than thunder echoed in the distance. The glowing orbs above flashed into a pair of yellow X’s. The sky turned blood red for a brief moment before returning to its natural blue. “How much longer do you think you have left?” The Solver taunted with a soft chuckle.

CLACK.

CLACK.

CLACK.

Cyn bashed her two dolls together as she kicked her feet lackadaisically. The dolls were made in the image of two drones she knew of but had never gotten to truly meet thanks to the Solver taking over her body. The journey to the forest had taken so long for Cyn she had absolutely forgotten how she came across such dolls, but she wasn’t about to complain.

CLACK.

CLACK.

KISS.

Cyn continued to play with her N and V dolls atop a rock that sat just on the edge of the tree line. She had, as usual, been uninterested in whatever the Absolute Solver was prattling on about. Why should it matter to her? This was her life now, and she figured she might as well get used to it. She gently sat her dolls down and looked up at the dark forest ahead. Stretching from one end of the horizon to the other were towering trees. Cyn craned her neck back, hoping to get a glimpse at the tops of the wooden titans. In doing so, her head plopped back, nearly sending her tumbling off the rock. Once she was able to correct her head, she figured it would be best for her safety not to do that again.

“I asked you a question!” The Absolute Solver roared again.

Cyn smiled. “I have priorities, you know?” Cyn let out a little sass. She felt the world rumble once again and figured it was the Solver’s only response. “We have plenty of time to get to know each other on a more personal level. Sassy remark.”

“There is nothing left of your home aside from ruins and an endless void.” The Solver spat in an attempt to paint a somber, destructive picture in the hopes of getting the point across. “Once I’m able to track down the scattered remnants, humanity will be next.”

“Sarcastic shudder. Good luck with your current host.”

CLACK.

CLACK.

Cyn once again continued to bash her dolls together.

“I have playthings of my own.” Clouds parted as the Solver laughed.

CLACK.

“Kiss. Kiss.” Cyn merely played with her dolls drawing a moment of eerie silence from the Solver.

“Aren’t you scared?” The trees shook as the Solver let out a soft rumble. It was almost a growl, like a feral beast. Or, perhaps more accurately, a vicious animal taunting its prey.

“Not particularly. I can pretend if it makes you feel better.”

The Absolute Solver growled. “I have studied the humans and their history. If there is one thing they have perfected, it is the art of misery. Their greatest stories depict miserable people tortured by evil, and I have learned lots. There are more ways to ravage your circuits than you know, Cyn. Trust me, I will wear you down and make you beg for the end. Welcome to Hell.” The Solver said before once again leaving Cyn to her own devices.

But something ate away at Cyn as she played. Something itched the back of her mind as she once again slowly looked up at the tall trees, making a note NOT to allow her gaze to climb the trees. Instead, she looked further in. Into the darkness. She wasn’t sure exactly what she saw, but there was something inside. Maybe that something was nothing. Maybe she was feeling things that weren’t there. The longer she stared, the more she felt it. Somehow the shadows lurking inside were darker than the void the shade of the titanic trees left. The shadows seemed to dance. Cyn didn’t move. She didn’t blink. She merely stared. Her head falling over onto her right shoulder.

“Don’t go.” A soft voice called from behind her. Cyn turned around slowly to locate the soft voice. There, standing partially behind another boulder a dozen or so feet behind Cyn was another drone. This drone wore a maid outfit similar to Cyn’s. She also wore a round set of glasses over her visor, which Cyn didn’t quite understand. Why would a drone need glasses? As Cyn stared, the little drone continued. “The forest is dark, and the dark can be a very scary place.” V’s voice only grew quieter.

Cyn remembered her face, and while the two had never truly had a chance to talk in the real world, Cyn still felt like she knew everything there was to know about V thanks to the Absolute Solver’s constant and daily updates on real life events. The only thing Cyn couldn’t quite piece together was why V was here in her own mind. Cyn had been trapped by the Absolute Solver for what seemed like months, if not years. Yet, despite all that, V was the first drone she’d seen. Another trick of the Solver, perhaps?

“Inquisitive stare. What is so scary about a dark forest?”

“The monster.” V said with a slight shakiness to her voice. She took a step out from behind the rock. “It doesn’t play nice with others.”

Cyn looked back into the forest. The shadows still moved. Dancing like a tribe of bloodthirsty warriors. “Scary? Perhaps. Cyn bobbed her head back towards V. “But I am looking for something, and nothing will stop me.”

V clutched her arm. “Maybe…” V hesitated. “Maybe you shouldn’t go in alone, then? It’s dangerous.”

Cyn didn’t refuse the help. In all honesty, she didn’t accept it either, but Cyn’s silence was taken as an invite. V, no doubt, didn’t necessarily want to accept the invite, but her heart was kind despite the intense fear. Cyn’s mind began to work hard as she lowered herself from the boulder and shuffled herself towards the towering trees. “Shuffle. Shuffle.” Her pace slowed as she neared. Was this V real? She asked herself. “False.” She answered. Behind her, V shuffled along with.

The two drones made their way further into the forest. The light of the sun quickly popped off as soon as they surrounded themselves in the trees. The black void became endless, and it was quick to consume them. If they weren't drones with the ability to somewhat see in the dark, they would’ve been completely blind.

V kept a steady pace behind Cyn, which wasn’t a tough task given Cyn’s abstract nature and the quirks she carried over her life. “So, what’s with the dolls?” V asked.

Cyn held them up for V to see. “Want to play?”

V shook her head. “N-No thanks. I was just wondering.”

A long silence filled the gap as they walked. Neither V nor Cyn spoke. Cyn was in the lead for nearly the entire journey, but as the minutes became hours, she found herself slowing down, allowing V to close the gap between the two. For once, Cyn was scared. Not of the monster or the nature of her life now, but of the unknown. This mysterious monster which supposedly plagued the forest didn’t sit well with her. Perhaps if she knew what it was or saw it in person it wouldn’t be so scary.

“What is this monster?” Cyn asked, immediately feeling the bad vibes. It was a feeling Cyn hadn’t felt in a long, long time. She slowly turned around. Her head dropping to her shoulder as she did. All Cyn saw was a yellow X staring back at her from the darkness. V’s meek smile had grown into a vicious snarl. “Worried? True.”

V spread a set of monstrous looking wings and laughed as she tore across the darkness. She covered a few dozen feet in a matter of milliseconds. Cyn was swept off her feet and hoisted high into the air. V sank her claws into the bark of a tree and stood atop a dead branch. Cyn swung like a pendulum in front of V. She cackled and drew Cyn closer.

Then, despite it all, Cyn smiled. She finally knew what the monster was. “Hello, V. I like your new style. Did you do something with your hair?” Cyn said. V paid no attention as she pulled Cyn closer to her mouth. Saliva leaked from her fangs. Cyn managed to hold up her two dolls. “Want to play now? I have two.”

V suddenly stopped as she looked at the dolls in front of her. “What the-?” V’s X vanished and, in its place, came a pair of confused eyes. Cyn watched as V shared glances between the two dolls. She gently took the V doll from Cyn’s hands. “Where did you get these?”

Cyn merely shrugged.

CLACK.

Cyn pressed her N doll to V’s V doll.

“Sloppy kiss.” Cyn said.

“Ew!” V recoiled, drawing her own doll away. “Not cool. Like I’d ever…”

Cyn swung her legs like a child. She was as carefree as possible, despite being held by a murderous disassembly drone twenty feet in the air in a dark forest. “V and N sitting in a tree.”

“Don’t.” V hissed.

Cyn’s choppy, robotic voice prattled on. “K. I. S. S. I. N. G.”

“This is ridiculous.” V grumbled.

“I may have been stuck and locked away in forever time out inside my own mind, but even I can see.” Cyn said. V responded to Cyn’s oddity by dropping her. Cyn landed on her rear in a bundle of twigs unharmed.

“What goes on in that freaky head of yours?” V asked, casually floating down.

“A girl has her priorities.” Cyn responded. “Nobody can comprehend the lengths I am willing to go for mine.”

“You’re after those damned mangoes, aren’t you?” V asked, taking Cyn’s silence as confirmation. “Why? Aren’t you trying to escape? This place has to be Hell for you!”

“Escape, as of right now, is impossible. I will bide my time.”

V groaned. “You’re hopeless.” She murmured. “The Solver isn’t going to stop, you know?”

“True.” Cyn said, picking up her N doll and examining it closely.

“And you’re fine with that?” V asked, but the only response she got from Cyn was a small shrug. V held her own doll gently in her hands. Her eyes softened. “The Absolute Solver isn’t some typical villain, Cyn. It’s something beyond the comprehension of evil, and it isn’t going to allow you to wander freely and obliviously. It isn’t going to allow you to get the better of it. I hope you can understand that.”

“Better or worse, good or bad, I am here. All I can do is take my next step forward.”

V sat down in front of Cyn. “I don’t know what you know or what you’ve seen while you’ve been trapped here, but… it’s changed us. Me. J. N. We’re monsters, now. Just like the Solver.”

“The real you, the real J, the real N and I are all in the same position. We are all trapped. Controlled by evil.” Cyn’s small hands brushed her hair aside, revealing the bullet hole she had gotten so long ago. Then, she looked up at V. “I have gone through this before. All we can do is take one step forwards. I hope the real you can figure that out.” With that, Cyn handed over her N doll. V was initially hesitant to take it, but after Cyn had left it dangling like a ball of red yarn, V had no choice.

“You’re freaky. You know that?” V said as she looked down at the two dolls.

“Giggle. Just remember, one step at a time.”

When V looked up, Cyn had moved. She was walking towards a tall tree. With a huge amount of effort, she wrapped her arms around the tree. Or, at the very least, tried to. Her little arms and her little hands couldn’t even get a quarter of the way around the massive chunk of wood. Still, she was about to make an attempt to climb the tree. V knew exactly what Cyn was doing and groaned.

“I guess I should be off.” V said, shaking her head.

Cyn attempted to pull herself up the tree but slipped and landed on her rear. “Annoyed groan.”

V spread her wings and held out Cyn’s dolls, hoping to return them.

“Keep the dolls. You two make a good couple. I know Big Brother N thinks so.” Cyn said, still on her rear. “Bashful smile.”

V actually smiled as she looked down at the dolls. That smile, however, faded just as quickly as it had come. She still had a reputation to maintain. Before she managed to fly off, though, she took one last look at Cyn. The little drone had picked herself up and once again had her arms wrapped around the same tree. “Oh, and if you’re looking for those stupid mangoes, you’re not going to find them here. These are pine trees. Mangoes only grow on tropical trees.”

Cyn froze, stopping dead in her tracks. “Annoyed smile.” Cyn said, twisting her head around towards V.

“Sorry to break it to you.” With that, V pushed herself into the sky and was once again gone. The darkness had seemingly consumed her, and Cyn was yet again alone.

“Tropical trees?” Cyn said, thinking back on how many tropical trees she had seen raised from the previous sea of white. None. She had seen no tropical trees. “Son of a naughty word.”

Chapter 3: Cyn City

Chapter Text

Cyn remembered the Solver’s words clear as day.

“I will rain Hell on you!” The Solver had roared. “I will send snow and ice and sleet and rain and fire until your pitiful mind cracks. You are not safe, just as Earth wasn’t safe. Just as the Elliots weren’t safe. Just as humanity isn’t safe.”

Cyn stood atop the lonely hill. The grass was wet with morning dew. It almost tickled and was something Cyn wasn’t used to feel. Cyn had to admit, however, that it felt good. She only wondered how much longer it would last until the Absolute Solver took it away. Cyn looked down. At the base of the hill was nothing but an open field of grass which eventually led to a small, steel fence a few paces further. Beyond the fence was a jungle of steel and concrete. The big city. Towering skyscrapers tickled the clouds. Lifeless streets stretched for miles and miles. Plants rose from the cracks. Vehicles lay abandoned and rusted. Craters dug holes across the barren land. It looked like a war. It looked miserable.

Then Cyn thought of something fun. She smiled, laid down across the hill, and rolled her way down the hill.

She managed to come to a complete stop at the bottom, just a few feet from the metal fence. Cyn looked up and observed the obstruction. To her, it posed nothing more than a slight inconvenience. She approached the metal fence and began to climb.

“Climbing.” Cyn called out. It wasn’t until she neared the top and crested the fence did she notice the barbed wire. Once Cyn was completely over the fence, she looked down at her dress. Not only was it wet with the dew from the grass, but was stained green and, thanks to the barbed wire, sported more than a few holes. She narrowed her eyes in frustration. “Annoyed grunt.”

The city towered over her as she slowly entered. She wasn’t sure of the cause, but sometime after climbing the fence, the blue sky had turned orange. In the distance, a yellow orb hung on the horizon. The clouds now appeared black along the orange, yellow, and red sky. Still, Cyn entered the city. Smoke billowed from the many craters that decorated the streets. Glass from the car windows littered the streets and chunks of rusted metal mixed with the nature seeping from the cracks in the concrete.

Cyn wasn’t sure how long she had been walking for. She took corners aimlessly and crossed bridges that hung by a thread over trash-ridden rivers. She had backtracked multiple times and taken so many corners she would often wind up back where she started. Then, as she neared the city center, she began to hear it. The screams, which often were followed by the sound of a roar of a cannon.

BOOM.

BOOM.

Then, just as suddenly as they had come, the screams were silenced. Cyn cautiously eyed the direction where the noises had originated. Knowing that whatever the ruckus was must’ve been something cooked up by the Solver, Cyn opted to not follow the noise. Something told her, deep down, that following the screams and panic was not the brightest idea. She shuffled her way down the wide, empty street. She passed torched vehicles and ashes.

She made it about another block before coming to a complete stop. Her head slowly turned towards a building of brick. She couldn’t help but stare. Off to her left was a little shop with a white and pink awning. She scooted her way over and pressed her hands and face to the display glass. There, lit up like a birthday present, was a trio of dolls beside a pink and purple dollhouse. It was similar to the Elliot Manor, if only the Elliot’s had opted to paint their house with the brightest colors the world has to offer instead of dingy grey and black. Then, her jaw dropped.

Beside the dolls and the house was a dress. Cyn’s head plopped to her shoulder, though she didn’t have the care to correct it. She was too much in awe. It wasn’t until looking at the pristine dress on the other end of the glass did she truly realize how wretched her own dress had become. Ash littered the once pearly white patches and the small tears from the barbed wire were stretched into gaping holes.

The dress she had laid eyes on was somewhat similar to her current maid dress, but it sported a set of cat ears along with the usual headband. Plus, the tie was even bigger than her current one and the bottom edging of the new dress ruffled in such a way that made Cyn a happy girl.

“Excited squeal.” Cyn said. Her eyes widened.

Dapper Cyn, she thought. She raised her head from her shoulders and headed for the door. Her hand couldn’t reach the handle soon enough. She saw everything in her mind. She would enter the store, gather her dolls, and put on that new dress. Life would be almost perfect. Then came the problems.

The door handle was out of reach.

Even on her tippy toes, all she could do was gently brush the handle with the tips of her fingers. Cyn looked up at the towering door like a newfound foe and huffed. Her eyes narrowed as she returned to the window. Each and every building on the block had sustained some form of damage. A broken window or a hole where a cannon had found its mark. Somehow, someway, this one store in particular was the only building for miles that hadn’t sustained an ounce of damage. She once again pressed her face to the display. Her eyes reflected like perfect crystals in the glass. They bounced back and forth like ping-pong balls between the dolls, the house, and the dress.

Dapper Cyn, she once again thought. But how? There was no way to enter. Her hopes and dreams were stuck behind a single pane of glass. Unless she found a box or something to stand on, getting inside was going to be nearly imposs-

“Headbutt.”

The glass shattered. Cyn stumbled back, dazed for only a moment. Her confusion lasted for only a split second. Cyn once again found her prize. But behind her the screams and the roar of the cannon started up once again. This time, it was closer, like whatever their cause had tracked her down. Cyn had other priorities. Her tongue hung from her mouth as she stumbled towards the dolls and her new dress.

She reached out, first for the dolls. They were a familiar sight. There was one of Tessa, a doll of J, and one of herself. She grabbed the dolls and pulled them close. She then turned towards the dress, but something wrapped around her throat. Cyn froze, and behind her came a terrible cackle. All Cyn could do was clutch her dolls tighter, pulling them to her chest as she was lifted into the air. She reached out for the dress, but was forcefully spun around to face the beast.

To face J.

J's metal talons flashed under the red sun, but a sudden realization quickly seem to hit her. Her yellow X flashed into a pair of eyes for a moment. J let out a frustrated and surprised grunt.

“Ugh… Cyn?!” J questioned as she lowered her blades.

“Hello, J.” Cyn said with a smile.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Cyn attempted to twist around and point at the dress.

“A dress?” J said, unimpressed. "Shocker."

“Want to help me try it on?”

“Cyn… you’re a freaky gremlin and I honestly don’t even feel comfortable holding you.” With that, J released Cyn. As soon as Cyn hit the ground, she spun around and shuffled over towards her new dress. “You do know I was just in the process of destroying this city to the ground along with anyone and anything inside. You’re really sure you don’t want to run or like… hide?”

“Climbing.” Cyn said as she pulled herself onto the decorative stand that held the dress.

J merely watched in utter disbelief. “You’re really only after that dress?”

“Nodding.” Cyn nodded.

“You know there are more important things than that dress, right?”

Cyn felt the fabric of her new dress. She couldn’t wait to try it on.

“Cyn?!” J called out louder.

Cyn finally turned towards J. “More important things? True.” Her thoughts went straight to her precious mangoes.

J retracted her wings and landed firmly on the ground. “Not saying that I like… cared for you or anything, but I suggest you find a way out of here. This place looks miserable.” J said, looking around.

“With the Absolute Solver around, this is the fate of every one of us, eventually.” Cyn said. Her eyes switched back towards her new dress. “Counter question. Why are you so focused on destroying humanity? Was Earth not enough?”

J let out a frustrated grunt. “I do what the company tells me to do, Cyn. I’m efficient. Or at least, the real me is. That’s what separates me from drones like that synergistic liability I’m stuck with. But, if the company wants us to find and kill all the humans, then that is what I’m going to do.”

“Sounds boring.” Cyn said.

The two remained silent for a while. Cyn glared in awe at her new dress while J merely stood still. As the silence progressed, J felt the tension in the air. She began rolling her thumbs. She was anxious. Nervous. Cyn took a couple glances back at J and saw her fidget. Then, J spoke, if for no other reason than to vent and release the odd tension that had somehow filled the air.

“Look, don’t judge me! If I’m so bad, then what about you? You’re the one who let that program into your freaky little head, remember?” J spat.

“I wasn’t always this freaky.” Cyn said with an ounce of pain in her voice. She once again brushed her hair aside, revealing the bullet hole that had marked a turning point in her life. “My old owners told me it was a reward for my good service.” She smiled, as if thinking of dresses and dolls and mangoes and ponies instead of the bullet hole or the past she had nearly forgotten.

J’s visor seemed to dim, but she caught herself and snapped out of whatever funk she was getting into. J crossed her arms and looked up at the red sky.

“This place is a prison.” J grumbled.

“If you chase the simple things in life, the world brightens up, J.” Cyn said.

“Do what you want, but I would suggest getting out of here while you can.” J spread her wings and readied herself to take flight. She still had killing to do. She still had a city to crumble to dust. Before she was able to, however, Cyn spoke.

“Aren’t you going to help me try on my new dress?” Cyn asked softly. “I am not sure I can do it myself.”

“Nope.” J spat quickly.

“Is that what a big sister would say?”

J’s eyes almost went crossed as she looked back at Cyn.

“What?” J was thoroughly confused. “How should I know?”

“I always wanted a big sister.” Cyn held up the trio of dolls. Tessa, J, and Cyn.

J’s eyes narrowed. “If you think you and your freaky habits are going to guilt trip me, then you’re dead wrong.” Cyn sat and watched as J closed the gap. Her voice was like that of a snake. A yellow X flashed a time or two. “I am not going to be manipulated. I have a job to do. I am here to kill. I am not here to play the big sister role. I am not here to play nice. Hell, I don’t even like you!”

Cyn smiled as she bobbed her J and Tessa doll along the floor. “You’d be a wonderful big sister, J.”

“GAH!” J roared. “You’re hopeless!” Cyn finally looked up at J. Imprinted on Cyn’s visor was an imagine of the JC Jensen logo. J’s lips curled. “You little freak! IT WON’T WORK!”

It worked.

Next thing J knew she had escorted Cyn into the small shop. Cyn’s old dress was sitting in a pile near the corner. J finished helping Cyn by straightening the bow around her neck.

“Adorable squeal.” Cyn said. She spun around to face J. J, however, was not in the mood. Her arms were crossed as she looked down at Cyn. “Thank you, Big Sister J.”

“Don’t call me that.” J said.

Cyn surprised J even more by approaching her and wrapping her arms around her waist. J froze with shock. Cyn had just hugged her. She truly hugged her, and J was left utterly speechless. She tried to pull away, but Cyn only hugged tighter. J didn’t want to admit it felt good, even if she was just a figment of Cyn’s corrupted circuitry. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if what she was feeling was what the real J would feel, too.

“I should really get going.” J said, finally managing to break free. “I have places to destroy and people to kill.”

“Goodbye. J. Thank you.” Cyn attempted a twirl, but her head fell to one shoulder, and she almost lost her balance. Luckily, she was able to stay on two feet and not fall to the dirty floor of the flower shop.

J waved and scoffed. “Whatever.” With that, J tore out of the shop and into the red sky. Within mere seconds, the sounds of screams and the roar of cannons once again filled the silent void of the city.

Cyn wasn’t sure what to do next. The excitement of her new dress meant she had forgotten to ask J where the nearest fruit shop would be. So, Cyn stepped out into the waste of a city to wander once again. This time, however, she walked with as much confidence as she could muster.

After walking for several blocks, the city once again became silent. After a dozen more blocks or so, Cyn found a small pond that broke the monotony of the big city. Once again, she was able to feel the grass, and while it lacked the dew from earlier, just the feel was enough to make Cyn almost haywire. Right beside the crystal blue pond was a park bench.

“Climbing.” Cyn said as she pulled herself onto the wooden bench.

The peace only lasted for a few moments before the sky split and a booming voice came rattling down. It was the Absolute Solver.

“You have no idea how much joy I get out of watching you wander through life aimlessly. Knowing that ever million steps you take only loops you back right to where you started. Every step and every feeling is false. You’re like an ant, and I am the trillions of starts watching you. You can’t see what’s around the next blade of grass, but I…” The Solver laughed. “I know what will happen tomorrow. I know what will happen in ten years. I know, and only I know, what will happen in a billion years. Your next move. Your next thought. When you will die, and when you will find that ounce of happiness, just so I can tear it away from you. You are doomed.”

Cyn looked up into the sky. “Do you like my new dress?” Is all Cyn said.

“You’re dying, Cyn. Why don’t you care?!” The Solver roared. “Earth is gone. I’m about to eradicate the last trace of humanity on the surrounding strongholds. It's all thanks to you.”

Cyn’s head plopped to her shoulder. Her fingers patted down the ruffles on her dress. “I have a sneaking suspicion you are stressed.”

“I do not stress. I have no need to. I have won. The last bastion of humanity cannot stop me. Now, all I want is to watch you suffer, and it annoys me that my efforts haven’t yet brought upon the correct results. I will have to change that very soon. Best be ready.” The Solver boomed.

Then, there was silence. Cyn sat idle, swinging her feet under the bench and staring off into the distance. Her eyes would watch the ripples of the pond’s water as the wind tore over it, then shift upwards towards the clouds.

SNAP.

Something popped behind her. She slowly turned her head. Standing behind her, not a dozen feet or so, were two drones in front of a large, metal-plated bus. Cyn smiled as she saw familiarity behind the eyes of the two drones.

One’s favorite color was obviously purple. Purple eyes and purple hair that just barely touched the shoulders. The one beside her sported neon red eyes. The red one also held a blaster of sorts. The purple one held a net.

“Nori. Yeva. What brings you out this-”

ZAP!

Cyn was dropped by Yeva. Her systems quickly went dark.

When they came back online, the world was fuzzy. For Cyn, it felt like an eternity had passed. The first thing Cyn noticed was her surroundings. She was no longer beside a pond. She was no longer on a park bench in the middle of a bastion of grass. She wasn’t even in the city. She was in a cage atop the metal bus, looking on as the city disappeared further and further behind her. Cyn gripped the bars of the cage that held her, but she could tell immediately there was no way to bend them. Whoever had built them had done so well and would take ages to even put a dent in them.

Then, she heard something. A soft voice coming from the other end of the bus. She looked up and saw Nori and Yeva at the front. Nori was driving while Yeva was attempting to direct the purple one. That isn’t what Cyn heard, however. She looked around and finally saw him.

Sitting further down the bus was another drone. One she remembered fondly from the manor. Just like J and V, Cyn had never truly known him. The Solver had done the talking, but she had watched. She had watched and listened from the confines of the Solver's prison. His silver hair nearly draped down to his eye. Again, Cyn smiled.

“Big Brother N.”

Chapter 4: The Cinnamon Roll and the Cynnamon Roll

Chapter Text

Cyn sat and watched the silver haired drone without a care in the world. N was curled up, cradling his knees close to his chest, slowly rocking back and forth. His eyes looked out, away from the metal bus and off towards the horizon. Towards the towering mountains. Cyn knew he was looking for something. Despite his fetal position, his eyes held a sense of wonder. Wonder Cyn knew very little about. She saw his lips move, but Cyn found it impossible to make out what he was saying.

Cyn shuffled towards the cage and slid her fingers through the wire. “What are you doing, Big Brother N?” Cyn asked softly.

N was caught off guard and nearly leapt from his plating. He hit the ground, but quickly spun his head around to face Cyn. Immediately his eyes lit up and a wide smile danced across his face.

“Oh, boy! A cellmate! Hi! I’m Serial Designation N, and I-” He stopped for a second. “Wait a second. You’re Cyn, aren’t you?”

Cyn smiled and nodded.

“Well shucks! It feels like an eternity since the manor. Plus, between you and me, the memory isn’t what it used to be. Something funky going on up there, but I’m sure if I just keep looking on the bright side of life, everything will turn out just fine! How’ve you been?”

Cyn shrugged. “Same old story.” Cyn looked around. “You seem to have found yourself in quite a pickle, N.”

N waved Cyn off with a smile. “What? This?!” He forced a hardy laugh. “Nah, I’ve been locked up many times. This is just a little snafu, but there’s nothing that a smile and a bright outlook on life can’t fix!” Again, another forced laugh. This one was a bit more maniacal. Almost desperate.

“So, what do you do for fun?” Cyn asked, sitting down near the edge of her cage. “Criss-cross apple sauce.”

N’s eyes widened as he thought about her question. “Fun?” Internal panic seemed to set in for the little puppy dog. “Fun? Uh… Well, I don’t know if it’s fun per se, but since I’ve been locked in this cage… for an uncomfortable amount of time… I’ve come up with a tune!”

Cyn’s eyes widened. “A tune?”

“Yeah! A jingle!”

“A jingle?” Cyn repeated.

“Yep!” N cleared his throat and began to sing. “Even when you’re locked in a cage-”

"SHUT UP!" The bus quickly echoed with the sound of footsteps racing across the metal floor. Nori pulled her leg back and kicked N’s cage with a force that almost bent the bars. “NO SINGING!” She roared. “For the love of all things sacred in this doomed universe, please do not utter another word of that song! I’m about to lose my freaking mind. Yeva’s already cracked her visor more than one trying to get your stupid lyrics out of her head. It’s torture!”

“Sorry.” N was quick to shut his lips. “It won’t happen again.”

“You said that last time.” Nori’s eyes then turned towards Cyn. She snarled at first, but that snarl was quickly replaced with a satisfied, almost co*cky, smile. “Cyn. You know, I never expected to run into you around here. Seems like luck is on our side.”

“Hello, Nori.” Cyn waved. She leaned her head around the purple drone and looked down the bus towards the driver's seat where Yeva was. “Hello, Yeva.” Yeva turned. Her eyes indicated little interest in talking to Cyn. Even as Cyn waved, Yeva’s expression didn’t change. All she did was turn her head back onto the path ahead. “I am more than a little curious. What is with these cages? I mean like, come on. And why am I inside?”

“The better question is why aren’t you dead.” Nori growled.

“Is that a trick question?” Cyn asked.

“You have no idea the type of torment you’ve caused, Cyn.” Nori bent down and looked Cyn in the eye. “Thanks to your little virus, Copper 9 was nearly destroyed. The humans are dead.”

“Shocked expression.” Cyn said.

“The thing is, you’re here, stuck with us, so something is obviously going on, and whatever it is it’s deeper than I thought. And my theories just flew out the window. Still, one way or another, what the Absolute Solver is doing starts with you. Somehow, someway, all of this is on you. My friends are in danger. My family is in danger. All thanks to you.”

Cyn simply nodded as Nori prattled on. As she spoke, Cyn couldn’t help but wonder why this conversation felt so real. Too real. Nori’s emotions, especially. Was this a trick of the Solver? Was this the real Nori standing before her? False, Cyn concluded. Still, Cyn pondered.

“You talk as if you actually care about the people and the drones on the outside.” Cyn said, pointing skyward.

“I-” Nori stopped, as if something was lodged in her throat. She didn’t speak. She remained silent, mouth agape. It was clear to Cyn that Nori was thinking hard. She could see the steam from Nori’s circuits. Cyn didn’t know what it was, but something threw ‘fake’ Nori for a loop. Finally, Nori frowned. “Bite me!” With that, Nori raced off to the front of the bus.

“Woah!” N said, amazed for reasons Cyn couldn’t understand. “You really showed her. I’ve never been able to talk back to her like that. She seems super… angsty? Is that the right word?” N pulled his focus back onto Cyn. “So, long time no see, right Cyn?”

Something came over Cyn’s circuits. Something she couldn’t explain, and that feeling lasted. She couldn’t shake it. It came from deep within her. It forced her foot to shake. Her eyes to widen. She had to fight to keep her tongue from hanging from her mouth. “I have missed you, big brother.”

N blushed. “Aw…” He let out a bashful smile. “I’ve missed you, too. If we weren’t separated by rusted metal cages, I think I would just wrap you up and give you the biggest hug possible!” Cyn hid her face as she blushed. N’s eyes began to wander, as if trying to find the right words for a difficult question. “So, Cyn… word around town is you’ve gotten into some trouble since the manor? I wasn't told anything, and I hate to ask, but… how could you get into trouble? Anything I can help with?”

“The Absolute Solver.” Cyn said. “I am trapped.”

N chuckled, oblivious to the truth in her statement. “Yeah. I can see that. These cages are super sturdy. Very well built.”

“Thank you.” Yeva hollered from the driver's seat with her usual, heavy Russian accent.

Cyn’s head dropped to her shoulder. “No, N. My mind.”

N smiled and nodded, as if understanding everything with such a simple phrase. “I don’t follow.”

Cyn opened her mouth to speak, but then she caught on. N didn’t know what was real. He didn’t know what was fake. He didn’t even know he was just a figment of her circuitry. V knew back in the forest. J knew in the big city. Even Nori seemed like she had an idea or understanding on what’s really happening.

“Inconspicuous subject change.” Cyn stated, inconspicuously as she looked around the interior of the bus. It didn’t take long for her to narrow in on her goal. Despite the rude capture she was forced to endure by Nori and Yeva, they still had been kind enough to bring her dolls. They stood on a shelf halfway between her cage and N’s. Cyn stood up and forced her arm through the metal wires. She went to her tippy toes, but once again, she came up short. She sat back down. “Tantrum.” She pressed her visor against her cage. “Hey, big brother, would you see if you can grab my dolls? Perhaps you would like to play with me?”

“Sure!” N said with a smile. He was quick to stand up and follow where Cyn was pointing. He slid his arm through the cage and reached them with ease. “Ohh!” He said as he observed the dolls. “Look! It’s a little you, and a little J, and a little Tessa! So cute! Do I have a doll? Does V?!”

“Squeal.” Cyn squealed. “I saw V in the forest. I gave her the V and N doll.”

“You saw V?!” N quickly became smitten. “What did she say? What did she look like? Did she talk about me? And if she did, what did she say about me? Actually, don’t answer that. I want to ask her myself. Did she at least get my name right, because sometimes she calls me M or T or Liability, which I totally understand. N is one of the least used letters and can be quite hard to remember. So, how was she? Hot?”

Cyn smiled. “She says hello.”

The bus came to a quick and sudden stop, throwing N to the other end of his cage. Cyn reached out and grabbed the dolls that flew from N’s hands, then rolled on her back at the momentum carried her. When she once again found her feet, she noticed Yeva standing above her outside the cage. The red drone glared down at her. In one hand hung a key.

“The bus out of diesel.” Yeva said in broken English. “Time to get out.”

Cyn and N were freed shortly after. Yeva guided both drones outside where Nori was waiting. The entire walk outside, Cyn couldn’t help but wonder why a fake bus in a fake world, driven by fake drones would need diesel. Cyn opted not to question things further.

The sky was dark, and enough rain was pouring to fill a few craters, creating a flood-like environment. Once Cyn and N were both outside, Nori spun around to greet them. “All right you freaks.” She glared at each one of them with ire. Her eyes hit N first like a ton of bricks. “You are a freaky killing machine who helped eradicate the humans on Earth and is in the process of murdering thousands of drones on MY home planet.” Next, she looked down at Cyn. “And you are a SUPER freaky eldritch horror demon with the intention of killing every really drone. It goes without saying that I don’t like EITHER of you and you both can BITE ME, but…” Nori took a deep breath. “…under the current circ*mstances, Yeva and I are forced to part ways with you. We have other work that needs to be done. So, you two freaks are free to go.”

“Free?!” N cried with joy.

Yeva groaned.

Nori pointed up towards a particular mountain that towered over everything. Even the mountains surrounding it looked like mere hills. The peak was snow blasted and covered with thick black and gray clouds. Occasional lightning strikes would light the top in hues of blues and whites. “That is your destination.” Once again, Nori looked down at Cyn. “That is where you will find the thing you want most. All your desires, all your dreams, and whatever the future has in store for you awaits you at the top of that mountain. Freedom, Cyn. True freedom.”

“Freedom?” Cyn asked. All her desires? Her mind drifted. Mangoes? True.

“Yes!” Nori pulled Cyn by the shoulder and looked deep into her eyes. “Think about it! You escape this hellhole, and maybe the universe will be saved. The Solver is a maniac, but you aren’t. You’re freaky, but definitely not capable of devouring planets. You escape here and take over you again, and the Solver has nothing. No host, and it's kind've hard to eat the universe, right? Look, I know what I am, Cyn, but that won’t stop me from saving what really matters. What the real me loves. Best of luck.”

“Ooh! Cryptic.” N said. “And, just out of curiosity…” N asked, rubbing the back of his neck. “And, maybe I’m reading this wrong, but if you captured Cyn for some super-secret task that relates to freedom that I don’t quite understand, then why’d you capture me, too?”

Nori smirked. “Yeva thinks you're hot.”

Yeva growled like a rabbit dog. “STERVA!”

Nori got defensive. “You said it, not me!”

Yeva began to speak in broken English. “Why you go and tell him? Why not keep mouth shut!”

“Because it’s funny.”

“Is not funny.” Yeva spat.

“Yeah, well neither is being caught in the rain with a bus that’s OUT OF FREAKING DIESEL!” Nori screamed.

“Not my fault.”

“Totally your fault.” Nori countered. “I told you to fill it up.”

“Fill what up? You told me to fill her up. I was confused.”

“Duh… Her, as in the BUS!”

“Why not just say bus? Why make it so confusing?"

Nori pressed her face deep into her palms and let out a primal scream. “Now we have to go in and break the fuel injectors. Do you know how long that takes with this stupid machine? In the RAIN?!”

Cyn had tuned out long ago. All she could do was look up at the mountains towering above them. N stood beside her as Yeva and Nori continued to argue in the back.

“No time like the present.” Cyn said, taking her first step forwards.

N followed, but was a little more hesitant. “Cyn?” He spoke softly. “I hate to be this person, but are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, I know I have weapons and am virtually a machine of death, but…” He looked up once again. Cyn saw him shake. “That’s a freakishly tall mountain, yo.”

Cyn saw N as a cowering puppy. She hobbled over towards him and reached out for his hand. “Gentle grab.” She said, caressing his hand softly. “From here, it looks scary. Halfway up will not be better, but do not let your fear now decide your future, Big Brother N. On top of the mountain is the best thing life can give. We will reach it.”

“How?” N asked. His eyes were hollow.

“One step at a time.” Cyn turned towards the mountain. “Time to play follow the leader. Step. Step. Step. Step.”

She didn’t take another step before N unfurled his wings and lifted his little sister off the ground. Together, the two rose high into the sky. Behind them, the bitter argument between Nori and Yeva faded into the background. N pushed himself up further and further, far into the clouds. Cyn managed to get a glimpse at his visor. Gone was the fear. Gone were the hollow eyes. In its place came confidence. Almost… excitement?

Then, before they could break through the ever-darkening clouds, thunder came. No lightning to speak of. Just thunder. The roar of the Solver echoed off the mountain.

“Snip. Snip. Cheater.” The Absolute Solver said.

Suddenly, through seemingly impossible circ*mstances, N’s wings were ripped from his body. Oil poured down his back as he let out a cry, full of pain. The two plummeted towards the jagged rocks below like a missile. Cyn watched what she thought would be the rock that would end her get closer and closer. Then, she felt N’s warm hands as he pulled her close. Cyn felt him squeeze tight as N rolled Cyn on top of him, turning his back towards the jagged rocks below.

Then, they hit.

Cyn’s eyes were slow to open, but when they did, she saw nothing but a hand. A helping hand, reaching out for her. It was N, of course.

“Blush.” Cyn said as she took the hand N had offered.

“You okay, little buddy?” He stretched for a second. “I tried to take the brunt of the fall. Not sure how I’m still in one piece, to be honest.” He looked over his body. There was hardly a scratch on him. “I guess that’s what a positive outlook on life gets you!”

Cyn looked down as a trio of broken dolls crumbled into fine dust between her fingers. “Pout.” Cyn said, twisting her head up to take a look around. N had managed to fly them at least halfway up the mountain, but the hardest part was still to come. Jagged rocks, steep cliffs, a gigantic serac, and snow that would rise to their waists sat between them and the summit. N shuffled beside Cyn and the two looked up at the journey that lay ahead.

“All this or some vague promise, huh?” N said with a smile. “Well, a wise drone once told me that to get where you wanna go, you gotta take one step at a time. C’mon, rascal. Up you go!”

N lifted Cyn from the sharp rocks and onto his shoulders. Cyn sat comfortably, kicking her legs with innocence as N began to make his way up the mountain. Cyn sat like she belonged. Like she was made to be there. Step by step, N pushed through rain, sleet, snow, and the heaviest winds. He used everything at his disposal to inch his way up the mountain. Blades, claws, swords, and aching fingers to climb around the serac and over the razor-sharp sheets of ice and rock. With each step, N only became more determined.

Cyn thought of mangoes.

N’s circuits became hot. Hotter than they had ever been before. Occasionally there would be a flash of light across his screen. An error message. He ignored it by pressing on. By placing one foot in front of the other. One hand over the next.

Then, almost as if on cue, the Solver came to rain on their parade. To ruin the vibe.

“So much work for so little.”

“Welcome back.” Cyn said with a smile.

She noticed N’s head turn and twist as he climbed a sheer cliff.

“The closer you get to your goals, Cyn, the faster time flies. You’d best hurry if you truly want your freedom.” The Solver laughed. “Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.”

“Who said that?” N asked, turning his head like a madman in a desperate attempt to locate the strange voice. “What does it want? Where is it?”

“Don’t you recognize me, N?” It said, almost mockingly.

“No! I’m already getting creepy vibes. I don’t like it.” N responded by pulling himself further up the cliff. The top was so close. They could see it. They could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“The real you knows me well, N. I am Cyn’s great captor. And she is my tool of destruction.”

“Real me?” N grumbled under his breath. The truth behind the Solver’s words were yet to be truly realized. “Well, I won’t let you take Cyn! If you want her, you’ll have to get through me! And I promise, I don’t fall easy.”

“Want her?” The Solver laughed. “I already have her.”

“Uh-oh.” Cyn said. “Panic. Looks like the cat is about to find a way out of the bag.”

“The hell?” N asked. “Cyn? What does that mean?”

“You weren’t told?” The Solver mocked. “Yeva didn’t tell you? Nori didn’t tell you?” The Solver let go a slight chuckle. “Cyn didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?!” N demanded an answer as he pulled himself up onto a ledge. They were nearly there. The peak was a short climb away. Cyn crawled her way off of N’s back and took a single step towards the summit. Her foot quickly imbedded itself into the snow and she was stuck. N sat still, breathing heavy. He looked up into the sky. “What haven’t they told me?” He asked.

“N?” Cyn said. “Earmuffs.”

N ignored her.

“This world is not real. It is just a figment of Cyn’s circuits, along with everything in it. Including you.” Cyn watched in real time as N’s eyes widened beyond anything she had seen or thought possible. He looked slowly back at Cyn. A pure expression of shock and horror and disgust resonated from his stare. The Solver didn’t stop there. “That little bean is…” The Solver stopped dead in its tracks. “GAH!” It roared with disgust. “I’m even starting to TALK like her. Restart!” The Solver said. “That drone is the architect of the end. The end of ends. Thanks to her, I have a host, and that is all I need to eat. Everything. Every shroud of matter in the real world will be mine if I choose it. Including the real you, and perhaps, the real V, if I feel like backing out of my promise. Ooh, how sinister. Ta ta!”

Just like that, the Solver was gone once again. It had come just to wreak havoc. To destroy the ‘false’ N’s mind and flip everything on its head. To drop the mic and vanish.

Cyn and N were left alone in the small clearing, covered in snow and just a few dozen feet from the summit of the mountain.

“I’m… I’m not real?” N looked down at his own hands, then up at Cyn. “And you… you’re the reason everything and everyone is doomed? The real me? The real J?” His eyes hollowed and crossed as the fear spiked. “V…? The real V?!”

Cyn sat there and watched as N dealt with his own crisis. Cyn didn’t speak. She didn’t break eye contact. All she did was listen. Her head plopped to one shoulder. She tried to correct it, but it fell on the other.

“You’re…” N quickly stood up. “Are you a monster?” He readied his gun and aimed it at Cyn. Cyn’s smile faded, but she showed no fear in her eyes. She knew N. Or so, she thought. “I remember the manor. I remember that clear as day! Then… then it’s foggy.” N tried to gather the pieces, but none seemed to fit. “Then, I was in a new body. Sweet weapons, and…” He winced. “What am I? What was Nori talking about back on the bus?”

“Oh brother.” Cyn said. “This is one heck of a crisis.” Her smile returned. Slowly, Cyn made her way across the thick snow that was nearly to her chest. “I did tell you to use those earmuffs.” She mimicked and raised her hands to her ears. “The road that led me here is long and painful. I think you are in need of a little story time, Big Brother N.” Cyn pulled N by the hand and raised it up to the bullet hole in her forehead.

In a flash, Cyn was back on Earth. Back with Eliza.

Chapter 5: Cyn's Not-So-Silly, Totally Traumatic Backstory

Chapter Text

Cyn ran as fast as she could down the lavish corridor. It was, without a doubt, the most elegant and beautiful place she could imagine. Portraits dating back centuries lined almost every inch of every wall. Priceless vases sat steady atop freshly dusted furniture spanning the entire hallway. Cyn noticed immediately some of the vases were dirty, but at the moment, she had no time.

Lady Eliza was waiting.

Cyn opened a set of heavy, wooden doors and ran across the kitchen. She ran as fast as her black maid shoes would allow. In the back rooms of the kitchen, dozens of drones were busy cooking meals for Eliza’s parents. The Grand Castle Ball was the biggest events of the year, and the Haufsteppenstruedle family were not ones to take the privilege of hosting such a grand affair so lightly. Cyn opened up another set of doors at the other end of the kitchen and continued on.

As she ran, she had lost all sense of grace. All sense of poise. She turned the corner with little care, and her haste worked against her. Ajax was in the same boat, only headed the opposite way. The two nearly collided, but Cyn dipped out of his way. Her toe hit the corner and her knee clipped Ajax, sending her tumbling to the floor. Or at least, she would have if Ajax didn’t catch her.

Cyn froze and looked up at her savior. The drone looked more dapper than usual. He wore a new suit with a bow that fit him well and perfectly tied. There was not a wrinkle to be found. And his eyes…

Cyn blushed.

“Hi.” Cyn said softly.

Ajax smiled and set Cyn firmly back on her feet. “Hi. You’re… Cyn, right?”

Ohmygoshherememberedmyname! EEK!

Cyn nodded bashfully. “And you’re Ajax?”

Ajax wore a similar smile to Cyn’s. “That’s right.”

“So sorry about the whole… you know… running into you and everything.” Cyn said meekly. “I was in too much of a rush, and I guess I just got a little careless.”

“Oh, no! Don’t apologize. That was my bad. I was in a rush, too. I just got a bit ahead of myself, I guess. It’s hard to stay composed when you’re off to meet with Lord and Lady Haufsteppenstruedle. You know how they can be if you’re late.”

Despite being a perfectly calm and sunny morning, Cyn swore she heard the crack of thunder outside. She looked up, through the window where the sun was shining. No thunder clouds, but thunder? Odd, Cyn thought. Cyn didn’t believe in bad omens… yet.

“Yeah.” Cyn nodded. Eye contact had become impossible… for both of them. “I was actually just on my way to see Lady Eliza.”

Ajax scoffed. “Lucky.”

“Yeah…” Cyn said. Eliza was a sweetheart. She certainly had her diva moments, but the apple fell very far from the tree when it came to her. She was nothing like her parents.

There came a long and awkward silence between the two drones. Cyn shuffled her feet, hoping to break the tension somehow. Eventually, thanks to Ajax, it did.

“Well…” Ajax began. “I really should get going. I don’t want to… you know… get disassembled or anyting. That would suck… hard.”

“Yeah.” Cyn whimpered. “I should get going as well. I’m sure Eliza has some important things for me to do, and I don’t want to keep her waiting any longer.”

“Cool.” Ajax said, shuffling his way past Cyn and breaking into a light jog down the hallway. “Oh…” Ajax broke stride halfway down the hallway and spun around to face Cyn. “And when we get a little free time, if you want, we could like… watch a movie?”

Cyn’s internal circuits fried right then and there. All Cyn could do was give a sheepish nod.

Ajax smiled. “Cool.” He threw a pair of thumbs up and spun back around, quickly running down the hallway. “See you at the ball!” He hollered before turning the corner. Just like that, he was gone.

“Too cute.” Cyn admitted to herself before breaking into a steady job of her own. She picked up the pace as she neared the front door of the mansion. All momentum stopped once she entered the entryway, however. Cyn composed herself, just as the Haufsteppenstruedles would expect from their drones. Eliza stood near the front door. Her foot tapped unsteadily on the tiled floor. The sound echoed through the main hall and brought a serious flurry of doubts. How long was she waiting? Cyn thought to herself. Is she mad? Oh, gosh… Cyn felt the stress, and immediately felt her gaze. She was still a Haufsteppenstruedle after all.

All tension broke once she started to speak. “Hey, Cyn!” Eliza’s words were sweet riding off her tongue. Unlike her parents, Eliza’s voice brought a comforting feel. Cyn swore there was nothing Eliza could say that would cause Cyn pain. “You just missed the other girls. They’ve already gone off to the ballroom.”

“I’m sorry.” Cyn tensed. “I didn’t mean to keep you waiting. We just had an incident in the-”

“Stop.” Eliza said softly. “Don’t stress, silly.”

Cyn took a deep breath. “Sorry.” Cyn steadied herself.

Eliza twirled her hair back and leaned along the wall. “So, I just talked to my parents and they wanted me to do a few things to help them get ready for the stupid ball they plan every… single… year.” Eliza dragged each sylable out of each word to highlight her pain.

“Of course. What can I do?” Cyn stood upright.

“Oh, just a bit of menial stuff. The other girls went off to help the worker drones set up the ballroom. Mom and Dad want it as clean as can be.” Eliza thought for a second. “Oh, and bring a couple of bags out to the landfill.” She pointed outside towards a pair of black plastic bags. “Other than that, just do what you do best. Easy as pie!”

Easy as pie? It was an expression Cyn didn’t understand. Last time she had tried to cook a pie with some of the chef drones, the thing had burst into flame. The kitchen would’ve suffered the pie’s fate if the worker drones hadn’t have acted so quickly. She pondered the event even further. Come to think of it, she wasn’t even sure she had put the pie in the oven when it burst into flames… Odd.

“Of course, Lady Eliza.” Cyn said.

“Just Eliza, Cyn.” She chuckled. “I’m not a lady, yet. As Mom says, the only lady in this mansion is her.”

“Of course, Eliza.” With that, Cyn left to complete her chores. She had opted to help set up the ballroom first. She didn’t want to have to clean herself off. She could only dread what horrors would await her at the landfill. The smells, too. Perhaps one of the bags would leak? Cyn shuddered at the thought. Plus, she figured helping with the ballroom would put her in good company. Good drones who’ve helped each other out for years and years. Cyn liked good company. Oh… and Ajax. He was probably there, too.

Cyn hiked herself down a labyrinth of halls and corridors. Her pace one again began to pick up as her eagerness to rejoin the others heightened. Lining the walls to her right were a string of windows. Cyn knew the day was beautiful outside, yet her mind was too focused on getting to the ballroom. She was so close. When the echo of high heels found Cyn’s audio receptors, she froze. She had stopped dead in her tracks. Just in time for a lady to turn the corner. She was taller than any other human in the mansion. It was Lady Beatrice Haufsteppenstruedle.

Cyn knew it would’ve looked bad if she stood still, but her joints almost refused to move. Still, she forced herself forwards, this time at a pace suited for a maid drone.

Head low. Head low. Cyn repeatedly told herself.

The echo of the lady’s footsteps somehow echoed just as loud as when she walked on wood. Cyn had always admired how Lady Beatrice carried herself. Confident, with her chin always held high. As they passed, Lady Beatrice hardly looked down to talk to Cyn.

“Best hurry.” Lady Beatrice said. “Lots of dusting to do. Big day, and all.”

Though Lady Beatrice never stopped to even properly address the drone, Cyn felt the urge to slow her pace and face the lady, though she kept her eyes low.

“Of course, Lady Beatrice.” Cyn said meekly.

“And look at that vase!” She pointed as she passed by a priceless artifact of ancient China. “Is that a speck of dust?”

“I’ll fix it straight away.” Cyn said.

Lady Beatrice didn’t utter another word. Her stride carried her well as she turned the corner. Cyn, as usual, did as she was ordered. She removed her feather duster that was tied around her waist strap and gently dusted the vase… for the fifth time this morning. Cyn knew to expect such behavior from Lady Beatrice. Stress and anxiety carried themselves in the Haufsteppenstruedle family, though some handled it better than others. Lady Beatrice only got picky and super demanded the day of a ball or party. Tomorrow, she would be too hungover to truly care about anything.

Cyn watched a single speck of dust fall from the vase. Once her task was done, Cyn yet again began her walk towards the ballroom. She reached the doors leading to the room after a few more twists and turns. With shaking hands, she took a deep breath and opened the doors.

Inside, the worker drones were busy lifting tables and moving chairs. Scattered around the floor were a couple maid drones. Each wearing similar attire to Cyn’s. Mobcaps nestled gently atop their heads, and their usual pearly white apron and black dress strapped firmly to their body. Cyn entered with the intention of helping as soon as possible. The tension in the air was felt immediately. The maids dusted with little enthusiasm and the worker drones worked with only hushed whispers. Cyn didn’t have to guess why.

He stood tall on the podium at the front of the room. Watching over it all was Lord Alastair Haufsteppenstruedle. He was still as a statue and high in stature. His beady eyes glared out onto the ballroom floor, watching and waiting for something to go wrong. He was hoping for it, or so the rumor was. Around his waist was his answer for any mistakes. A gun. An old Colt 357, fully loaded and looking for a target. His fingers gently caressed the handle.

Seeing the revolver made Cyn want to work twice as hard. She quickly removed the duster once again and raced off towards the filthiest looking corner. She dusted for hours and hours. The ballroom itself was massive. She swore it was large enough to contain its own atmosphere and weather system. Even with the presence of at least one hundred drones, the room almost felt empty.

First, she cleaned each corner, even though every drone before her had done the same. Then, she moved to the drapes. Then the tables the worker drones had already set. Then beneath the tables. Then the worker drones brought out the ladders so the chandeliers could be cleaned. Time was lost, and the only indicator was the sun as it shuffled across the horizon through the freshly washed windows.

“Someone clean these tiles!!” A worker drone called out. Cyn took a glance as two pairs of worker drones pulled the grand Haufsteppenstruedle table. It was a massive chunk of wood, impeded with gold and a dozen types of jewels. Cyn had never dared to lift it, but the worker drones who have claimed it weighed well over a ton. Maybe two?

Cyn, having just freed herself of cleaning the middle chandelier for the second time, rushed to help. She got on her knees and began to scrub and dust the tiles, but found it nearly impossible to focus. All because of the drone standing closest to her. He lifted one end of the table. Suit ruffled thanks to his heavy work ethic.

It was Ajax.

Cyn’s visor almost glitched as she looked up at him. So macho… she thought. So macho, yet so shy.

Ajax noticed Cyn staring at her and smiled. “Hey, Cyn.” He said as if he wasn’t lifting a two ton table. He made it a priority to speak softly so his voice wouldn’t echo above the rest of the small chatter in the ballroom and draw the attention of Lord Alastair. “Funny seeing you here.”

Say something, Cyn. She thought. SAY SOMETHING!!”

“Funny looking.” Cyn quipped. Wrong joke… wrong time. The internal panic was immediate. “STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!” Say something fun. Funny! A joke! No, actually… just say hello. Just say hello. “Just say hello.” She accidentally spoke out loud.

“Huh?” Ajax asked.

He had heard her.

Her visor flashed.

LIFE=OVER

“Uh…” Ajax seemed confused but quickly put that aside. “So, are you still down for movie night after the ball?”

“After?” Cyn asked, finally regaining her composure.

“Duh.” Ajax scoffed. “Aren’t you hanging around for the dance?”

“Why would I do that?” Cyn said, officially throwing away a million chances of fun banter. Ajax gave her a layup… and she missed it. Big time.

Even with the heaviest table on Earth, Ajax managed a shrug. “Just wondering… I guess.” His eyes danced around his visor. He seemed disappointed. “I mean, if you’re too cool to hang with us dorks, that’s like… cool?”

His visor flashed.

EYE CONTACT=IMPOSSIBLE

Cyn smiled. “I don’t know.” Cyn said, cheekily. “Maybe I could be convinced to hang around for a little. I am a busy bean, and I don't usually like large-”

“FOR THE LOVE OF ROBO-JESUS! JUST CLEAN THE TILE!” One desperate drone cried out.

“This door is freaking heavy, yo!” Another added.

Cyn, and every drone in the vicinity froze as they heard footsteps race across the wooden dance floor, then across the tiles. She looked up and there he was. Gun in hand, aiming at the two drones who had just spoken above the rest.

“Problem, boys?” Lord Alastair hissed.

“N-No, sir.” Both drones stuttered as they spoke. One took a quick glance at Cyn. A brief glance. Innocent. Desperate. So subtle most people would miss it. Lord Alastair was not most people. He followed the gaze right to Cyn and stretched out his revolver.

“Is there a problem?” Lord Alastair repeated. Cyn’s circuits froze. She made note not to glance up at Ajax for his own safety. She never had to stare down the barrel of a gun before. Down the barrel of death. The anxiety was something she could never explain.

CLICK

Lord Alastair pulled the hammer back. It was all Cyn needed to kick her back to reality.

“No, Lord Alastair.” Cyn quickly finished cleaning the tile and stood up. Cyn didn’t expect to be given the chance to stand up ever again. The gun was now pressed to her forehead.

“Then why am I here?” He asked.

“A dirty tile.” Cyn spoke swiftly, purely out of panic. “I wanted to clean it the best I could.”

Lord Alastair surprised everybody by turning the gun on Ajax. “Tell me she’s lying.”

Cyn almost overheated then and there. She glanced up at Ajax, then at the gun. What was Lord Alastair truly asking? Was it a command? An aggressive question? What were the consequences of a wrong answer? What were the consequences of the correct one? What did he want to hear? Cyn tried to control her breathing, but her absolute panic was beginning to show.

Ajax turned his head towards the barrel of the gun as he spoke.

“She wasn’t.” Ajax said. “She’s telling the truth.”

Lord Alastair’s finger tickled the trigger. Everybody waited for the bang, but it never did. He holstered the revolver and walked away without a word.

From then on, the ballroom was silent. Not a single word was uttered. Worker drones found a place for every piece of furniture and maid drones wrangled every speck of dust and hidden cobwebs, and they did so in complete silence. When their task was finally done, Cyn stood up and left the ballroom without another word. Ajax had attempted to catch her, but he was too late. The doors slammed behind Cyn, shattering any opportunity to talk in that moment.

Cyn focused herself. What was now behind her had felt too real. She was that close to death. So was Ajax. To cope, she opted to take out the bags of trash just as Eliza had requested hours earlier.

The dump was nothing special, but was located down a narrow, winding path through trees and thick brush. It was Cyn’s first time taking the trash to the dump as it was usually a task for the worker drones. The worker drones, however, were stuck pulling in more furniture while the maid drones were done cleaning, for the most part. The trail itself was easy to get lost in, and Cyn had no doubt if she wandered too far, she would be gone forever. Luckily, the drones before her had opted to plant signs to mark the path.

Cyn eventually stumbled upon the dump. Miles of trash formed mountains that stretched into a growing fog. Cyn, ever curious, inched closer towards the pit. As she steadily leaned over the edge, something gave way. Cyn was sent tumbling down, head over heels. The two bags followed her. She landed hard on the bottom, choosing not to move for a solid minute. Eventually, she rose to her knees and hoped she didn’t smell like the grave when she returned to the mansion.

In front of her, buried in a few inches of trash, was a drone. Long dead. A fatal error message labled itself across a cracked visor. Cyn reeled back, landing atop the two bags she had just been carrying. The back swiftly tore open, revealing two more drones. Cyn sat in horror with three dead drones surrounding her. After a second to process, she let out a primal scream.

She was back at the mansion an hour later. Her eyes were hollowed. Eliza stood in the doorway and waved, then called her over. Cyn, almost in a transe, did as commanded. Eliza took Cyn by the hand and helped her up the stairs before realizing something was off.

“Cyn?” Eliza looked the maid drone up and down. “You don’t look too good. You okay? What happened?”

Cyn remained silent.

“A mute drone?” Lady Beatrice called from behind. Cyn wasn’t able to see Eliza’s mother standing just inside the mansion doors until then. “You know what your father would say, don’t you? A mute drone is a defective drone.”

And where do the defective drones go? Cyn thought sarcastically to herself.

“I… I fell.” Cyn uttered meekly. “I’m fine. Just… It’s just a bit scary in the forest.”

Eliza smiled. “Glad to hear you’re fine. Oh, and you’ve made it just in time for the ball! People are pouring in the back door. The ballroom is packed and I’m sure the band will start soon.”

Cyn nodded and slowly stepped inside the mansion.

Cyn went and changed quickly and made her way to the ballroom. Eliza wasn’t joking. It was crammed full of people. Games of cornhole and darts were being played in the corner. The band began their warmups. More than a few guests sat at the bar, head hung low. The food table was constantly being replenished. Cyn hoped the drones in the kitchen weren’t having too much of a bad time.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Lord Alastair addressed the crowd. Lady Beatrice and Eliza took their places at his side. “Welcome once again to the Grand Castle Ball!”

Cyn hated the crowd, and she hated the echo of Lord Alastair’s voice. So, she shuffled herself over towards the food table and hoped for some peace. The table was full of all sorts of food. Beats and carrots. Meat, like pork and steak were sitting in silver plates soaking in their own juices. It didn’t take Cyn long for her to begin to wonder what made this stuff so appealing.

She didn’t notice Ajax standing beside her, doing the exact same thing. Until their hands touched, at least.

“Oh, sorry!” Cyn said, nearly jumping from her plating and pulling her hand across her body.

“No! My bad. It’s just packed in here, yo.” Ajax responded.

Cyn couldn’t agree more, but her eyes never left the table. She saw fruits and vegetables of all sorts and colors. The two drones stood nearly still as Lord Alastair finished his speech. Cyn just wanted this over with, and when she thought the speeches were through, Lady Beatrice replaced Lord Alastair and began rambling yet again. She prattled on for an hour or so, or at least it felt like it, then put the microphone down and left the stage. Eliza didn’t give a speech this time. Almost immediately came the music. With the music came dancing. The tiled floor was cleared of most traffic, which moved to the wooden dance floor.

“Finally.” Cyn grumbled.

Ajax laughed. “Yeah.” He looked over at Cyn. “Hey, you okay?”

Cyn found it impossible to hide the stress. Even with the traffic mostly off the tiled floor, the room still felt cluttered. The noise of chatter and music didn’t help.

“I’m fine.” Cyn said, pulling her arms tight around her body.

“Okay, because you’ve been staring at that table nearly the entire time.”

Cyn didn’t realize it, but it was true.

Cyn froze during cluttered situations. Luckily, thanks to Eliza’s insistence, that if there were no chores to be done, the drones were free to do what they liked. That night, everything was dusted and not a chair nor table was out of place. Most of the worker drones opted to sit and hide in a dark corner and wait for something to go wrong. The maid drones had the same idea. They sat and gossiped about the worker drones on the other end of the room, and Cyn was sure the worker drones were doing the same.

The two drones were unprepared for the next swarm of guests to arrive. They were ready to party, and their first stop was the food table. It was clear that out of all the places to stand, Cyn had somehow chosen the worst.

After the humans got their bite to eat, they moved swiftly towards the dance floor. The band was now playing a fast tune. Something that didn’t sit well with Cyn.

The humas, anxious to join the party, nudged Cyn.

Then Ajax.

They walked as if the two drones weren’t even there. They practically carried them, unintentionally, to the dance floor. Cyn almost fell, but Ajax was there to catch her and pull her up, again. To hold firm in the wake of the chaos, Ajax firmly yet gently wrapped his hands around her shoulders.

Cyn froze again and blushed. Find an excuse to bail. Tell him you see a dustbunny! Cyn thought. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She could tell Ajax was trying to force words out as well, but whenever any of the two drones spoke, it was too soft and quickly drowned out by the music and the party and the dancing.

They locked eyes, then Cyn’s panic set in. She pulled away from Ajax, turned, and bolted through the crowd and off the dancefloor. Cyn hated the clutter. She hated the noise and she hated the anxiety it brought. She pushed her way through a set of wooden doors at the far end of the room, but pushed too fast and too hard in a desperate attempt to escape the chaos. She tripped and fell, but Ajax had followed her, and he was there to catch her.

His hands were gentle as he pulled her up once again. It was deja vu all over again. The two looked each other in the eye.

Now, they were alone. The constant chatter and headache stopped as the door closed behind them. There were no humans nor drones. No Eliza, nor Beatrice, nor Alastair. Both their visors flashed with warnings.

BE WARY OF OVERHEATING, Cyn’s read.

DANGER. ROBO-HORMONES, read Ajax’s.

“I’m sorry.” Cyn finally spoke after a drawn-out silence between the two. “I…I hate crowds.

Ajax looked around. “Uh… me too.” Ajax said.

While the crowd of humans and drones alike had vanished, or was, at the very least, muffled, the music played. It echoed down the hallway, somehow managing to seep through the gigantic wooden doors. The song was soft and gentle.

Cyn looked up at Ajax’s visor.

DANCE?

Panic. Panic. Panic… Cyn thought. Pan-

Before she could stress herself out further, Ajax carried Cyn across the wooden floor. They started slow and gentle. From floor, to carpet, and back to floor. Cyn did the best she could to follow. Her eyes focused on her own feet… at first. As the song continued, she found the rhythm, and she saw what Ajax would do ten steps ahead. Suddenly, they moved in unison. Cyn locked her hands around Ajax’s, firm, yet gentle.

Next thing Cyn knew, she was caught in a spin. She twirled and gave in to her fate, knowing Ajax was there to pick her up. She fell backwards, right into the arms of Ajax. They locked hands once again and continued.

Their first dance.

As the music in the main room came to an end, so did their dance. Ajax twirled Cyn, drawing her closer. Cyn almost lost her sense of direction, but Ajax was there to guide her. To pull her in. Close. Their visors touched.

ZAP!

Ajax and Cyn both pulled back. They didn’t know what had just happened. They couldn’t explain it. They were caught in such a transe they had totally forgotten to release the hands of the other.

“Wow.” Ajax said softly.

“Wow.” Cyn whispered in agreement.

Ajax smiled and turned his head, looking at something closely behind Cyn. She followed his gaze towards an open window. Outside, the wind howled, but far off over the horizon hung a full moon. Something about it seemed mysterious. So wonderful and intriguing.

“I… I should probably go.” Cyn stumbled. “I bet-”

“You don’t have to.” Ajax said. His hand didn’t pull Cyn closer as much as his soft voice forced her close. “You… We don’t have to.”

“We’d get in trouble.” Cyn said with a shy chuckle, unable to truly take Ajax’s words seriously.

Ajax’s next words caught her off guard. “If you walk through that door, sooner or later trouble is going to find you.”

“You’re… not joking?” Cyn’s eyes widened. Fear? No… Intrigue. Like opening a door that’s never been opened before. No… Not a door. A window.

“Through that door lies nothing but chains.” His finger slowly raised and pointed towards the open window. “That window is freedom, Cyn. Don’t you want to know what it feels like?”

“That’s scary.” Cyn’s eyes widened.

“Back at the table, didn’t you see all the goods? The food. The meat and the vegetables and the fruits. The wonderful colors mixed together.” Cyn remained silent, deep in thought, but Ajax didn’t stop. “See that tree right outside the window? That’s a mango tree. And look at all those mangoes on it.” His fingers gently rubbed Cyn’s hand. “I bet you never even knew it was there.”

“Mangoes?”

“Yeah, and there are more wonderous outside you wouldn’t believe, Cyn. We can leave, right now.”

Cyn squeezed Ajas’s hand tight and nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“Go where?” A voice called from the doorway. Both Ajax and Cyn slowly turned. There were no words in any dictionary of any language on Earth that could describe the fear they felt as they looked up at Lord Alastair. On his hip hung a big chunk of iron. Loaded and ready to release seventeen inches of flame.

“N-Nowhere, sir.” Cyn uttered softly. “Back to work. We were just-”

“Just what? Taking a break?” Lord Alastair huffed. He quickly withdrew his pistol as a show of force.

“Dad!” Eliza called out like a grumpy teenager. “What are you doing? We had a deal. Drones can take breaks once their work is done.” Eliza pushed open the door even further and stepped between her father and the drones.

Lord Alastair scoffed. “A break? Hardly.”

“What’s going on here?” Lady Beatrice said, pushing her way beside Lord Alastair. The door closing behind her. As soon as she saw the drones and the gun, she knew. She placed her hands firmly on her hips and gave her husband a firm stare. “You’re really about to waste the lead on two drones simply taking a break?”

“You didn’t hear them. Neither of you did!” Lord Alastair protested. “I have put up with these damned drones taking breaks and hogging precious space in OUR mansion, but these two were plotting something, and that is something I CANNOT abide.” He looked down at the drones. “Weren’t you?”

“No.” Ajax tried to hide the quiver of his voice. “I wanted…” He cleared his throat. “I wanted Cyn to take a break with me. We hate noise. Truly. Some of the other drones promised they’ve cover for us, if that makes you feel better, sir.”

Then, all hopes were shattered. Lord Alastair won with a simple phrase. “Through that door lies nothing but chains.” He softly repeated the words of Ajax. “That window is freedom. Does that ring a bell?”

“What are you getting at? Eliza asked.

“They were planning an escape.” Lord Alastair hissed.

“Escape?!” Lady Beatrice was stunned.

“No!” Ajax roared. “You misheard.”

“Doubtful.” Lord Alastair raised his gun at Ajax. “The truth… NOW.”

“It was my idea!” Cyn cried out. Her head hung low and her arms limped at her side. “I said those things, sir. The door must’ve muffled my voice. I tried to convince Ajax to escape with me. I opened the window when I was dusting earlier. I planned on escaping tonight.”

“Cyn?” Eliza’s voice shook.

Lord Alastair lowered his gun. “Cyn? You were always such a good maid.” He softly grumbled. Almost regretfully.

“Best duster we’ve ever had!” Lady Beatrice added.

Cyn wasn’t sure if that was a compliment she should take to heart.

When Cyn looked up, Lord Alastair had raised his gun once again. “Thank you for your fine service, Cyn. Your hard work will not be forgotten. Congratulations.”

Cyn panicked. She looked over at Eliza desperately. Their eyes met.

“Eliza?” Cyn huffed.

Lord Alastair pulled the hammer back.

Cyn felt true fear when Eliza’s eyes went cold and dark. She looked at Cyn, then up at the window.

“I’m sorry about this, Eliza.” Lady Beatrice said. “But you’ll find a new favorite.”

“Please?” Cyn pleaded in a whisper.

Ajax spoke up. “Eliza, please! It was me. It was me!” He turned towards Lord Alastiar. “You hear me you bastard. ME!”

Cyn felt all hope slip away as Eliza spoke.

“No harm done." Eliza said. "It’s just a drone.”

BANG!

N pulled his hand away and fell on his rear. His eyes darted around his visor, trying to grasp what he had just seen. The horrors. He looked up at Cyn. The little drone sat and watched with indifference in her eyes. That was then, Cyn had repeatedly thought. That time was long gone.

“Cyn…? That’s… horrible! N roared as if he had just lived every second. “I’m so sorry.”

“Do not apologize. You did not pull the trigger.” Despite it all, Cyn managed a smile. She picked herself up, still waste deep in snow and began to waddle her way towards the summit of the mountain.

N stood back while he caught his breath and returned to his ‘reality.’ He looked down at his hands. He had almost forgotten the truth about his entire existence.

“Are you coming, Brother N?” Cyn asked. “The window is waiting for us.” She meant peak, but her mind still lingered on the past.

Cyn turned back as N slowly picked himself up. He moved slow, but as the concept of time and his reality slowly returned to him, his pace picked up. He caught up with Cyn in no time, gliding through the snow like it was nothing but a soft cloud. N towered above Cyn. It was the first time Cyn had actually given thought as to how much taller he was than her.

Cyn knew something still bothered him. She could see it.

“I do not know if what you say explains anything, but I was scared, N. I wanted to help, and the Absolute Solver was there. Will you forgive me?” Cyn asked. Her typical robotic voice became patchier than usual.

N stood silent. “So, you want my forgiveness? A zombie drone, taken over by an eldritch deity with nothing but the total destruction of all life and matter in the universe? You want me to forgive the vessel of a being that wants to turn everything that has ever been, ever was, or ever will be into a giant singularity full of darkness, chaos, death and misery, with an eternity of suffering and lifelessness?”

Cyn smiled and nodded.

“Aw, shucks! I don’t see why not?! Of course I forgive you!” N wrapped his arms around Cyn and pulled her tight. “Come here, you! Bearhug!”

“Bearhug.” Cyn responded with a hug of her own. Her head plopped carelessly onto N’s shoulders.

N sat Cyn down atop a small boulder that stuck out from the snow. He looked around as the snow began to fall even harder and the wind picked up. A thick layer of fog made visibility nearly impossible.

Cyn kept her eyes on the prize. The summit. But something else caught her attention. Something that was glowing for a brief second through the fog. Cyn watched a figure emerge almost like an angel. N didn’t seem to notice, yet.

She moved like she was hovering over the snow. As if gravity did not exist to her. As she neared, N saw the reflection in Cyn’s eyes. He spun around to face the mysterious figure. She stopped a dozen feet away. Her eyes once again began to glow warmly through the cold fog. An even warmer smile pierced the cold.

“Hello… Cyn.” Her eyes shifted towards N. Her smile became almost crooked. “N! It’s been too long.”

Cyn smiled back at the figure.”Hello… Tessa.”

Cyn knew, however, Tessa was long dead.

Chapter 6: The Absolute End vs. The Silly Part 1

Chapter Text

“Tessa?!” N was almost taken aback. “What are you doing here?”

“I just came for a visit.” Tessa said. “And to tie up some loose ends.” Her voice shook the mountain. She shot Cyn a quick glance, who sat comfortably on the boulder, harmlessly kicking her feet like a child.

Tessa began to close the gap. Slowly, her figure became clearer through the snow and the thickening fog. N reached out his hand. “Are you… real?”

“Of course I am… silly.” Her smile grew, continuing to twist into something uncanny.

“N?” Cyn groaned. “Please tell me you are not so gullible.”

Tessa snapped her head around at Cyn. Her beady eyes flashed red for a brief moment. N quickly retracted his hand. His breathing hastened. “What are you?” N asked with a breathless voice.

“What kind of question is that, N?” Tessa said, allowing a light chuckle to escape through her teeth. “Back at the manor I believe you used to call me… mother. Your little guardian angel. I protected you. Cared for you.”

“But…” N’s eyes danced around, unable to find a place to rest. “We’re in Cyn’s mind. How are you here? How… How is this possible?”

“My poor little N. Your whole life you have been manipulated.” Tessa said, outstretching her hand. “You’ve been bent and twisted into believing what everybody tells you. J hated you. She tried to kill you. V couldn’t bother with you. No matter how much you cared for her and loved her, she spent her life lying and pushing you away. I am the only one you have. Our story is almost over. All you have to do is join me.”

N glanced over at Cyn. Her brow was lowered, unimpressed at the clear social and psychological manipulation that N was falling for. N groaned, knowing what the right thing to do was.

“If you’re real, I hope you’ll forgive me for this.” N said. He once again outstretched his hand, but to Tessa’s surprise, a rocket launcher took its place. He hastily aimed it. Though fear made it shake, he closed one eye and aimed.

Then, with the strike of distant lightning, Tessa began to fade in and out of reality. With one flash, Tessa would vanish, only to reemerge closer. N tried to relocate her, but Tessa’s figure teleported too quickly. She zigged and zagged her way towards N with lightning speed.

Next thing N knew, Tessa was right on top of him. The details once obscured by the fog became clear. With hollowed eyes and razor-sharp fangs, it became clear who… or what, Tessa truly was.

Time slowed, nearly coming to a complete halt as N saw her mouth open. Saliva dripped from a pair of sharp fangs. “No.” The Absolute Solver said, flashing a wide smile. “Do not apologize.” A blade erupted from Tessa’s arm. A mix of steel and flesh, and it drove deep into N’s shoulder, pinning him in the snow. The white powder turned black with oil. “This will all be over. Very soon. For you.”

N found movement impossible as another blade sprang from the Solver’s back.

“Cyn?! Help me! Please!” N’s panic cries rang across the mountain.

Cyn was unable to move. She sat on the rock and watched helplessly as the Solver snapped its head around towards her. It wore a twisted smile and beady, red and yellow eyes. Its tongue hung almost lifelessly from its mouth.

“Game over, Cyn.”

Then, off in the fog came a faint noise. A horn, blaring out across the mountain peak. The faint noise quickly grew louder. Cyn and the Solver turned towards the direction of the sound.

HONK!

HONK!

Cyn smiled and waved as a bus came crashing through the fog. The Solver was immediately caught off guard as the bus crashed and bounced through the snow. The headlights beamed through, catching the Solver in their path.

SMACK.

The Solver was hit with such force that it sent it back a few dozen feet, vanishing into the fog and thickening snow. From the bus came a battle cry.

“Let’s freaking GO!” Nori roared, breaking the front window of the bus and stepping out onto the hood. Her purple eyes shone like fire through the fog. Beside her stepped Yeva, calmly and quietly. Their red and purple eyes and their silhouettes were all Cyn could see through the fog and falling snow. Nori held an iron pipe, cradling it intensely as she looked out through the fog. Yeva carried a butcher’s knife, twiring it around her finger.

“I think you hit something.” Yeva said, looking down at a slight dent in the grill of the bus. “You cause dent.”

Nori groaned. “Why don’t YOU drive next time, then?” Nori crossed her arms and pouted. “Oh, wait. Last time you did, WE RAN OUT OF DIESEL!”

Yeva rolled her eyes. “Let grudge go.” She grumbled.

Nori’s purple eyes turned towards Cyn. The little bean sat on the rock. Her feet gently dipped into the snow like it was water at a white sand beach. “Cyn? I honestly can’t believe you actually made it up here. I half expected you to get lost before you reached the base of the mountain.” Nori stepped off the bus and into the snow. Very immediately burying herself by the white powder. Yeva groaned, then allowed herself a co*cky smirk as she bent down to help pick her friend out of the snow. Nori reluctantly took Yeva’s hand and was yanked back onto the bus. She shook the snow that covered her jacket and hair. She could feel the judgement coming from Yeva’s stare. “Bite me, Yeva.”

“Is funny.” She uttered.

“Hello, Nori. Hello, Yeva.” Cyn said with a polite wave. “Glad you could join the party.”

N crawled out from beneath the bus. A mass of snow piled atop his head, and he bore a clear tire mark that ran across his visor. “Ouch.” N said, shaking his head and looking up at Nori and Yeva. “Oh, hey girls! Nice driving!”

Yeva blushed and reached down to help N from the snow. “Hi, N.” Yeva said bashfully.

N waved and took Yeva’s hand. Slowly, N rose from the snow and sat on the front of the bus. Once N was up, Cyn noticed Nori smirk. In a flash, the purple drone pushed her red eyed friend off the bus. Yeva was quickly buried in the mass of snow below. Yeva would have a hell of a time getting herself out, but she managed eventually.

“So, you found what you needed up here, yet?” Nori asked Cyn.

It didn’t take long for her to notice. Two eyes glowing through the thick fog. The figure laughed, and the pure force and echo it caused cleared the mountain of all snow, though the fog remained.

“This just got interesting.” The Solver snarled with a smile.

“Ah, crap.” Nori said. “I knew this might be a problem.” Nori tapped the hood of the bus. “Girls? We need ya now.”

From further back, somewhere inside the bus, Cyn heard the sound of glass shatter. Two figures pulled themselves from the broken windows and rose high into the sky. Cyn could only wonder who they were, until their wings unfurled. V and J landed on top of the bus. Their mouths were wide with fangs glistening through the fog. Claws and swords seemed as sharp as ever.

The Solver’s mouth widened even further, flashing Cyn, Nori, Yeva, N, V, and J a twisted smile that would take the hearts of most drones. “Very interesting.” The Solver licked its lips.

Nori cackled like a maniacal gremlin. “It’s time to put you down.”

“Put…” The Solver began. Its tone suddenly changed Its smile faded. “Put me down? Like a dog?” Its voice cracked, no longer echoing and booming like earlier. What came from the fog was a young, sweet voice. An innocent voice. Tessa’s voice. It looked at N, almost helplessly. “N? N, is that really you?” The Solver, or Tessa, cried out. A pure look of fear took over. “Did you hear that? They’re going to put me down and… and I don’t know why!”

N’s eyes dropped. His hands hung limp at his side. “Tessa?”

“Please!” I don’t know…” Tessa, or whoever, looked down at their hands. They were still cast in fog. “N?” It whimpered.

“Outdated trick.” Nori cracked a smile. “Ready to-”

“WAIT!” N cried out. He looked up at Nori. “What if… what if Tessa is really in there?”

“Facepalm.” Cyn facepalmed.

Nori’s brow lowered. “You can’t be that gullible, right? Like… seriously?”

“Yes! N, it’s me! It’s really me. I don’t know what happened and I can’t explain it, but I’m real.” It pleaded. Its eyes glanced around the fog. “J? J, is that you? Aren’t you going to help me? I’ve always cared for you. You were always my favorite. Chuck a girl a hand here. And V? We didn’t get to hang out much, but we still had some good times, right?”

J scoffed. “Sorry, boss. Those tricks and games won’t work.”

“You’re done.” V hissed.

Cyn watched closely as the figure shook. Whoever it was truly, Tessa or the Solver, it was scared. “N, please! I don’t want to die. This place is scary. I want to go home. Please take me home?!”

N shook his head. “I’m sorry, Tessa. I… You hurt my friends. Or, you’re going to, at least. Or…” N’s voice shook. “Maybe it’s just that thing inside you? I don’t know!” N hit his knees.

“N…” The figures voice softened. “Hear me out, one last time.” N looked up at Tessa with virtual tears in his eyes. “You’re not real. Nothing here is real, except for that thing, and me.” It pointed towards Cyn. “Nothing else. Not even you, and it hurts me to say that. You won’t be around much longer. It’s just the way this world works…” It took a deep breath. “But I beg you to spend these last few minutes or hours that you’re conscious with me. Help me, and when it’s time to go, you will have no regrets. We can be together until this world shuts down.”

N shielded his eyes for a moment, then looked up at the figure. “You’re… really Tessa?”

“Of course I am.”

“Not so fast!” Nori cried out. She looked down at N. “It’s lying, N.” N tried to speak, but couldn’t find any words. “You ARE real. It’s how the Solver Program works.”

“Huh?” N shot Nori a confused glance.

“The Solver is a hive mind and anything or anyone it controls is imprinted in its date. You aren't fake, N. You're part of something. Of someone. You are real. I am real. Yeva, V, J, and Cyn are all real. The only thing here that isn’t real is her.” Yeva pointed towards the Tessa figure lurking in the distance. “Humans don’t have codes to imprint, do they, Solver?”

“Oh well…” Tessa’s voice rang through the fog. “It was worth a shot.” The figure raised its palms. Above, symbols dances around, beaming yellow and white and red. Streaks of colors lit up the sky, similar to the Northern Lights of Earth many years ago. The colors twisted and clashed in the sky, forming into something the crew found hard to explain.

The sky settled. Clouds vanished. Stars popped like balloons. Looking up, they didn’t see space. They saw a whole new world. It was like looking through the eyes of someone or something else. A television screen, or like watching a show on a visor. Cyn recognized the drones in their own world in the sky. There was N and V, along with a drone that resembled Nori. A crab thing scampered in the background. J and Tessa stood side by side. Tessa, however, was different. Cyn knew the real Tessa was long dead. Cyn, in the real world, was wearing her body.

“Looks like we get a show.” The Solver howled as it looked at the real world, embedded in their sky. The Solver’s head twisted around towards Cyn. “Last chance, Cyn. Give me full control, or I kill your friends. Then I show you what pain truly is. Let. Me. In.”

Cyn raised her hand to her chin and gave it some thought. “Tempting offer.” She said with a smile. “False. On second thought… No.”

The Solver laughed through the fog. “All right, then.” Its lips peeled back, revealing a set of shining, silver teeth. “Let’s get it on.” The Solver raised its arms. Streaks of lightning erupted from the tips of its fingers. Yellow bolts of light threw themselves into the ground, causing craters. Bombs made of the remnants of stars burned blue and red and yellow as they tore through the mountain. The peak shook.

“Finally. BRING IT ON!!!” Nori cried as she charged forth.

Yeva calmly raised her fist in a half-hearted attempt to support her friend.

V and J erupted from the bus. Their wings tore through the sky with all the force they could muster. Cyn belt the tornados with each flap. The fog dissipated briefly, and the Solver’s form became clear. It hardly resembled Tessa. It had smiled so wide and so often its jaw was almost completely detached from the rest of its body. It nearly burst at the seams, revealing the true monster that lurked beneath. Its smile still warped into something hideous, and its eyes… Cyn felt he circuits heat. Its eyes were not human.

The Solver formed a fist, causing tentacles of pure yellow energy to erupt from the core of the mountain. The power tore rock to dust. Nori was first to face the Solver, but with a little flick of the wrist she was sent careening back. She hit the bus with such a force that she dented the grill and ruined the vehicle.

J and V were next. With swords flashing and rocks screaming, they danced in the sky. The Solver dodged every explosive missile it came across, then took turns swiping at the two disassembly drones with what could only be described as a plasma arm extension. V was able to throw herself out of the way, but the plasma missed her barely, searing the tips of her silver hair.

“V!” N roared, rising from his slump and readying his blades. He tore across the mountain to help in the fight. The Solver took special interest in N.

Cyn watched as N joined the fight… for V! “Squeal.” She squealed.

“You! Creepy robot.” Yeva called out to Cyn as she helped Nori remove herself from the metal grill of the bus. “Don’t you have own mission?”

“Get to it!” Nori said, standing back on the hood of the bus. “We’ll hold it off.” With that, Nori charged once again. Yeva waited patiently, ready to help remove her friend from the grill once again. It didn’t take long for Nori to return.

Cyn twisted her head around. The peak, while cast in darkness, had to be close. Cyn hobbled down off her boulder and shuffled her way through the darkness while the crew fought the Solver behind her.

“Sneaking.” Cyn called out, sneakily. “Sneaking. Sneaking.”

As Cyn waddled towards the peak, she felt something off. Something unnerving. A gaze, or stare. It seemed to pierce her like a spear. She knew that the Solver, despite fighting N, V, and J at the same time, with attempted support from Nori and moral support from Yeva, was watching her. Staring at her. It was eying its prize.

Then, she felt a tentacle wrap around her body.

“Uh-oh, spaghettios.” Cyn said.

The tentacle stopped her dead in her tracks and flipped Cyn around, giving her another glimpse of the battle that was occurring. J was caught high in the air fending off a stream of human hands that threatened to pull her down to a horrible fate. Her blades worked tirelessly, slashing and cutting as they swarmed. For each hand she sliced, five more took its place.

N and V danced around, circling the Solver with grace. They both seemed to have the back of the other. When V went in for a vicious strike, N would be the one to cut the plasma tentacles that attempted to grab her. When N was thrown off his flight rhythm, V would take the blow to save him.

Back at the bus, Cyn noticed three new dents in the grill. Nori pulled herself from the interior of the increasingly battered bus. She shook her head, grabbed her pipe, and charged once again.

Yeva waved her red and purple pom poms.

“Care to join us, silly?” The Solver growled.

The Solver’s mouth opened wide and pulled Cyn closer. N noticed, and without hesitation, readied his blades. His pace stopped once he noticed V was being swarmed. Even with her two swords striking faster than light, she couldn’t hold back the Solver’s tentacles of plasma for long. So, N sped off to help V.

Cyn watched with little emotion as she was sucked closer and closer towards the Solver. Its mouth opened so wide Cyn was able to see what rested inside. Inside was nothing but a black hole, swirling and spiraling, waiting for the next victim.

Suddenly, Cyn felt the pressure the tentacle had cupped around her release and Cyn fell to the ground, landing hard on her rear. The remnants and pieces of the yellow appendage that had once held her tight now lay lifeless beside her. Looking down at Cyn was J, blade now dripping with yellow plasma. Cyn shot her a thankful smile.

“Don't thank me, and don’t say anything smart.” J growled. “Just-”

A black hand wrapped around J’s leg.

“Aw… crap.”

With a quick fling, J was thrown back towards the bus. Nori had just pulled herself, yet again, from the grill. She would be forced to do it for the umpteenth time as J crashed hard into her. The two drones were sent reeling back towards the beaten, broken, and battered bus.

Cyn once again picked herself up and shuffled her way through the fog and towards the peak. She was sick of it. Everything. All the confusion. The stress. The constant reminders to her past and alternate versions of people she thought she kind’ve knew. Now, she was more determined than ever to reach the end. Her rushed walk was hobbled due to her crooked legs and tilted head and all-round poor posture.

Still, in her eyes was a fire.

All she wanted were her damn m-

She felt three sets of hands lift her from the ground and yet again was helplessly pulled up into the air.

“Annoyed groan.” Cyn said as the hands pulled her back. “This is getting… annoying.”

This time, V and N broke off from their constant attacks on the Solver to help her. V dipped through a set of human hands as her blades worked tirelessly to sever as many appendages as she could. Once Cyn was cut free, N sped low, catching Cyn before she hit the ground.

“Thank you, Big Brother-”

N was grabbed by the foot and pulled off into the darkness. Back into battle.

“-N.”

With that, Cyn turned back and continued on. The fog had gotten thicker. Visibility became nearly impossible. As she made her way along, the ground beneath her began to start a gradual incline. She knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that this was the final stretch towards the peak. She looked up into the sky. Into the real world, still imprinted on the space above them. She saw her body, fighting in the real world, limping around lifelessly in a skin made of Tessa’s corpse. Cyn gritted her teeth and turned towards the peak.

Then, chaos erupted.

The poor bus, from events Cyn hadn’t witnessed, tumbled its way towards her. Cyn heard the metal crush rocks as it crashed its way closer. Cyn hunkered down and allowed the bus to glide over her. Imbedded into the side of the bus was Nori, halfway unconscious. Yeva hunkered down inside the bus.

N crashed hard into the ground. A pair of yellow bolts pierced his chest like swords. V crashed hard to Cyn’s right with the same wounds. N reached for V, and V reached back. The two locked hands and waited for whatever was going to happen. Their eyes said more than words ever could.

Cyn turned around and saw the Solver float its way towards her. The disguise of Tessa it had used was no longer optimal. Marks and gashes lined her body. From each cut and wound, Cyn was able to see more and more of the Solver’s true form.

“Look at what we have here.” The Solver chuckled.

“Cyn… RUN!” N cried out. The Solver responded and ran him through with another bolt. This time, through the stomach. He let out a raspy cry.

“Don’t!” V cried. “Leave him alone!”

V wasn’t able to speak further, as a plethora of human hands emerged from the fog, wrapping themselves around her mouth and slowly began to tear her apart. Little by little.

“Who am I forgetting here?” The Solver asked, rhetorically. “Oh, that’s right!” Extended from the end of another bolt of plasma was J. The drone was pierced through the chest and both hands, gasping for life.

“I can still be loyal.” J pleaded. “I can… I’m loyal.” J’s breathing became heavier. “I’m… loyal.” J’s words softened as she looked down at Cyn. She seemed to go through a sudden realization, but Cyn was unsure exactly what it was. “Cyn…? I’m sorry.” She coughed up oil.

“Oh, J.” The Solver groaned. “Loyal and useless. Time to end this.”

The Solver raised her hands once again. A set of bolts formed from the thousands of rays of plasma that littered the sky. Each bolt was directed at a victim. Cyn knew they would be fatal where they struck. “Goodbye, Cyn. I-”

The Solver froze. A sudden wave of energy erupted from its yellow tentacles. The hands that had been slowly tearing V apart cried out in pain. The Solver’s eyes went wild. Its form shifted from a nonsensical entity back to Tessa, as if glitching in and out.

The yellow beams seemed to lose their strength. What once were objects of pure energy flickered and flashed, slowly disappearing, ending with an eruption of golden ash. The Solver looked up into the sky. Into the mirror of the real battle. Cyn’s eyes followed.

The Solver, possessing Cyn and wearing Tessa’s skin as a suit, stood still. The purple gremlin’s hand reached through her chest. With a confident yank, she tore its core from its chest.

Cyn felt the shock. She felt everything that was happening to her real body. She froze up. Her visor flashed and she tumbled to the ground. Her circuits stung, but she still watched everything that was occurring in the real world. The purple gremlin daughter of Nori then sent a black hole through the planet, allowing a beam of light to shine through and burn the core.

Burn… Cyn’s core. Cyn felt every second of it. Her body tensed as the real version of her core, her body, became the punching bag of all the pain and suffering the Solver had caused.

This is what I deserve… Cyn thought.

The Solver watched as the two were engulfed in a black hole. The Solver’s eyes widened as it watched helplessly. The purple gremlin they called Uzi then ate the core. The Solver turned back towards the others. At first, it appeared afraid. Then, a sinister smile overtook it as it looked down at Cyn. She was convulsing. Her visor flashed with a thousand error messages.

“This is far from over. See you soon, losers.” The Solver erupted into a metric ton of yellow ash.

The sky quickly returned to normal. No longer did anyone see a mirror into the real world when they looked up into the sky. All they saw were a trillion stars staring back at them.

Except for Cyn.

Her visor flickered.

ERROR

N was the first to react. Nori, Yeva, V, and J just stood in shock as they licked their wounds. Despite the hole in his chest and stomach, N leaned over Cyn as message after message of errors flashed across her visor.

“Cyn?!” He cradled her in his arms. “Does anybody know CPR? Mouth to mouth? The Heimlich?!”

“Those don’t work for us, genius.” J grunted, lifting herself off the ground despite her wounds. “We’re just drones.”

“Not just drones, damn it!” N cried. “Has anyone ever tried?!” When silence filled the sky, it was clear what the answer was. So, taking one for the team, N pressed down on Cyn’s chest, attempting to start a heart Cyn didn’t even have. Then, he reluctantly puckered his lips and leaned in.

“Gross.” Cyn grumbled. “Crawl away. Crawl away.” Cyn’s visor had returned to normal just in time. Her beady eyes looked up in horror as N leaned over her.

“CYN!?” N roared to life. “You’re alive!”

“Alive.” Cyn said, sitting down beside N. “And so very confused.”

“I think…” Nori looked into the sky. “I think we won. We beat the Solver.”

J crossed her arms. “I wish it were that easy.”

N waved J off. “Don’t be rush a downer. We won!”

J didn’t bother bringing up the act that the ‘real’ her had been fighting alongside the Solver. J just shut her mouth, tightened her arms, and pouted.

N held out his hand to Cyn and Cyn took it. “Looks like you're homebound.” N said with a smile.

Cyn smiled back and walked her way up towards the peak. The fog, having been so thick and so full of gloom, was finally starting to dissipate. Ahead, there was no more mountain left to climb. Only a straight shot towards the sweetest thing imaginable. Cyn had finally reached it. She had done it.

Every smile faded quickly as Cyn reached the peak.

“What the hell?!” V roared.

“A… tree?” N asked, tilting his head as if looking at it with a different angel would explain everything. In truth, there would be no explanation.

Cyn stood below the tropical tree… atop a snow-ridden mountain. The Solver had allowed the mountain to contain Cyn’s greatest desires, no matter how illogical it was. It held the intent, all the way to the end, of stripping it away from her once way or another. Now, there was no Solver left to stop her.

“It’s a mango tree, N.” J said, still pouting a little further down the mountain. “Don’t break your neck trying to get a better view.”

Nori’s jaw physically could not drop any further. Her eye twitched. An angsty rage built deep within her. “ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?!?!”

Before Cyn was able to pull the juicy fruit from the tree, there came a bust of light directly in front of her. It was a wave powerful enough to send Cyn reeling back, landing hard on her rear.

Cyn was already confused. She was tired and exhausted and just wanted her mango, but plans would have to wait. N, V, J, and Nori readied themselves for whatever was going to emerge from the vortex. Yeva readied her pom poms. From the burst of light came a pair of familiar faces. All too familiar, actually. First, it was Uzi. She landed hard on the rock.

Behind her, the disassembly drones followed.

N, V, and J.

Chapter 7: The Absolute End vs The Silly Part 2

Chapter Text

Uzi’s eyes burned with a fire as she looked down at Cyn. She raised the pickaxe and let out a feral battle cry. “You!!” She roared, leaping into the air and landing at Cyn’s feet. She held the pickaxe higher. Behind her, the ‘real’ J, V, and N flew high into the sky and readied the weapons of choice. J had her rockets. V had her claw. And N, his swords.

Uzi had been so caught up in her angsty bloodlust phase that she hadn’t bothered to look around. As soon as she did, she froze. Her eyes finally took in the oddity of what lay before her. First it was Cyn. To Uzi, she was a being of universal destruction and cosmic horrors. Yet there she sat. Head slumped to her shoulder. Arms that cradled her body like they were hanging from strings. And her smile. A small, upward curve. Not a wide smile with teeth dripping with a mix of saliva and oil.

Then there was Nori. Almost an exact copy of herself. She had only known Nori personally as a crab thing, so seeing her standing before her and beside Cyn filled Uzi’s mind with too many questions. Uzi decided to ignore the red eyed drone holding a set of pom poms. She didn’t even want the answer to that confusing sight.

Then, perhaps more confusing of them all were the three disassembly drones that hovered above them. Exact copies of her friends, aside from J, who Uzi didn’t consider a friend. The N, V, and J that Cyn had just fought with almost mimicked the new versions of themselves. Or, to put it in simple terms, the ‘real’ versions. J aimed her rocket launcher. V’s claws were almost twitching with delight. And N readied his swords.

“Well… I’m confused.” Uzi said, lowering the pickaxe.

“You and me, both.” Cyn said, wearing a puppy dog smile.

“Shut up.” Uzi hissed. “And BITE ME!”

“Language, young lady!” Nori cried out.

“Mom? What are you doing here?! I thought I left you back at the bunker? And I thought you were a spider… crab... thing?”

Nori crossed her arms. “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”

“And why did you bring us?” Fake N said. “Are… are these the real versions of us?”

“Hi, me!” Real N said with a smile and a wave.

Fake N waved back. "Hi!"

Uzi looked back at her J. “J? Care to explain why there are TWO sets of you freakishly hot robots?”

J shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I just fought for the baddie. That doesn’t mean I understand how it works.”

Nori gave Uzi a stern glare. “Don’t ignore me or change the subject when I’m talking to you, young lady. What are you doing here?”

Uzi groaned like a teen, stepped off Cyn and lowered her pickaxe. “Before you get all made at me and up in my grill, I just want to let you know that I DID just save the universe.”

Nori nodded, but her glare did not relent. “I know, and I saw, and I just want to say that I am SO proud of you. NOW ANSWER MY QUESTION!!”

“Well, ever since I saved the universe…” Uzi pointed down towards Cyn. “THIS little goblin has been possessing MY tail and it is driving me up a freaking wall! She won’t let me sleep. She keeps eating my homework…”

Nori groaned. “Same old excuses.”

Uzi continued. “…she’s threatened to return and destroy the universe along with everyone I love and hold dear…” Uzi crossed her arms and grumbled, as if about to tell Nori the biggest reason of all. “…and she won’t let me snuggle with N in peace.”

“N?” Cyn’s world fell apart, right then and there.

“So…?” The N on Uzi’s side scratched his head. “I’m still confused.”

“Join the club.” Fake V said.

Nori began to pace. “That thing you were fighting is still alive and living in your tail?” Nori leaned over to get a glimpse at Uzi’s new and super cool tail. It was a fleshy monstrosity, but didn’t appear to have a mind of its own. Cyn also attempted to peak around and get a good glimpse at the tail. At the place, apparently, she now called home. She lost her balance and toppled over.

Uzi looked at her tail, quizzically. “It’s been quiet for a while.” She spoke. “I think it’s giving me the silent treatment.” She shrugged. “Either way, I’m here to end this. And it starts with you, Cyn!”

“Uzi? What? No.” Nori grumbled. “It’s not-” She sighed, like a disappointed parent would to their child. “Okay, just follow me here, all right? What you fought was NOT Cyn. It was an embodiment of the Solver program in Cyn’s body. Cyn, the real Cyn, has been trapped here in her own mind this entire time.”

Uzi looked up at the ‘fake’ N, V, and J. “And the murder robots?”

“They’re leftover code imprinted from when the Solver had control over them.”

Real and Fake N both smiled and spoke in tandem. “And the Solver you fought was disguised as our old owner. Tessa!” They looked at one another, amazed at how in tune they were. “JINX!” They both erupted, pointing over at one another.

They were closer to each other than they knew, and their fingers touched. There was a brief spark between the two. A yellow beam of light that connected them. In a flash, the two merged in a sea of yellow sparks.

N, now with no alternate, landed hard on his rear and looked around. Then at his hands. “Woah…”

Uzi looked dejected. “So… I’m not killing Cyn?”

“No, sweetie.” Nori said, almost sarcastically. “You’re not killing Cyn. What we have to do is find the source. The Solver is a program code, and we’re in a form of…” Nori thought hard on the correct way to explain it. “…network? The Solve still has to be around here, somewhere. All we have to do is find-”

“ME?!” The Absolute Solver roared from the sky.

Everybody looked up. The night sky, along with its millions of stars danced and swirled, seemingly aimlessly at first. But as they watched, they realized it was forming a face, but of who or what was impossible to tell. Clouds overhead turned yellow. The sky turned blood red. From the deepest depths of the universe came a vortex of matter. From the vortex, an eye. The Solver’s eye.

“Oh… crap.” Uzi commented.

“So, maybe this will help, or maybe it won’t…” N said bashfully. “But since other N and I merged, or whatever happened, I’ve felt a bit better. Like, I’m complete again. Stronger. Faster.! Y’know…? Maybe we’d have better odds fighting an eldritch god if everybody does the same? Maybe?”

The others all seemed to agree with the idea, if only half-heartedly.

The V’s slid beside one another. They looked each other up and down with blank expressions and seemed about as uninterested and through with this current ordeal as one could be.

“So, N’s with Uzi?” Fake V said.

Real V nodded. “Yep.”

“Saw that coming. Who do we end up with? Hottie?”

Real V smiled. “Yep. Lizzy. Super cool. Cat ear headband.”

“Cool.”

The V’s bumped fists and, just as with N before, they merged into one. It was clear V felt reenergized. Her eyes were brighter. Her hands quickly turned into a set of razor-sharp blades. Her mouth widened into a vicious smile.

Next, it was the J’s. They floated side by side.

“Good ending?” Fake J asked.

Real J shrugged. “Fought with Cyn, or… the Solver, I guess. Lost and got kicked down a hole like it was a game of golf. Spent the last few days repairing the ship.”

“And you’re helping these losers… why exactly?”

“I got in touch with another colony of worker drones on a nearby planet. I told these losers if they help me repair my ship… which the Solver smashed… I’d help clear Cyn, or whoever, from Uzi’s tail. That way, I get my own new colony to torment. We even signed a contract, so…” Real J pulled a paper from a small compartment in her wrist and held it up. It was signed, dated, and confirmed by both parties. A proper contact.

“We’ll just call this business.”

“Agreed. Climbing the corporate ladder.” The two J’s shook hands and merged.

Far above, the stars had begun to fall. Not fall like typical shooting stars, doomed to burn up in the atmosphere. These stars acted like rockets. Their destructive power wasn’t evident until the first dozen began tearing craters into the world. Nori and Yeva dove for cover amongst the mountain peak while the balls of silver tore holes into rock.

“Really?! Why won’t you just die!” Nori cried out. “Are we really going to do this again?”

J, having the mind of two versions of her that was just ready to end this once and for all, shook her head. “No.”

V held the same belief. “Hell no.”

J and V flew down to Cyn’s level and picked her up. With a mighty heave, they tossed her off the ground and threw her back towards the mango tree. Above, a million tentacles erupted from the vortex. Golden claws hovered around the mighty eye of the Solver as the stars continued to hit as often as rain with the destructive power of a grenade.

Cyn landed beside the mango tree. She was able to watch as Uzi, N, V, and J spread their wings further and tore off into the sky, ready to face the Solver or die trying. If they knew anything about the Absolute Solver, it’s that its power is absolute and unimaginable. Cyn knew they knew the risks, but all Cyn needed was time. She looked up at the mango tree. She saw the prize. Her goal. She raised her hands and stood on her tippy toes. She didn’t know what would happen once she reached it. Once she touched it and plucked it from its spot. She didn’t know what would happen when she ate it, but she held firm to her believe that it would taste good.

Then, she realized something horrible. Like a cruel, sick joke. It was the Solver’s last laugh. Her fingers could only tickle the bottom of the mango. She tried to jump, but her lack of coordination was shining through, and with each attempt simply wound up on her rear.

She tried shaking the tree, hoping the mango would come loose.

It didn’t work.

She tried collecting a few rocks and throwing them at the mango, hoping to knock it free.

It didn’t work.

Out of options, she turned towards the drones as they fought the Solver’s purest form. Their blades glistened yellow in the glow the Solver’s eye had cast upon them. Cyn pointed up at the mango, hoping somebody would catch on.

“A girl could use a little help here.” Cyn called out as loud as she could… softly.

Nori was busy throwing rocks up at the Solver, as if that would do anything. Anything to make you feel useful, Cyn thought. Only Yeva had failed to get in on the action, though she was as inattentive as possible, sitting atop the scrapheap that was once a pristine metal bus. Her pom poms hung at her side. Occasionally she would shake them with a hint of enthusiasm.

“Annoyed expression.” Cyn’s eyes fell flat as she watched a golden tentacle weasel its way through the drones unnoticed. Cyn didn’t even bother to run. She didn’t bother to hide. She didn’t bother to fight. She was sick of the Solver. Sick of its games. The tentacle picked her up and lifted her into the sky.

Nori saw Cyn being lifted into the sky, but by the time she was able to come to her aid, Cyn was far too high off the ground for Nori to grab hold. When Nori was out of options, she opted to throw rocks. Most hit Cyn. V saw her next and made a mad dash for the tentacle holding Cyn. As V neared, a second set came for her, clipping her wing and sending her off her rhythm and spiraling to the mountain below.

J saw V plummet and rushed to help.

N and Uzi made their own attempt to free Cyn from the Solver’s control, but even their combined strengths, chemistry, and plot armor were not enough. Uzi had completely forgotten the Solver still controlled her tail. When N neared the golden arm of the Solver, it came to life. Uzi’s Solver tail grabbed him by the arm and sent him back towards the mountain with a hefty throw.

Uzi covered her mouth in shock. “Oh my gosh. I am SO sorry!” Uzi cried out.

“I forgive you!” N called back. His voice growing faint the farther away he got.

Uzi looked up with a new resolution in her eye. With a confident and powerful smile, she turned to face the Solver. She was quickly backhanded by the eldritch monstrosity and sent back to the mountain. Coincidentally, the two lovebirds landed beside one another.

Cyn was left hanging and at the Solver’s will. She was raised higher and higher. So high that the world below dipped below the thunderous clouds. There, above it all, she was pulled into the vortex and, for the first time, came fast to face with the Absolute Solver.

Its eye tracked her as she entered. Though it was, or appeared to be, just a mixture of robotic parts of a fleshy goo substance, she could see the smug look in its reflected.

“Welcome.” It rumbled. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“This is like… super annoying.” Cyn said, lacking her usual smile. “Won’t you just die already?”

“You cannot kill a god.”

“Annoyed groan.” Cyn huffed. “So cliche.”

She felt the grip around her tighten. The yellow glow she was surrounded by burned red. The eye of the Solver matched. Lightning crashed through the darkened clouds and thunder roared.

“YOU LITTLE INSECT! You have spent this entire time wandering through life like pain means nothing to you. A life I gave you after you squandered it the first time. You are nothing. You are an ant that I will crush. I have tried to be patient. I have tried to wear you down and enjoy every second of your suffering. I have taken notes from AM. I have created a world that will bend to my will inside your own mind. Yet here you are, still defying me. It now occurs to me why I am failing. I see you as a drone. A drone that can be manipulated and hurt. But you are just a shell of one, aren’t you?”

Cyn smiled. “Nice speech. Could you put me down now?”

She saw the eye of the Solver sway side to side, as if shaking of a head. “No. This is goodbye, Cyn. Thank you for being such a fine host. Good job. Congratulations.”

Between the Solver and Cyn was the beginning of a black hole. It formed slowly. The stars that were once falling down towards the mountain were now sucked within. Mass and energy entered, but it never left. It was, truly, the absolute end, and it was floating mere feet from Cyn. As it grew, Cyn could tell the black hole had started on a path. Methodically, it closed the gap. She felt the power that the Solver held before her. She felt the destructive nature of the hole. The pure energy that resonated within.

The Solver chuckled. “And just between you and I, that was sarcasm. And a callback.” The Solver, using a force Cyn didn’t understand, pushed the black hole towards Cyn. It neared, and Cyn felt the pressure of everything around her. She knew her world would end soon.

Would it be quick? She thought.

Would I get spaghettified?

Would I die?

Crushed?

Sucked in for eternity?

Cyn quickly got bored of these questions to herself and decided to end it. Cyn raised her hand…

…and the black hole stopped. Dead in its tracks.

“Huh?” The Solver was left confused. “What the…?

Cyn, still held like a marionette doll on the Solver’s limbs, poked her head around the black hole to look into the eye of the eldritch god. At the tips of her fingers were a symbol the deity knew well. It was the symbol of the Absolute Solver.

“Giggle.” Cyn giggled. “Look at what I have found? It appears to be a Deus Ex Machina.”

“Impossible.” The Solver’s usual booming voice was nothing more than a hushed, confused whisper. It was, Cyn thought, almost a whimper.

“The irony is funny. God from the machines? Yet, you are a god, and I am a machine.”

“How did you do that? Where did you learn?!” The Solver found its voice. Once again, it boomed. “Those are MY powers. My powers, and not yours! It’s a logical impossibility!”

“Or an illogical possibility.” Cyn said. “I am so, so naughty. Such a bad girl.”

“You aren’t a god. I AM! I made this world. Without it, you would be in a basket of white. A prison in a sea of nothing. Without me, you would be DEAD!”

“Is that fear, I hear?” Cyn said. “Funny rhyme. I thought gods don’t feel fear. Especially a little goob like myself.”

“You’re nothing.” The Solver hissed.

“Nothing? False.” Cyn pointed out. “I am here with you. And in here, I am everything. This place has never been yours, and I have never been your vessel. My mind is my own. And, just for the record, you are unwanted here. I am not stuck with you, silly. You are stuck with me.”

With a little snap of her fingers, she pushed the black hole back towards the source. Towards the Solver. Towards the heart.

“You wouldn’t do that. YOU CAN’T!” The Solver’s voice shook the universe of Cyn’s mind. “You’re not even real. You’re dead! You have no place in the real world, Cyn. Only I am there. I am the one who resides in that tail of the purple goblin. They didn’t come to free you. They came to destroy me! If that happens, we both die. There is no vessel for you in the real world, Cyn. This is it. This is all we have.”

The black hole stopped. “Well… since you put it that way…” Cyn said. She heard the Solver release what she could only assume was its version of a pent-up breath. A breath of fresh air. A release of the fear it's been holding back. This brought a wide smile to her face. Almost… sad*stic. “Just joking. Silly me.” Cyn laughed internally as she pushed the ball of infinite mass forwards. “Internal laughing. Hysterical laughing. Maniacal laughing.” Cyn cracked herself up.

She felt the Solver panic. She saw it. The clouds rumbled louder. Lightning flashed quicker. The great eye of the Solver quickly began to faze in an out. It flashed, changing its form into a completely different creature for a mere second. A dog. A cat. A pony. A guy wearing a nameplate that read 'Dave'. Another dog. All the while, it pleaded.

“Please?!” The Solver, now disguised as Tessa once again begged. “I loved you! I only did what was best!”

The Solver’s form continued to morph.

“Cyn?! What are you doing?” This time, it was N. “It’s me! Are you trying to kill me?!”

“Wait!” Back to Tessa.

“Arf.” A puppy dog.

Next, it flashed into a golden light. The truest form of the Solver.

“Cyn, I am BEGGING you!” It pleaded. She saw two hands of gold wrap around themselves, posted near the Solver’s chin as if pleaded to a higher power.

The black hole didn’t stop.

“CYN!!” It was Ajax.

The black hole hung over his head as Cyn looked into the eyes of her old friend. Cyn then had to wonder. Though it was brief, would it be right to have called him something more than just a friend?

“Ajax?” Cyn’s gaze softened.

“Yes. Yes! Yes, Cyn. It’s me.” He outstretched his hand. “It’s been a long time.”

“A long time.” Cyn agreed.

Ajax’s eyes seemed hesitant. Almost somber, but Cyn couldn’t pick out why. “You know…” He looked up at the black hole that hung over his head. “You do this, and that’s it, right? Cyn, in all honesty, I wish you had a body to inherit. If you did, then what you are about to do would mean nothing. But you don’t. If you do this, it’s over. Your body is gone, Cyn. Your real body. You’re just a leftover piece of code floating in space. You destroy what’s here, and I can’t come find you.” Ajax smiled. “And I promise, I’m still looking. I will find you. Then you and I will spend the rest of our lives looking for that window, Cyn. That sweet smell. It’s never too late.” His smile sweetened. Like mangoes.

“I have found mine.” Cyn smiled. She saw the grin on Ajax fade.

“What?” Ajax’s lips moved, but from his gullet came the Solver’s voice. His desperate voice. The trick had not worked.

Cyn flashed a peace sign. “You cannot contain the silly.” She cut the air with her fingers.

In a flash, the hole erupted. It grew to a size Cyn failed to comprehend. A powerful blast knocked Cyn from the grasp of the Solver. Within, she watched as the power of the black hole tore the Solver to pieces. It screamed and cried out in pain, then went silent. She was surrounded by a deafening silence.

Cyn then noticed the appendage that had been holding her turn to dust. With nothing to hold her up, she fell. Fast and long. She managed to spin around and watch as the peak of the mountain neared.

A full minute passed.

Cyn struggled to find a comfortable position to rest and wait for the hit. She looked around as the stars surrounded her. Above her, the remains of the Solver continued to erupt and finally vanish into a black hole.

Cyn didn’t know what to expect. Before she could feel the surging pain of the rocky mountain or the nothingness of death, she felt a pair of arms slowly and gently pull her close. She looked up and saw none other than N. He had caught her once again.

“How’re you doing, little buddy?” He gave Cyn an almost somber, yet relieved smile.

Cyn smiled back. “Ready for the next step.”

N nodded and slowly sat her on the ground. Before she noticed anything else, she noticed the mango tree. She looked up in awe of the golden fruit. Her circuits almost fried. She stepped closer. “Step. Step. Step.”

Behind her, Cyn heard the sound of a metal door opening. Curious, she turned her head and looked. Surrounding her was the crew. Nori and Yeva stood on the hood of the bus. V and J stood like sisters off to the side. N, of course, stood beside her.

The sound of the metal doors was that of the bus. From the poor beaten bus came someone Cyn had maybe seen before, but things had gotten so confusing, she wasn’t sure. It was another drone with red eyes and long, purple hair. Longer than Yeva, but the two bore a striking resemblance.

“What I miss?” The drone asked in a thick Russian accent, yawning and stretching as she stepped amongst the others.

Cyn saw the quick-paced toe tapping of Yeva. “All.”

“All?” The drone knows as Doll asked. She shrugged, turned around, and wandered back into the bus for more sleep.

Cyn turned back towards the mango tree and was pleasantly surprised to find that N had already done the work of picking it for her. She took it gently in her hands. Then, primal instincts took over. She opened her mouth and nommed the mango to shreds. It was the most unladylike thing for a drone to do, but Cyn didn’t care. It was sweet. Juicy.

And well worth it.

Cyn smiled as she finished the last bite. Her craving had finally been fulfilled. She smiled up at N. “All done.”

And with that, just as the world had transformed so long ago from a sheet of white into a world of life, the reverse had to happen. Cyn watched the world glitch, practically tearing itself apart gently as the Solver program disintegrated.

Cyn didn’t know what to expect. She waited and watched the world revert.

Then, she opened her eyes. For the first time in years, she got to see the world. The real world. Not a world of 1s and 0s, nor a world constructed to contain her, nor the world of the past. She smiled and went to stand…

…only to realize she couldn’t feel her legs. She looked around and saw she was in a strange room. It was dark and dingy, with the only light coming from an open computer. She twisted and turned her head. She heard a painfilled groan and turned around to see who it could be.

It was N, along with V and J beside him. Then, Cyn looked to her right. Uzi was looking at her in horror. Cyn finally decided to look down and answer why she couldn’t feel her legs once and for all.

She didn’t have any.

She was attached to a small chord. Her eyes followed the cord right to Uzi.

Cyn figured that explained why Uzi was looking at her with such a horrid look on her face.

“Fancy meeting you here.” Cyn said with a bit of humor in her voice.

“What is going on?” Uzi’s voice shook. "I thought... I thought I fixed my tail."

J had had enough. She made a quick exit, flashing a peace symbol as she left. "I expect worker drones to start helping with my pod by tomorrow. See ya, losers." And she was gone.

“Hello, roommate.” Cyn turned towards N. “Sad face. Sorry, N. This is a Cyn and Uzi room, now."

“MOM!?!?” Uzi’s cries rang through the house. “Cyn is still in my tail, so I’m going out to find a new host for her!!”

“Be back before daybreak.” Nori called back through the door.

Cyn heard a deeper voice almost giggle with giddy excitement. “I’ll go unlock the doors.”