A Desolate Life | Wall-e AU

A Desolate Life: Part 3

Before leaving forever, 4 had to be fixed. AUTO took him down to the repair bay, which unsurprisingly, was also completely abandoned. Most of the tools would be on the robot's themselves, but AUTO would need to make do with the emergency repair kits. The GO-4 replacement parts were in their own store closet, but he needed to clean him up a little before a new light and visor could be installed. The room was dark and tight, located on the upper decks not too far from the rooms where the captains' family would have lived. However no captain had had such for a good few generations. With weary digits, he removed the back half of his chassis, then the front. To his surprise the internals were in fairly good condition, from the outside. There was no telling how badly he may be until fully operational. AUTO didn't have a holopad on him, so he couldn't run his diagnostics over anything but himself. Instead, he located a wire and hooked it up to a small opening on his head- which took him a long time to do without a mirror. It was hard being in a new body. But after that, he connected it to a sealed port on 4's back, UTO internally read off that familiar status report.

His battery was dead, his vision was Compromised, and his beam had been rendered completely useless. However he'd fallen with his arms retracted, they were fine according to his internals, AUTO hoped that was the case overall. He was satisfied with the tests he ran on the desolate 4, gently placing his chassis plate back in place, he'd need a new front. AUTO removed the beam module entirely from GO-4's head, and his visor would only need it's optical lens replaced, which he removed too. It was now onto the replacements, and so AUTO glided with an empty spirit and full arms across the dingy room.

Yes, the ghost of the axiom, a helpless and hopeless entity of what once was and can never be again.

Eventually, after some slow sulking glides, he'd found the specific parts he was looking for. The solemn bot put 4 down at his side. AUTO pried the locked door open, revealing a wardrobe of spare parts for his loyal subordinate. His little to brighten the scene around them. Before him sat a few shelves upon them were all the basic replacement parts he could need to rebuild 4, and if this wasn't their home anymore- he'd need to take the parts with them. AUTO grabbed what he needed first, 4's beam couldn't be replaced, it was gone forever, but the rest could. He grabbed the full chassis replacement and separated the back from the front. Effortlessly, he installed the new optic. The light was a little more complex, AUTO had to rewire everything from the spinning light shield to the light itself. But when he was done, the new dome could be replaced. It gave his simple white light that familiar alert redness, he missed it already. Even with 4 in his hands, he felt so alone. His best friend could have died, and he had to use this biped body as a way to save him. If he knew for sure 4 was dead, he wouldn't have even tried to save himself, but 4 was here now, and he would be ok. AUTO felt a twinge of disappointment, realising how emotionally malleable he'd become. It was a pitiful reminder of what he had lost.

Before closing the chassis, he reran the diagnostics tests, the beam was still down but the rest was sufficiently operational. He just needed to charge, and so AUTO grabbed a mobile charge cable, plugged it into 4's front opening hatch, and hovered off to make use of some abandoned materials.

AUTO returned to the motionless 4 with a BnL rucksack he's stolen from a BnL camping store that had absolutely no use in space for any amount of years. He stuffed the spare parts for 4 In to it, alongside some spare batteries, cables and tool kits as well. He didn't want to die again, and he couldn't lose 4 now. AUTO shut the closet door over, bringing 4 inside with him. To save energy, he placed himself on standby whilst 4 recharged. It was admirable, to charge peacefully with him. No background programmes, just serene silence... However AUTO still feared death, and so he made a promise to himself he'd never completely shut down in this form, not if 4 could actually be redeemed. There was too much to lose between the two of them. 4 was his best friend, his most trustworthy companion, and he even felt slightly amused by his mere presence, yes, amusement... AUTO was sure it was amusement... But as the evening grew on, he held 4's new chassis close. He'd awaken soon, and they'd be inseparable again.