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36.81% Steel Waste / Chapter 261: Think HARDER

Chapter 261: Think HARDER

After staring at the cloudy horizon for a couple minutes Afton eventually decided to find out who'd taken him here. And whether or not he had to crack some skulls together once he met them. Quickly he descends down the staircase and continues into the door on the opposite side of the room named 'Think Tank'.

Once through the doors he's introduced with a room not dissimilar from the Brotherhood bunker, though something he could immediately notice was the fact that something had changed... It was as if he was walking through some kind of invisible forcefield, he'd felt something activate once he was through, but couldn't put his finger on it.

He walked through a metal hallway and was prepared to grab his... Guns? Wait, why would he do that?... He remembered from past experience that it was best to be prepared, but right now he couldn't fathom any harm coming to him or someone else.

Indeed, his well-trained habits had almost caused him to go mad in some kind of perpetual-thought-loop, constantly trying to prepare for a threat that couldn't possibly be there. No, after some minutes he'd managed to separate those circular thoughts from himself, distancing them as it were.

He'd find out why he felt like this once he found his 'caretakers', until then he'd need to stay away from any V.I.O.L.E.N.T thoughts. Urrgh, just thinking about it gives him a headache.

Soon enough he comes across a staircase leading out of the hallway, once he'd climbed it he was greeted with a humungous room, it was as if he was inside a hollowed-out dome, but not only that, his 'science senses' were tingling. On every corner of the room was some kind of advanced machinery with a specific purpose, all of which looked operable and pristine.

As someone who was well versed in many, if not all sciences he was almost drooling at this... Especially since there were many machines he didn't know the use for. Something you'd be hard-pressed to find.

Indeed, across the walls of the dome were many, many terminals, monitors, and other advanced methods of surveillance. He had been so enthralled in the 'majesty' of this place that he'd almost not noticed the five peculiar robots floating at one end of the room.

They just sat there staring at him, their bodies comprised of a small glass dome encasing their brains and whatever other bio-gel that is used to keep them alive, and three monitors depicting human features, two eyes and a mouth to be precise.

For some reason the monitors weren't properly sized with one another, making it look like a science experiment gone wrong. Each one of the five robots had different colour brain domes, allowing him to somewhat keep track of which is which.

Honestly, Afton was tempting to just continue standing here as the robots seemed to be waiting for him to get closer so they could address him... Why else would they be waiting in a formation above spotlights illuminating their bodies?

Shaking his head, he walks towards them. They had saved his life, so he did feel gratitude towards them, perhaps they weren't as bad as they loo-

"I THOUGHT I HEARD THE PACIVICATION FIELD KICK IN." The robot with the blue brain dome loudly states before turning towards the others, appearing to try and whisper despite its volume, "ALL RIGHT, SHHH. NOBODY. MOVE. I'LL HANDLE THIS."

...

Afton almost guffaws at the spectacle, but chooses to stay quiet for now... He wouldn't want to ruin their preprepared speech, now would he?

The robot turns back towards him and continues, "BE WARNED, INTRUDER! YOU ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE MIGHTY THINK TANK OF BIG MT, THE COLLECTIVE GENIUSES OF... WE..." The robot turns towards its colleagues again, "BY OPPENHEIMER, WHICH ONE OF YOU SELF-PROFESSED GENIUSES HAS BEEN ADJUSTING MY VOLUME KNOB? WHO WAS IT? WAS IT YOU 8?" he asks, pointing the monitors towards the one with the green dome.

Strangely, the response is garbled and in some foreign method of communication Afton wasn't aware of, "BZZZZZTCH!*"

The leader robot with the blue dome seems to snort, "OH, 'DR. O' WAS IT? LIKELY STORY, O COULDN'T SPARK TWO NEURONS IF THEY WERE IN A LATTICE OF BIOMED GEL."

The robot with the light blue, almost grey brain dome retorts to this, "What? Me? Breaking news, Klein, it wasn't me alright?! I am the robotics engineer, 8 is soundwaves, that's his 'speciality." he says in a nasal voice before continuing, "You always do this! You always demean me in-front of guests! And it's not 'O' alright it's Zer-"

The robot now known as Klein interrupts 'Zero' and his monologue, again turning towards Afton who was watching this as if it were a sitcom... "ENOUGH! EITHER OF YOU DO IT AGAIN, AND IT'LL BE THE LAST TIME. NOW... NOW..." he trails off, "...GREAT, NOW I FORGOT WHAT I WAS SAYING... WHAT WAS I TALKING ABOUT?" he asks, and Afton takes the opportunity to finally converse with his 'caretakers'.

"I believe you were about to explain how I got here and how you cured me of my illness?" Afton says as if helping the robot recover his train of thought.

"AH YES... WAIT, NO! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!? I WAS ALMOST FOOLED BY THIS... THIS... LOBOTOMITE!" Klein spits as if he'd just tasted something disgusting, not apparently taking Afton's advice very well.

"NO, IT MUST'VE HAD A BRAIN SPASM OF SOME KIND, NO LOBOTOMITE COULD FORM RATIONAL 'THOUGHT', CERTAINLY NOT ENOUGH TO OUTSMART ME!... WAIT, HOW DID A LOBOMOITE GET INTO THE DOME ANYWAY!? BOROUS!? YOU WORK WITH ANIMALS, WHAT IS THIS THING DOING HERE!?" Klein asks the robot with the dark green brain dome.

Afton would be insulted at being called an animal or 'lobotomite', but he simply couldn't find it in himself to be angry at them. "I'm not an animal, or a 'lobotomite' as you seem to be calling me. My name's Afton Parker, a mercenary you somehow saved from a deadly fungus." he states.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Niggross Niggross

Sorry bro's who're already well acquainted with the Think Tanks in the Think Tank. The dialogue is pretty essential to their characterisations, and subsequent interactions further on.

Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!

Chapter 262: Loboto-Roboto

After hearing Afton miraculously 'speak' to them, Kelin whips around and quickly addresses the robot with the purple brain dome. "DALA! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?"

"Dr. Klein... If my hypothesis is correct, this Lobotomite is the repository of the brain we sent the signal to, the skinvelope once containing it." they say, in a sly, almost creepy tone of voice. To be honest, Afton didn't know what was worse, being called a Lobotomite or a 'skinvelope'...

Dala continues, "If so, it's proof that there may indeed be something beyond the crater. Just look at it... The way it blinks. It's like a big hairless teddy bear." it says, pushing its monitors closer to Afton, presumably to observe him more thoroughly.

Klein retorts, "I KNOW WHAT IT IS, DALA, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT'S DOING DOWN HERE. WITH IT'S... IT'S LIMBS ALL OVER EVERYTHING... AND... ARE THOSE PENISES I SEE WRIGGLING ON ITS FEET? DISGUSTING."

Afton raises a brow and glances down at this feet for a moment, wondering if the fungus had changed more than he'd expected... Though, whether or not having all your toes replaced by penises was a bad thing, he didn't really know... At the very least it would make toe-play way more fun, right?

Dala interjects after Klein makes his observation, "I believe they are toes Dr. Klein. Little teddy bear toes. Penises are much larger than those tiny extremities... Eh, not that I would know." they admit as sheepishly as an inhuman robot could manage.

Zero cuts in, "I don't recall the human penis ever being that large..." he says, not realising what that exactly implied.

"It depends on one's own frame of reference, Doctor O." Dala corrects before going off on another tangent, "Look at its little nose with its two orifices for ingesting oxygen."

Dr. Klein slowly turns his monitors from Dala towards Afton, "NOSES? BY THE GREAT STATIC, THESE LOBOTOMITES CONFOUND ME WITH THEIR SHEER NUMBER OF USELESS EXTREMITIES."

Afton shakes his head to recompose himself, having almost burst out into laughter at Dr. O's accidental slip of the tongue. "Yeah? Well, you confuse me." He states, gaining the group's attention, "I mean, what's the point of those monitors anyway? Those eyes don't blink and your mouths don't move, it's as if you're just slapped on whatever components you could find that fit onto your bodies." he says, gesturing at Klein's monitors.

...

Hmm, Afton appeared to have stumped the robots for a moment... Of course, personalities as loud as them wouldn't remain silent for long.

"BOROUS!? WHAT DO WE DO? THE LOBOTOMITE IS... EXCRETING!" Klein quickly says as a moment of silence.

"I'm not sure!? I don't think that was it excreting! Merely... Asking a question!?! EGADS! The Lobotomite understands us!" Dr. Borous suddenly exclaims, as if Afton hadn't literally just been talking to them.

Afton sighs to himself, only now realising that the robots hadn't actually listened to a single thing he'd said. Though, upon sighing Dala seemed to vibrate for a moment, it's monitors flashing in a peculiar way. He didn't like the 'satisfied' sound coming from it either, and is that bio gel leaking from its dome?...

Dala, having recomposed themself from... Whatever they had just been doing adds to Dr. Borous analyses. "I agree with Doctor Borous' histrionic findings. This little lobotomite is unusually attentive for something whose brain has been extracted."

Afton's eyes widen at this, "Wait what?"

[Brainless Perk has been granted!]

[Brainless] : Your brain has been replaced with advanced technologies. Your head can no longer be crippled and is +25% more resistant to chem addiction. Also grants +1 DT.

...

As much as Afton wanted to try and deny it, the notification before him couldn't lie... Honestly, it was pretty terrifying to realise you'd unknowingly had your brain extracted.

It appears, just as Afton was struggling with the thought that he'd had his brain somehow removed, the robots were also struggling to comprehend how he was. Well, thinking.

"NONSENSE. LOBOTOMITES CAN'T COMPREHEND US!" Dr. Klein says, disregarding the fact Afton had literally been speaking to them.

"*BZZZTTTCH!*" The robot called 8 sounds out, Afton wondering if they could understand him or were just inferring what they wanted.

"8, have you been in the Mentats again? If we slow down our auro-processo-receptors to understand this excretion, we'll all be rendered ignorant!" Zero says, clearly insulting Afton. Again, Afton would've been somewhat offended, but the 'pacification field', as Dr. Klein had called it earlier, was messing with his head.

Dr. Klein finally decides to get to the root of the problem, "ALL OF YOU, POWER DOWN, SHUT UP, AND LET ME PROVE ONCE AND FOR ALL HOW WRONG YOU ALL ARE. AS USUAL." he says before slowly pushing his monitors closer to Afton, "LOBOTOMITE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? CAN YOU SPEAK?"

...

Afton wonders if it'd be worth just staying silent to confuse the annoyin-... Uncooperative robots further. It seems like any evidence that he, as a lobotomite could think rationally, was terribly shocking for them. Shaking his head, he decides to try and actually talk to them.

"I am Afton Parker! I understand you all perfectly well, now will one of you tell me how I got here and why you REMOVED MY BRAIN!" he says, raising his voice out of reflex and getting a painful headache from the 'almost' A.G.G.R.E.S.S.I.V.E action.

Dr. Klein reals back slightly at Afton's volume but moves his monitors to look at his colleagues, as if he were glancing round, "THOSE WERE WORDS, WEREN'T THEY... IN THE FORM OF QUESTIONS.-IT'S ASKING ME QUESTIONS! IS THIS SOME KIND OF TRICK?"

"Our efforts have turned against us! In playing GOD, we have created a MONSTER!" Dr. Borous exclaims, sounding almost fearful of the prospect of Afton having free will and free thought.

"Perhaps as we were ruthlessly lobotomizing it with our cutters, we filled this skinvelope with... Awareness. A teddy bear with new stuffing." Dr. Dala adds.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Niggross Niggross

Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!

If you like my content or want to read ahead please go to https://www.p.atreon.com/Nagross, I'd appreciate it.

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