Breakthrough.

|11|

With another whirl of fingers atop Suns' screen, they seemed to only grow more frustrated with each whizz across its holographic surface, its once pristine and clear surface, now blurring with the presence of constant strain.

They continued to try and get the message to send; but it seemed the array wasn't functioning, which in of itself, was wildly concerning. With another whirl of fingertips- the iterator was surrounded by functions- the visibility of an Overseer, and then another- multiple iterations of new functions, and a systematic process to begin modifying Inspectors.

With another sharp movement; each began to blur with the sheer velocity of movement, efficiency unmatched by anything beneath a massive supercomputer of a creature.

And so, they continued along; now able to inspect the area around, and inside Five Pebbles' can- watching yet another battle unfold; Between the superstructure's defendants... and nearly a dozen Cysts.

By then, they knew that Five Pebbles had lied about how bad the situation was, it could even be told alone by the condition of the inspectors. How they'd been so blind was frustrating.

Each wore a coat of scarring, tissue ripped free from wherever was accessible, and properly torn from its original housing. Each one looked to be wonderfully capable of fighting on it's own- and yet; The Cysts continued a slow onslaught, where they were slowly forced back towards the quarantine zone.

While yes, this wasn't in Five Pebbles' General Systems Bus; and instead still in the corner, it'd grown- and it'd grown a lot.

They couldn't help but wince at the sight- before whirling towards the nearby showcase of Inspector functions.

Now they knew what they needed to do- and gave Five Pebbles another call request, letting it process- while opening an abundance of new monitors. Now, they were aware that the array was not down- but it was merely that Five Pebbles was too busy to even operate his communications successfully... at least those of which required full attention, or so they thought. It took a few moments before they ended up forcing the broadcast; with a warning to Five Pebbles flashing that they needed to accept within the next minute.

They glanced around to their nearby monitors, pondering a moment, before their fingers continued whisking about.

Those of which shown the Cystic infestation were dismissed immediately, and were replaced with various simulations;

They surrounded the iterator, their eyes focused upon function after function; whirls of fingertips faster than the eye could properly process, or at least that of a feeble human like you.

It was swifter than much work that they would normally be up to; although, it compared to be about the same workload as their Puppet Project. With another whirl across the screens, it was effortless to modify the creatures; scrolling through genetic code; modifying the chromosomes, changing them with enzymes- or even removing aspects through heat or cold.

It was such a whirl; that they hardly noticed when Five Pebbles answered the call- and with a sharp jolt- the room shifted accordingly to the other Iterator's chambers.

It startled Suns a bit- but regardless- they held their posture, and managed to avoid slipping from their work.

"So..."
Five Pebbles began, gazing down at an array of displays of his own; of which were directing the various Inspectors to properly fend off The Rot.

"You should have told me, Five Pebbles."
They responded, their told holding a faint trace of concern, above it's scornful nature. Suns' gaze remained upon their work, and so did Pebbles'

"Sorry. I didn't want to worry you."
He responded, his tone monotonous from the necessary churning of work, but with a tinge of sympathy- or even guilt traceable down to its core.

"I'm working on it now. You said they have nerves, so I am going to fry them. I have not tried any type of neurotoxin, and I suspect if I do, it'll be highly effective. However, The Rot seems to constantly evolve... which is infuriating."
They continued, their tone losing its scornful nature to shift into concern- hidden beneath a thin coat of apathy.

"I can handle this batch, this isn't the most there have been. The door hasn't resumed normal function, and I cannot fix it while they inhabit the precise area. The Citizen is currently resting, due to exhaustion; which makes this a bit more complicated."
He responded, symbols dancing over his fingertips, alongside the complicated accompaniment of the movements associated with various functions.

"Understood, I will be sending my Messenger, then. They can greatly assist with providing you more... Proper weaponry. I would also suggest employing The Citizen to more properly aid your efforts in fixing the door."
They remarked in return, closing a few displays- before opening more. Function after function- idea after idea, trial after trial.

This was nearly the fastest they'd worked- and it was quite the phenomena, seeing as steam clung to their framework; able to be felt despite the simulation of being beside Five Pebbles.

"Are you alright? Your connection is wavering a bit- just what are you up to?"
Five Pebbles cast their gaze upon Suns' image, it flickering within his chambers- even the walls masking Suns' own can, gently flickered every few moments, it was, however, hardly noticeable.

"Working on those Inspectors you mentioned."
They retort, their tone taking an unintentional and snappy nature; even with its apathetic tone.

While Suns would've preferred a formal tone, it seemed their innate nature had a different opinion. Regardless, they continued upon their work- swiping a monitor into view of Five Pebbles- able to be observed as they continued their work. However, they kept their back turned.

Five Pebbles' gaze flitted to the nearby screen, looking down the various functions with a mild widening of his pale optics.

"You... How do you even work so fast-? By void you must have some crazy processing units in your strata-"
He remarked, seemingly a bit dumbfounded.

Perhaps this was why Suns had even considered the option that had put him in this situation? Was he really that feeble? He didn't like these trains of thought, especially since The Citizen seemed to always need to comfort him if they continued to occupy his mind.

With a quiet mumble, of incoherent nonsense; he continued more properly upon his own work, taking charge as the Inspectors began to repair the various sectors in need of such.

"What was that, Pebbles?"
They sharply remarked in response to the noise, cautious as to whether or not it was an insult- or something less important. The idea of being insulted brought a wave of fury- which had to swiftly be masked by apathetic calm.

"Nothing, quite literally."
He responded, his tone bored. He began to scrape at the metal plating upon his head- once again, the indigo dotting his face seemed to emit blue glows in protest, or response. It was hardly noticeable in Suns' peripherals, but having such large eyes had a wondrous advantage.

Suns sharply whipped around- holographic image flickering as they placed their hand between where Five Pebbles' hand, and face would've been- in an attempt to get him to stop scratching at it.

Five Pebbles merely jolted back less than a second later, looking irritated, and continuing upon his efforts. He took a mere moment to glance up at Suns- and tap at the spot with his palm. His gaze then returned to his work, similar to how Suns turned back around.

Suns' touch had practically felt fiery against the area, at least compared to his scratching efforts. Although, the fact he had never properly touched anything was probably a contributor. Nonetheless, it seemed wise not to pick at it anymore- lest Suns decide to make it burn worse.

With another sharp jolt, Suns whirled around- their arrangement of screens following, highlighting just how much they were doing- constantly altering and fixing. They had been built to solve very, very heavy problems- after all. They had been in possession of a large- intelligent city, which would contribute to why so much processing power was needed.

Nonetheless, Five Pebbles couldn't help a glance up, and a mild scoff.
"Showoff..."
He remarked, before continuing upon his work on one, meager screen. These cysts grew increasingly frustrating- trying to squeeze through small pipes, and continue forcing their way about. Two remained, and were certainly resilient in running away.

Suns' gaze merely narrowed, and they adjusted their various articles of billowing attire.

"You still don't seem to understand the severity of your situation, and seeing as you are... impressed by my hardware, I should've never entrusted you with such dangerous information."
They retorted, whisking their hands across screen after screen- array of test and test, continually altering. This always took time, and genetic splicing took all too much.

"I was able to work FINE with my hardware, till Moon ended up needing more groundwater. Do not insult me, Suns, my patience runs thin with you."
He responds, his tone taking on an irritable tone- not all too different to Suns' apathy.

"I did not intend to insult your abilities, your systems are, in fact, more streamlined than mine; but it's less ideal for running many, many parallel processes, I suppose."
They shrugged, their tone keeping that apathetic approach, something that made Five Pebbles endlessly uncomfortable, and irritated.

"Simply, I am built to solve many problems at once, as it was necessary for my city. You, were built with the primary purpose to compute more difficult challenges associated with a newer age."
They continued, quietly now whisking among functions. They'd eased the process to a more reasonable pace; the steam within their own Can now no-longer noticeable from beyond this simulation of being beside Five Pebbles.

"This, therefore, means that you can solve more complex problems, with much more efficiency. However, doing many things at once is significantly harder. Think of it as fishing, with a bigger net; you can catch more fish, but with a fishing line, you can catch much larger fish. Unfortunately, it's hard to combine both, at least, conventionally."
They finally ended their mild rant, sweeping aside many screens- to refocus upon one in particular. They continued to alter it a bit further, before twisting it around, with Five Pebbles' irritated expression looking upon it.

He had no response to the prior information, but looked at the new genetic blueprint with interest- It even had the feature he'd requested.

"So, you think it's gonna work?"
He asked, a faint sarcasm to his voice.

"Oh, well I only simulated its existence 2431 times, It totally is the most risky procedure I have ever given you."
Suns' response was far more sarcastic in its tone... for obvious reason. They resisted the temptation to chuckle.
"I have integrated an easier system for indoctrinating them into your system automatically, for your convenience."
They continued, giving the equivalent of a smile- at least with only eyes able to be used for the function.

"Eughhh... how terrible."
Five Pebbles remarked in response, a scoff following his sarcasm.
"Send it over, I finally got the last Cyst, anyway."

"Alright, I would also like to mention- considering the previous statement, would you mind overlooking a feature associated with my current project? I find that this part is particularly frustrating- as it is a very, very complex issue. However, it is very isolated."
They remarked, before a ping appeared within Five Pebbles' chat feed with them, the data had been sent with a simple whisk of sharp fingertips.

"And you were telling me to be careful with my processing strata- Oh well, suppose I can."
He responded, quietly examining the feed, using his fingertips to skim across the transparent surface, and direct pieces of information into storage.
"You have got to say please first, though."
He remarked, a sneer almost becoming of his tone.

"Five Pebbles, you told me to drop the formalities..."
Suns grumbled, their fingers pausing as they turned to face the other iterator, eyes fixed in a scowl.
"I will not meddle with your games, we have work to do."
They continued, before pausing- and crossing their arms.

"Cmon, Suns. I don't have any fun around here anyway."
Five Pebbles retorted, giving a scoff at the end of his sentence. It was difficult to continue with his arguments with such a grueling headache, but regardless, there was work to be done.

"You're scratching your head again, Pebbles."
They remarked, their displays pausing around them- as they twisted, and faced the other iterator, robes billow off've their frame; with curls of fur spiking up around their throat, and surrounding the edges of such an attire. They press their hands together, interlocked as they drape limply around their middle.

"Oh. My bad."
He responded, retracting his left hand- which had instinctively returned to scratching the area. The paint seemed to slowly be chipping, an ominous phenomenon; something his meager fingers shouldn't have been capable of.

Suns simply gave a sigh, muttering under their breath- before moving a pace closer, and kneeling down to Five Pebbles' level, he was sitting on the floor- and the iterator was already short enough as is.

They then simply examined the area- cautious as to not touch... whatever the hell was causing the agony Five Pebbles was clearly in. They outstretched a delicate finger, tapping at a small growth- looking as though a dark circle, barely creeping out of the gaps in Five Pebbles' metallic plating.

The other iterator immediately jolted- sharply, and seemingly against his own will. His pale eyes widened, and he immediately spoke, almost with instinct.
"Stop- Stop. That hurts."
His voice was hardly above a hissing noise, a sputter. He scittered along the floor, claw-like toes interlocking into the faint indents.

Suns immediately retracted their hand, glancing down at... did they really consider them a friend any more? Sometimes they didn't know. They could only hope that he still cared about them being friends, but their apathy did make things... difficult.

"I am sorry, but it seems that it has only been getting worse for you. You're clearly dealing with a growth in that area- and I have reason to think it has to do with The Rot."
Their eyes shifted, expression contorting into one of worry, and concern. Now was certainly not the time for formalities.

"It must be incredibly painful for you, I am sorry."
They continued, before standing, and practically taking a deep breath- with the sharp inhale into their ventilation ducts. They interlocked their hands again, merely looking down at a seemingly, mildly agitated Five Pebbles.

"It is but a mild inconvenience."
He scoffed, looking to the iterator towering over him- whose antennae, of sorts, were lowered in concern. His own were twisted backward, in irritation, particularly. He hated this feeling of being weak, and towered over by one he'd once admired. His admiration was locked beneath jealousy, now.

"Pebbles, you and I both know it isn't. You've clearly had too much to deal with for a long time now, I'm starting to think it'd be unwise to designate you a project-"
they cut themselves off after a moment,
"You also seem to be worse in health. I mean no pity, only sympathy- I'm worried, and I hope you know I do not pity you, I never quite have."

"Well, you really act like it"
He practically spat with his tone, grumbling as he abruptly stood- unsteady for a moment, before scowling at the Iterator before him.

"What the hell even is your deal!? You act like you don't care- but you come flocking to my door when it's not as bad- and then make demands while I can hardly bear to stand? You've got one hell of a damn problem!"
He prodded Suns' holographic image in the chest with a finger, before it was gently swatted away, unpainfully, of course.

"You think I do not care for you?"
Their expression seemed to grow mildly frustrated, and they seemed a bit offended, but who wouldn't be? They were hurt, personally- and their expression still hardly conveyed that.

"Well- Well You just keep coming back! Why? I dunno the hell why! You set me up here, you let me try to cross myself out, and now- you refuse to fucking leave, as if flaunting how I failed!"
He continued, before waving his finger in front of Suns' face, cutting them off.

"And don't even get me started on how you act- I am so sick, and tired of your dumb, formal tone. It means nothing- and you always are just... so cold! It's- Eugh. Just. Leave. I don't have the patience to deal with you right now-"
He returned his left hand to the panel, it throbbing with an awful headache. He pressed his fingertips to the area, but it seemed to only make it worse, even though the movement itself felt instinctual. He flinched away from it.

"You really think I don't care for you? After what did I to try and help you?"
Their tone seemed to grow weary almost, their expression sinking. Their emotions seemed to finally take hold of their usually steeled will. Perhaps that is what Five Pebbles wanted?

Pebbles' expression seemed to waver, his voice box crackled with the start of something; but he seemed unable to convey it. He then crossed his arms.

"Maybe, you can stop being so cold, and actually treat me like another ITERATOR, rather than a PROJECT."
He snapped after a moment.

"I haven't ever treated you as a project-"
Their antennae-like structures drooped, their eye-shape shifting with distress.

"You're a good liar, but I won't listen to your lies now."
Five Pebbles practically snarled in return.

"I didn't mean to lie to you- Please, believe me."
They continued, taking a step back- Five Pebbles taking a step forward in turn.

"I am done playing along to your game- You come to my can, and expect me to play along- like you never ruined what I had! I won't play your game again, and I'm DONE acting like nothing is wrong around you. I am DONE with your bullshit."
He continued, prodding Suns' chest once again- no longer batted away by the other, who seemed to practically quake.

"I have TRIED to make it so you'd leave me alone- and let me go on your own terms- but you come back, like the persistent little bastard you are! I don't want anything to do with your damn experiments- and your stupid superiority! You act like you're so much better than ALL of us- and I am tired of it!"
He took a sharp inhale of the air around him through his ventilation ducts, the room faintly whirling with steam.

"Get the fuck over yourself, because you're not any better than anyone- you hear me!? NOONE! I am done with your nonsense, because you are not better than any of us. Not me- not Moon, not even Sigs! Now get the HELL out of my sight, before I make you."

"I didn't realize I... made it so much worse for you. Please, just- take care of yourself-"
They were abruptly cut off.

"I don't need your damn pity, now get out've my can. I know you forced this broadcast, anyway."

"I don't think you understand- I do care, I just- I suppose I am poor at expressing it... I don't want you to think so poorly of yourself, either."
They responded, craning their head to the side- and taking a step forward, their frame towering over Pebbles as the other iterator was forced a step back. Their antennae remain lowered, and their expression, visibly hurt.


"I am done with your bullshit- I am done being polite, and I don't want a SHITTY APOLOGY. GET. OUT."