And Frightened Miss Muffet Away

[thepurpleone]

WHO: Donnie and Various
WHERE: The wiiiiilderness beyond Temba
WHAT: Trouble, what else?
WHEN: Um. Now. -ish. Time is fluid.
WARNINGS: Possible violence and all the things that come with it. Oh right, and 8-legged freaks in the other thread.


I. Wild Robot Chase (For Stu and maybe a Billy if he is so inclined)
Scuttle is a robot. Scuttle's name is actually supposed to be Slashtag but Scuttle doesn't particularly like it. But the Purple one insisted that it was much cooler. Indeed, Scuttle can slash things, theoretically- well no, he can slash things rather well because his appendages are nice and sharp in the front, but he hasn't been running around slashing things as often as he simply...scuttles.

Scuttle is a cute name. Scuttle has conveyed this to the Purple one. The Purple one only made a face of [displeasure] but hadn't said anything more on the matter, so Scuttle had taken it as an acquiescence.

The Purple one was not the one who built Scuttle, but he'd Fixed him. Now instead of being stuck watching things in a tree all day, or sitting on a rock to do pretty much the same, Scuttle was free! Now he can wander the woods and look for things and... Hm. Well, anyway, he can wander! And...okay, play a signal booster for the Purple one's other not!scuttlebots (who are not nearly as cute as he!)

Cute may not necessarily be what one would choose as a descriptor for the robot. While Donnie had initially intended to replate the skeletal structure with something better suited to camouflaging with the local fauna, he rather liked how edgy the former Robotnik-bot looked shape-wise when stripped of the original exterior, and so simply reinforced the frame and gave it a snappy paint job- metallic purple, of course. What resulted was a spidery-looking crab-like bot, 3 feet high and 4ish in length if Scuttle splayed his legs out (but if he does that then he can't move very well.) Each of the six legs ended in sharp points, with an additional two that were slightly bulkier than the rest, shaped more like scythes that opened up in strangely angled pinchers.

Scuttle thinks that this exposition was highly necessary.

Of course, who would know that such an unseeming (?) robot is under the employ of (one of) the resident engineer(s)? And certainly its lurking by the fringes of the woods is not suspicious at all! Indeed, he's waiting, having received some positive feedback from one of the scout-bots. The Purple one is just taking his sweet time in coming to meet him! Surely this "pizza" can wait!!


II. Finder's Keepers (For Leo)
Some of the robots were unaccounted for. Even if they aren't Donnie's original creation, he's not about to let any resources go to waste around here. He'd said as much to Robotnik when the doctor had still been around, so surely the man can't fault him for repurposing any of the things he's left. But that's besides the point.

"I lost the signal on two of them somewhere out here," he explains to his brother as they make their way through the woods. At least there's plenty of shade, the ever thickening foliage providing at least some shelter from the heat that's been slow-roasting Temba, and the ground isn't going to threaten to burn their feet with every step.

"They probably wandered into a spot with bad access to sunlight for their backup charger."

An annoyance, but at least if they'd run out of power, then it shouldn't be difficult at all to find them at the last spot that Slashtag had picked up a signal from. All they'd have to do is drag the bots back to a spot with some reasonable solar exposure and let them charge. It'd certainly beat trying to bring them all the way back to the city, anyway.

Donnie pauses to set another tag on a tree, a digital and physical breadcrumb trail so they can find their way back if they get turned around somehow.

Comments

[faceguy]

Leo sure is glad for that shade - the city has reached a point where going out during the day is practically impossible. At least Leo picked up some shoes in the spaceport, but that doesn't mean he really enjoys wearing them - but it's a necessity on the hot concrete. Out here, it's not so bad. Still pretty muggy, though...

Donnie commenting on the robot's charging pulls him out of his thoughts about the heat. Right, hunting for robots. Get back in the game.

"I'd say check along a river but I guess the robots haven't been through Todd Scout training." He looks around, trying to think. "Maybe we could climb a tree and take a look?"

[thepurpleone]

"Yeah, I don't think robots have much use for Todd Scout training," Donnie mutters, looking at his tablet. The map isn't that helpful given it doesn't tell you what all's in between point A and B, save to say that yes, you're in the forest.

Unfortunately when Donnie's got his mind set on things, he kind of neglects everything else. The heat, for one- which is mostly because it's only gotten a bit more tolerable for the shade. They've gone a good ways now and only because he hasn't figured either of them needed to stop. Uncomfortable, maybe a bit, but not exhausted. And at least they'd packed some water! Which...would probably be of better use other than just sitting in the bag Donnie has slung over his shoulder.

"I'm not sure how clear a view we'd get, but I guess it couldn't hurt to try?" he says as he glances up at the trees around them.

[faceguy]

“Just trying to think of something better than walking endlessly.” Leo sags a bit against a tree, fanning himself with a hand. “At this rate all we’re going to find is a sunburn.”

Leo is too proud to ask for breaks himself, but he might need one soon…

[thepurpleone]

"Truuue..." Donnie admits. "But at least it's considerably less sunny out here than in the city."

He looks over at Leo, finally actually taking things in now that they're considering other options. Frowning as he's undoubtedly mentally scolding himself for not paying better attention, he fishes a hand around in his bag to pull out one of the thermoses he's been carrying. "Here," he says, tossing it over. Now's as good a time to hydrate as any, and he's pulling out the other thermos to have a drink once he's got Leo taken care of.

[faceguy]

Leo catches the thermos, popping it open and taking a swig.

“At least. You weren’t kidding when you said it got hot here.”

And it gets so cold in the winter… Leo needs to invest in more clothes.

“Anywhere else we can get up high? A… mountain or something?”

He’s not used to there not being skyscrapers to climb.

[thepurpleone]

"It'd at least be slightly more tolerable if it didn't just feel like it was sapping out all the moisture, you know? Pretty lame that there's no functional pool either. Even a giant bath tub would be great. Don't suppose you know of any..."

Now that he actually pauses to hydrate himself, his body's quick to remind him how thirsty he is. Donnie tries to make sure not to drink it all in one sitting.

"The only mountain is the volcano that pretty much formed itself within a few weeks before it blew its top, but that's in the other direction," he says, pointing vaguely before he caps the thermos to replace it in his bag. "I think all that's out here is trees and more trees."

[faceguy]

“The only one I know of is the beach.” Leo shrugs. “And that Hargrove guy is like, always there.” He makes a face, much like he smelled something gross. “I’d rather stay away from him.”

Leo caps his drink, then looks around. So nowhere high to spot from… Hmmm…

“Guess we’re still hoofin’ it.” What a pain…

[thepurpleone]

"Heh. Well, I mean, the beach is nice and all but between the salt water and the giant lobsters, and...whatever Jan managed to accidentally kidnap for that party, not a place I'd call relaxing."

Donnie waves a hand, but takes that as a go-ahead to continue. He brings up his tablet to check on their location. "It shouldn't be too far at least. The last signal ping was recorded about two hundred feet that way," he says, pointing as he starts to walk again.

[faceguy]

“There’s gotta be an old pool somewhere that we could fill…”

Or something… A nice swim after this would have been so good… Now he’s depressed and still walking.

Two hundred feet away isn’t too bad, though, so he’ll stop complaining for now, crunching through the underbrush. He isn’t doing much to stay quiet - why should he?

[thepurpleone]

"Well, there is a pool up at the Civic Center? Just that no one has done anything to fix it up," Donnie sighs.

There's surely nothing to worry about. The greenery and the canopy above them gradually thicken even more, at least making it considerably more tolerable the further they head. Even the grass-patched ground is cooler beneath their feet. Maybe the woods isn't all that bad.

Leo might feel a fine line of...something brush past his leg as he goes along, but there's nothing to see, maybe just an errant weed or extra long blades of grass. If he's paying attention to where they're going he'll spot the drop-off before Donnie, since Donnie has his eyes glued too his screen. It might be a bit difficult to make out given the fluffy tufts of grass that line the sudden embankment, in which case two turtles might just suddenly take a tumble down an abrupt incline.

[faceguy]

“Oh yeah? Well, fixing a pool can’t be that hard, right? We could figure it out!”

And by “we” he means Donnie. Donnie could figure it out!

He does feel that something brush against him, though, and when he turns to look he stops watching where they’re walking, which means-

“Whoa!”

Down they go.

[thepurpleone]

Donnie makes a face. Because he knows exactly who Leo means by 'we.' Unfortunately, for as much as he'd complain about it, he'd probably do it.

He doesn't have much of a chance to register why Leo's suddenly shouting because the ground suddenly vanishes from beneath his foot and Donnie's soon falling after. "Wh-ulp-!"

It's a grassy slope, the thick leafy spread above having kept things from drying out in the area. Although not the smoothest trip, it could have been considerably worse were there more rocks jutting out. At the very least, once they get to the bottom it's actually cool, their landing padded by grass and fallen leaves. There might be a few strangely sticky strands but surely that can't be problematic.

Oh, and look! There's one of the missing robots! It's lying on its side, partially wrapped in something stringy. Weird.

[faceguy]

“OOF- AH- OUCH- HEY- GUAAAH!”

Cartoonish expressions of pain delivered, Leo settles at the bottom of the hill, staring up at the fallen robot as his dizzy vision straightens back out. Once he’s finally looking at one solid robot and not three hazy ones, he holds out a hand to point at it.

“Found one,” he says flatly.

[target_audience]

This whole place was unfamiliar. Obviously, it was alien, even the food was strange and new, and Stu didn't know what to expect from a bug or a hole in the wall. He didn't realize, though, how much he relied on his comfort zone. A town he had grown up in, the woods he'd played manhunt in, a school he had gone to every day for years, his girlfriend's house where he'd spent nights roaming the halls, his own childhood home...He knew what to expect from all of them. They always played their role.

He stared at the strange trees, the way that they bowed in the wrong direction, and took on a colour in the sun that made Stu feel uneasy. He wouldn't be able to race through them, or disappear into a dense copse if he needed to. How much he knew about his own backyard suddenly felt like a magic trick. He wound around a thick trunk, feeling the bark and picking around the roots that humped up through the dirt, looking for patterns, only to stop as he was faced with a very different texture.

There was a robot just sitting there. Stu looked from side to side, searching for anything nearby even slightly like it, and feeling even further from understanding this space. Naturally, he had to lope up next to it, then drop into a squat to eye it closely, not even seeing any signs of rust or wear that would explain some abandoned scrap. "Are you going to kill me?" he asked, and gave that metal shell a tap.

[thepurpleone]

The creature he was picking up on his scans was larger than the usual rodents that he'd caught on his radar before. What's more, it was coming closer. Scuttle ran through potential operations, discarding options with each moment that the distance between them shrank.

And then it spoke and tapped at him, and the robot finally allowed itself to turn as it identified: human. Six metal leggies began to move one after the other in an undulating fashion as he turned about so he could properly see the person in question. A name to the face came up readily as he cross-referenced his databanks: Ah! One Macher, Stu. The Purple-maker's notes were largely unhelpful. Excitable, loves movies. Claims there is a killer in our midst.

Oh, right! Scuttle was asked a question! .... What an odd question. Maybe the pause taken to answer it wasn't exactly very reassuring, nor was the response that was finally given, a very electronic sounding "Why?"

[target_audience]

The answer already seemed like a sure confirmation well before the thing spoke. The second it started moving, Stu startled and fell back into the litter, where leaves and mud stuck to his palms and he clutched at a handful in case he had to throw a distraction. It moved like a spider, which was a little gross and a lot radical, and Stu watched with curious wide eyes and a raised lip, feeling like he had finally found something properly alien. When it went still again, he took his chance to do his own scuttling, cautiously backwards, very aware of every shushing sound that the leaves dragged under his feet betrayed. Then he broke with a laugh.

"You talk! Very cool, my man, very Terminator, if he sounded like Hal," Stu commended. A killer robot was significantly cooler when it could monologue. "I'm not the one that's supposed to be telling you 'why', I'm the innocent bystander here, dude, I'm the disease that needs to be wiped out by superior robot intellect or whatever."

[thepurpleone]

Scuttle stared. He was good at staring. Sometimes he stared at Leo just for fun until the turtle jumped or moved somewhere out of visibility.

Scuttle said nothing as he processed this data. The Purple one had mentioned his first encounter with the Stu-being was in the hospital. This person was diseased? Yellow optics flickered, then brightened as the bot shifted its weight.

"Escaped contaminant? Must be quarantined! Please return to [Hospital] facilities for stabilization."

[target_audience]

That brightening light certainly looked like a warning, making Stu's next laugh a nervous one, and he didn't try to hide how he crawled back and out of reach this time, until he was backed up against a tree he couldn't have accounted for. See, this was the problem. "Okay, man, take it easy. It wasn't supposed to be a suggestion, just, talking, huh, having a conversation? I say something, then you say something else, and we laugh about it, and then we're buds," Stu explained, taking it upon himself to tame the wild robot.

[thepurpleone]

The entirety of the bot listed to one side in what could have been considered a head-tilt, optics flickering in and out as though it were blinking.

"Oh!" Scuttle knew what conversations were. Very one-sided most of the time, since he was often having to listen to the Purple one talk to himself. He paused. Interactions with anyone other than the Purple-maker's brother was basically nonexistent. Scuttle stared again, and then took skittering steps forward to get into Stu's personal space.

"Is this the part where we laugh?"

[target_audience]

As it was a feral forest robot, it continued to be hard to read, and Stu flinched and gave another tight giggle at the sudden exclamation, not sure what kind of revelation it had just had. Maybe it just realized it was supposed to be a predator. Stu grimaced as it came chasing after him, but stayed where he was with his own curious head tilt to watch how it moved, a proper walking motion that would have been taken illusion of puppets or wires to achieve on Earth. Belatedly, he drew a leg up to plant a foot on the robot's advancing face before it could get any close, crunching his own knee up by his head. "What?" he had to ask, not sure what the joke was. "Uh, I guess. Ha ha! Good one."

[thepurpleone]

"Ow." The response seemed more of a reflex than actually due to damage, the robot effectively stopped.

"Oh, okay! Ha ha ha!" the robot spouted, his tone very unconvincing, like reading a script. He was trying! "Incidentally that is rude, please remove your foot from my face."

[target_audience]

That only earned the robot a push as Stu challenged, "Remove your face from my foot, man." He wasn't the one getting too close and personal, for once, and maybe that could mean taking a moment of personal reflection, if he was a killer robot. Instead, he gave another shove of encouragement to try to get himself back onto his feet and a better vantage point for his escape route.

[thepurpleone]

The robot stumbled back with an indignant squawk, optics flashing briefly before his forearms split to show off his pinchers. "Hostile detected; initiating attack mode!"

[target_audience]

"That wasn't attack mode?" Without anyone to give Stu a proper answer, he could only shout it back at the threatening robot before he was throwing himself to the side to go leaping over the snarl of roots and grabbing blindly at any hold to keep himself upright. The branch he reached snapped away immediately in his hands, forcing him to correct his stumble by swinging himself around and brandishing his stick like a baseball bat. "You got a serious attitude problem!"

[thepurpleone]

Scuttle shifted his weight from one side to the other, taking a few steps to the side as he kept sight of the human. Hostile was now armed!

"Engaging!" the robot announced, much too cheerfully as he stepped forth and swung a bladed arm at the branch. Yup. He could definitely slash.