OverDrawn/IN Part 1

This is the Initium Novum section of OverDrawn.
The Relic Hunter section can be found at RH Part 1.
==Story==
Initializing ... booting ... awake mode initiated. Scanning ... potential threat not found. Status ... hunger levels at 12%. Nourishment procedures: initializing.
A titanium-colored robot with blue eyes stirred from her hiding spot, looking around warily. Or at least, as warily as a robot could, anyway. She stretched her limbs and made a garbled noise which, to anyone who listened, could be translated as a yawn. Dusting herself off, the robot kicked on her rocket-powered soles and flew towards the nearest supermarket.
As she landed, a pile of newspapers caught her eye. The headline read something about a facility that had shut down and police investigators. Looking both ways, the robot stole one of the papers and vaporized it into ashes. She flew off again before the owner of the newspaper stand figured out what was going on.
Landing behind the supermarket, where the loading docks were, the robot quickly sliced the plastic wrapping off of a shipment of protein drinks. Taking as many drinks as she could carry, the robot beeped before flying off yet again and hiding in her 'base', which consisted of a large green dumpster. The robot held one of the protein drinks to her 'mouth' and inspected it before drinking it. Hunger level rising. Proceeding with nourishment procedures.
----
Elsewhere in the city, a brown hedgehog with bandages covering his forearms and wearing blue jeans stirred awake. He sat up on the tan couch, stretching with a tired groan before laying back down, placing his head back on the armrest.
"Morning Xavy," a female voice said from the other side of the couch. The hedgehog turned his head to look at the speaker. Beside him was a brown bird with light-brown hair, wearing just a white bra and black shorts. In her hands were a clipboard and some paper she scribbled on with a mechanical pencil, though as she sat facing him, he couldn't see what she drew.
"Hey... Melissa," he replied with a yawn, sitting back up. "What time is it?"
"Nine, ish," the bird answered, flipping her pencil around to erase something. "It's actually pretty early for you."
"Well, there wasn't much to do yesterday," Xavis said, settling into the couch, "What're you drawing?"
"Oh, nothing," she said coyly, hugging the clipboard to her chest.
"C'mooon," the hedgehog said, leaning on close to her.
"I'll show you when it's done!" Melissa exclaimed with a laugh, pushing him away.
"Alright." Xavis backed off. After a moment of silence he reached down to the floor and picked up a remote.
On the other side of the small room was a boxy television, which buzzed to life with a push of the remote's power button. An image of a purple echidna sitting behind a desk faced to life.
"...asearch Facility was shut down yesterday. A police investigation concluded the facility responsible for several illegal practices, most jarringly the unethical experimentation performed primarily on children," the echidna woman said with a matter-of-fact tone, "However, one of the test subjects and almost all records of her has been reported missing. The police will continue to investigate the situation until more informa--" The television cut out. Melissa had the remote in her hand.
"Horrible," she said in a disgusted voice, "Absolutely horrible, those people. Makes me sick."
"They got what was coming to them," Xavis replied, standing up and stretching. "Let's get some breakfast."
----
Elsewhere once more, a Fox girl cracked her knuckles, turning over in bed. She wore a pair of shorts and an oversized shirt that covered everything from the knees-up. Her tail wrapped around her like a blanket, fluffed out like a stuffed animal. She looked around when several thunderous steps echoed through the room. She eeped when a massive shadow overtook her.
"Time to... GET UP!" Link declared, putting a single finger on his shrunken sister's stomach.
"Hey, no fair!" The Fox shouted, grinning.
"You put yourself in this position, Cassie." The tall Wildfox smirked.
Cassie bit the massive finger holding her down, causing her captor to release her, and ran up Link's arm. She got to behind him, near his back and returned to full size, tackling Link.
"OK, Ant-Woman, get off me."
Then Boost, the sibling's robotic dog, jumped into the pile.
Link picked the dog up, sliding out from under his sister. "You get changed, I'll get somethin' for us to eat." He stated, then wandered towards the kitchen.
Cassie jumped to her feet and vanished into the bathroom next to her bedroom. She returned a few moments later wearing blue jeans and a light pink sweater.
The two sat down to eat, unaware that in another part of the city...
----
"Hunger status: Satisfied. Cloaking status: Conspicuous. Objective: Obtain cloaking device." Titanium Reens moved the empty protein cans off of her and exited the dumpster, wiping excess off of her 'mouth'. She then kicked up her rocket shoes again and flew above the town, looking for a place that sold 'cloaking devices', or clothes.
She finally found a small clothing kiosk and approached it cautiously. Swiping a shirt, a pair of pants, and a pair of shoes from the kiosk, she flew behind a building and put on the new clothes. "Cloaking status: Inconspicuous. Objective: completed. New objective: Obtain fiber for diet." The owner of the kiosk looked around and saw her just before she took off again. "Hey, you! Thief! Get back here and pay for those clothes! Police! Police!"
Xavis and Melissa happened to be at a nearby waffle vendor, now clothed in a black, sleeveless pullover, blue jeans and black and red boots for the hedgehog, and a white, sleeveless top, dark-gray skirt with a red cross wrapping around it, and pink flip-flops for the sparrow. The two had just received their waffles when Xavis heard the kiosk owner's call for the police, and thinking fast, took a large bite before handing his plate to Melissa and running to where the kiosk owner pointed. "I'm on it!" He called out.
"Xavis!" Melissa exclaimed as he ran off, then turned to the vendor, "I'm sorry about that. Here." She placed a few bills on the counter before rushing off after the hedgehog.
Titanium Reens scanned the area, then looked behind her, noticing she was being followed. "New objective: disengage from pursuers. Accessing memory banks. Pursuers not recognized." She turned back around and flew as fast and as high as she could go. She also blasted a few plasma orbs in their direction. "Objective: neutralize targets. Secondary objective: Obtain fiber for diet. Status: Thirst levels at 10% and rising. Tertiary objective: Obtain liquid refreshment."
"Woah! Hey!" Xavis exclaimed as he dodged the plasma orbs and continued running after her. Meanwhile Melissa ducked behind a dumpster to avoid the shots.
"Calculating height of impending wall. Preparing to scale wall." Before Titanium Reens could fly high enough to scale the wall, she became entangled in some empty clotheslines that were near the wall. "Status: progress impeded by threads. Makeup of threads: cotton-nylon alloy. Initiate freedom procedure." She struggled to break the clotheslines but they just tangled her up even more. "Cannot free this unit. Accessing memory banks. Initiating panic mode."
If Xavis and Melissa caught up, they would see Titanium Reens struggling, and the cords tightening around her limbs. She eventually freed herself from the cords. "Status: Threat neutralized. Resuming protocol to lose pursuers." They were still tangled around her, though, and she ended up crashing full into the wall. Her body made a sizable dent in the wall, and she fell to the ground with a heavy thump.
Xavis had stopped and could only watch the event unfold, then after a moment, he and Melissa cautiously approached. "Hey... are you okay?" He asked the strange girl lying in a heap of bricks, strings, and garbage before him. "Lemme help you." He tried to help pull her out and get her untangled, despite his bandaged hands. Melissa had caught up, but stayed behind him.
"Panic mode initiated! Malfunction recognized. Unit powering doooowwnnnn..." Titanium Reens' eyes dimmed and her body slumped, giving the impression of passing out.
"Oh, jeez," Xavis muttered as the girl went limp. He looked to Melissa. "Could you help me pick her up?"
----
Meanwhile, a pale blue fox girl was walking down the street, wondering what to do. She was staring down at her shoes, like always. She thought about going to the library, but she went there yesterday. Suddenly, she found a random newspaper, simply lying there on the ground. Having nothing important or interesting to do, she picked it up and started reading.
"Breaking news!-Oh god, what terrible thing must be going on in today’s society?-A research facility was shut down yesterday due to the illegal experimentation on children." She read to herself. "Those scumbags," she muttered under her breath.
A wiry gray echidna casually wandered over with his hands in the pockets of his long black trench coat. "What's this about?" he asked.
The blue fox looked up at the echidna. She adjusted her glasses. "Oh! I guess you noticed how upset I was," she answered shyly. "Is there anything you need, sir?"
"Nope, just..." The echidna stopped, as a brown hedgehog had suddenly walked by, carrying a dark-silver hedgehog in his arms and followed closely by a brown bird.
The blue fox looked at the brown hedgehog. She decided to completely ignore him. The echidna, however, did not. "Excuse me," he said, then walked over to the hedgehog. "Need any help with that?" he asked.
The bird went stiff as the echidna approached.
"No, no, I'm... fine," the hedgehog answered, though he was clearly struggling with the silver girl in his arms.
The blue fox finally started to pay attention. “I could help...if you want...” she said.
The echidna's eyes darted back and forth between the fox and the hedgehog, trying to figure out whether it would be more of an imposition to also offer to help or to leave the hedgehog to his own devices.
The bird took a deep breath, calming her anxiety, then turned toward the echidna. "Hello, 'Alias'," she said quietly to him.
Alias looked startled for a moment before he remembered who was talking to him and regained his composure. "Hello, Miss 'Passer'," he said. Then, figuring that he'd have to help at this point, he reached out his hand in a gesture to assist with carrying the hedgehog.
“Hey! Wait for me!” The fox cried.
----
The shrill, electric cry of a telephone began to ring through Link and Cassie's apartment.
Link and Cassie ran to it, but Cassie was faster and answered. "Hiya, Cassandra here, who is this?"
"Hey Cass," a familiar male voice said through the speaker, "I hope it isn't too much trouble, but could you come over? We uh... found something."
"Oh, sure, just a sec..." Cassie replied, turning around to face Link. "Hey, Link? Uh, Xavis needs my help with something, so breakfast might have to wait for now."
Link stood up, shaking his head. "Fine, fine--"
Cassie put the phone back to her ear. "Alright, I'm on my way."
" --I'm coming with  you." Her brother added, finishing his sentence.
----
Unit rebooting... power initiated ... hunger levels stabilized ... thirst levels stabilized ... reboot complete. Titanium Reens' eyes flickered before coming back to normal, and she looked up at the ceiling before sitting up and looking around at her surroundings.
Noticing she still had the clothes she had stolen on, she blinked (as well as a robot could blink) and focused her eyes on Xavis and Melissa, who were nearby. Noticing them, she shrank back and tried to get up from where she was before sinking back down. "Processing. Surroundings not recognized. Escape attempt: failed. Initiating defense procedures."
Melissa noticed her wake up and begin to panic. "Woah! Hey, calm down, okay?" she said in a soft, soothing tone, slowly beginning to walk towards her, trying to appear non-threatening. "You're safe here, don't worry."
The android didn't seem to understand her, but raised her arms in a defensive position. "Defense procedures initiated. Processing. Subject identified as pursuer. Panic mode initiated." She kept trying to get up from where she was, her limbs flailing. She wouldn't hit Melissa, but she would keep sinking back down.
The sparrow stopped in her tracks. "Woah woah woah, hey, please, calm down. Please. We don't want to hurt you." She tried looking the silver girl in the eye, hoping it would help comfort her. "We don't want to hurt you. You're safe here, okay? We're friends. We want to help you..."
Blinking, Titanium Reens' left ear rotated, as if she could finally hear her. Her body ceased flailing, and the robot let out a sound that, to Melissa, would sound like an audible sigh. She then hugged herself, pulling her knees to her chest. "Defense mode terminated. Panic mode terminated. Requesting information on surroundings."
Link slowly opened the door, showing the gentleness so commonplace in his movements. "Hey, Xavis, right? You, uh, called my sister--"
"And here I am!" Cassie declared, smiling. "Oh, wait... a girl? You found a girl? What does Melissa think of this?"
"Uh, I'm right here you know," the bird in question said to Cassie with an unamused look.
"She's no ordinary girl," Xavis said quietly to the foxes, "I wouldn't have called you over if she was."
Cassie waved apologetically to Melissa, grinning in an embarrassed fashion. "What's with her? Mutant? Meta like us, or something else..?" She then asked Xavis, spinning to face him.
The android scanned both of them, then released another audible sound, this one sounding like a huff. She was finally able to sit completely upright without sinking down again afterwards, and gave a beep in triumph. She also noticed that she was clean from the trash and clotheslines that were on her earlier. "Subjects not recognized. Filing in memory banks."
Getting up fully from where she was, she wobbled a little on her feet before straightening. Everyone would be able to look at her entire body now, including the scuffs and scratches that were both thin and deep. She looked around the room until her eyes focused on the small group again. "Designation required for all subjects. Report must be given to-" her voice crackled for a moment before continuing, as if erasing what she was going to say - "according to Section Alpha Zero." She wobbled a bit more before falling again. "This unit's strength capacity has been lowered. Awaiting repairs."
"I think that answers for itself..." Xavis said to Cassie, then turning back to the other two girls.
Melissa swallowed, unnerved by the way the girl spoke. She kneeled down next to her, still trying her best to appear friendly. "Uh, my name's Melissa, and that's Xavis, Link, and Cassie," she said, gesturing to the others respectively. "I'm... sure we could find someone to... help you but, uh, what's your name?"
"Filing in memory banks." Titanium Reens' eyes flickered before she responded. "This unit's designation is Titanium Reens, version 3.0." Her ear twitched again, as if taking in the sounds around her.
Link crouched next to Melissa. "So... Reens? Is that your nam-- designation?"
Her eyes narrowed and widened before she answered. "Affirmative. Designation given by -" - her voice crackled again as if erasing information, or as if she didn't want anyone to know. She looked around the room from her position scanning for any newspapers. She noticed one placed on the kitchen table, then whirred in what sounded like worry. "Evidence detected. Protocol: Evidence must be destroyed. Awaiting repairs."
"Evidence...?" Melissa asked in a confused and worried tone.
"Wait..." Xavis followed where Reens was looking to the newspaper, his brow furrowing. "Were you from the facility that shut down? ...You're the one that escaped, aren't you?"
"Xavis..." Melissa looked at him, worry filling her face.
"All evidence pertaining to the Facility must be destroyed. Protocol must be followed. Further queries?" The robot nodded in affirmation after speaking, then cocked her head as if to say, "Any more questions?"
"I can't think of anything... Not that thinking is generally my department." Cassie muttered.
Link took lead again. "Why did you escape?"
Titanium Reens processed the question before she 'blinked'. "Accessing memory files. Accessing video files. Playing file 001." A transparent screen, like a hologram, emerged, and a video began to play. It showed Titanium Reens being placed into a chamber of sorts, and two scientists huddled around a control panel. "Ready for the test?" One asked, his accent slightly German. "Yes, we are," the other replied, smirking. "Proceeding with test one. Robot-" The video shifted to look at the scientist - "-begin with your... training," she continued. Three citizens were placed into the chamber with her, acting as test subjects or, in Reens' case, targets.
"Engage combat mode," the female scientist continued, pressing a button on the panel. The citizens were equipped with armor and weapons while Reens' programming took over. The small group could see her fighting each of the citizens to a standstill. "Excellent, Reens," the male scientist gushed. "She isn't ready yet," the female one snapped. "Her heart isn't stressed at all! Proceed with Phase Two." The video ended, and Titanium Reens started to play the second one. Each video, her training became more and more rigorous, until the very last video.
"Test... I don't remember the number, just get on with it!" The female scientist stamped her foot and got up close in Titanium Reens' face. "Now remember, in this test I want you to show no mercy! Give it everything you have!" The scientist stepped back to reveal two terrified elderly people, shaking while holding each other. The robot hesitated, her fingers low and loose. "Why are you hesitating?! Destroy them!" "I really think we must reconsider-" "Shut up!" The female scientist growled, then huffed. "I didn't think a robot would gain a conscience. We'll have to fix that after this test." The video started to fizzle out into static, but screams could be heard.
The last video fizzled into focus, showing the facility lit up at night. Reens made her way through the facility to the computer, where the files on her were held. She placed them into a USB drive and then destroyed the computer before walking out with it and some folders full of files. The video then showed her walking to a wooded area, where she piled it all on some wood before setting it ablaze.
"This unit was only a prototype. The Facility aimed to make more of it, use more disabled children as test subjects, robotize more slaves to their will. This unit must destroy all evidence to insure that its fate is not shared, and that no one else is harmed by it." Titanium Reens slumped, as if saddened. "This unit must be destroyed soon as well."
"Reens, you don't deserve this." Alias, who had been standing in a corner to avoid getting in the way, stepped out to talk to Reens. Trying to make eye contact with her, he continued, "If there's anything I've learned recently, it's that destroying life is a waste. Hundreds—no, thousands—of people are dying where I come from over a pointless centuries-long feud that they can't control. You don't have to go that way just because people tried to force you to be a bad person. You can use what you have to go out and help people instead of harming them." Alias reached out a hand to Reens. "Please, don't do this to yourself. Help the world, don't hurt yourself."
"Oh... oh god... y-you're..." Melissa stuttered with a horrified expression, still processing the information, before suddenly giving the silver girl a hug. "I... I'm so sorry..."
Xavis leaned against the wall behind himself, still taking in what she'd shown them. The air started to get slightly warmer as he clenched his fists with a look of anger filling his face. "Those bastards..."
Link just put a hand on Reens' shoulder.
Cassie, who had been silent for most of this, snuck over to Xavis. "What are you planning? Don't say you're not gonna do anything: I know that look."
The foreign contact was making Titanium Reens feel uncomfortable, but she couldn't exactly say it. She, as gently as possible, released Melissa from the hug and removed Link's hand from her shoulder. "Do not attempt pursuing the scientists," she cautioned Xavis. "They are none of your concern."
Alias, realizing that he was no longer involved in the conversation and that his gesture of assistance would be unwanted if Reens noticed it, decided to withdraw, moving back into the corner that he had come out of.
Reens acknowledged Alias withdrawing, then 'blinked' again. "If this unit is not destroyed, then the world will not be helped by it. This unit must be terminated as soon as possible. This unit does not wish to harm anyone." She grabbed Xavis' hand and thrust it to her chest, having it rest on her chest. "Presuming you are one who wields fire, please..." She looked up at him as if pleading with him. "Terminate this unit. Then I will have peace."
"Absolutely not!" Melissa exclaimed in horror.
Xavis moved his bandaged hands onto the android's shoulders. "Reens..." he said, looking her in the eye with a worried expression, "I'm not going to kill you. Trapped in there is a little girl who had her life ripped away before it could even begin, and I'm not going to end it." He suddenly embraced her in a hug. "Please... let us help you. It doesn't need to end like this."
Not expecting the hug from Xavis, Reens stiffened a bit before relaxing and embracing him briefly before pulling away. "If you will not terminate this unit's existence, then... what am I going to do?"  She looked over at Link, Cassie and Melissa before turning back to Xavis. "This unit usually cannot express emotions; however, I am feeling what subjects call... fear." Reens was slowly, very slowly, beginning to embrace her humanity, but not to the point where she could express it without robotic terminology.
"What you can do, Reens," said Alias, trying to sound kind, "is help people. You're a perfectly good Mobian like the rest of us. Surely there's something you can do to make a change for the better, something that would far outweigh anything minorly bad that you might cause, and I doubt that you'd even cause that." Alias paused for a moment to breathe. "I know you want to help. If you give yourself a chance, you can do it."
Cassie sprung up behind Alias. "Yeah, what emo boy said!"
Reens lowered her ears, then looked over at Alias. Her eyes lit up, as if she was trying to smile. "Acknowledged. This unit's energy has been restored. Primary objective: Attempt to assist civilians." She got up from where she was and walked toward the door, opening it and walking outside. "Scanning..."
Wow, thought Alias, stifling a look of surprise. I did it.
A woman was walking down the street, carrying a few bags of groceries. She looked like a juggler, having three in one arm, three in the other arm, and two under her chin.Titanium Reens scanned her before approaching. "Query: Are you in need of assistance?" The woman turned and yelped, almost dropping the bags under her chin. Reens reached out an arm and took them from her. "What do you think you're doing?!" She screamed, grabbing the bags back and attempting to run away from her. "You crazy robot! They should scrap you for that!"
Oh no, Alias thought, not moving from the corner of the room where he had been standing (and where he was observing events from). What have I just done?
"Whoa, whoa, Reens, slow down," Xavis said, walking up behind her with Melissa beside him. "Didn't you say you needed repairs? Why don't we focus on that first, then ease you into helping people?"
Link followed Xavis and Melissa. "If you guys want, I can help with that."
Reens 'blinked', then sighed, lowering her head. "Primary objective: failed. Secondary objective: obtain repairs." She shifted on her feet slightly, looking guilty.
Alias, who had come out of the building slightly behind Link, said, "Reens, you haven't failed to help people. You just...haven't learned how to do it right yet. I mean..." Alias fidgeted, then lowered his voice and leaned a bit closer to the others. "I'm still learning, too."
The woman who had interacted with Reens earlier was now at the nearest police station, trying to file a report against the 'killer robot', as Reens was being referred to. "It came out of nowhere and tried to assault me! It tried to steal my groceries! It's a wonder no one tried to stop it from almost killing me!"
"And you're certain this robot was trying to assault you?" the police chief said, looking the woman over and scrutinizing her with a slightly bored expression. "Why else would robots like that be around?! You need to find that hunk of metal and scrap it the first chance you get!"
Reens' ears drooped, and her shoulders sagged. "Perhaps this unit is incapable of assisting others until necessary repairs are made. Scanning for areas in need of repair..." She scanned her body carefully, looking for weakness and broken parts.
Alias, assessing the situation, said, "Reens, you do that. I have to leave for a moment to help you out." These last four words were nearly inaudible as he mumbled them under his breath while sprinting off towards the woman. Pulling himself to a halt as he neared her, he walked up to her, saying in an increasingly frantic tone, "Please don't scrap the robot. She's just trying to help and doesn't understand how to do it. We just need to give her time to learn, okay? Please don't do anything drastic, I'm sure she'll give you your groceries back if you ask..." Alias trailed off, realizing that he might make himself look suspicious and thus ruin his chances of helping Reens if he kept talking.
The woman looked at Alias slightly annoyed, but before she could say anything to him the cop spoke up again. "I've seen that robot before, and she's perfectly harmless. Like the kid said, she's just doing her best. I bet you didn't even read the paper," he said, sliding one to her. "She's been through some awful stuff. Chaos knows I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."
"Okay, glad we have that settled," said Alias. "I need to go back and help her some more probably, so...sorry, I have to go now." Alias moved back to where Reens was in an odd jog-shuffle, muttering under his breath, "What have I just gotten myself into...?"
"Crucial areas of repair designated. Filing in memory banks." Titanium Reens acknowledged Alias' return by waving her right arm at him.
"Hi again, Reens," said Alias, somewhat breathlessly. "I think you should be able to get repairs a bit better now...unless you did that already while I was gone..."
Reens shook her head, trying to emulate more Mobian expression. "Repairs have not commenced at this time. Researching repair terminals in immediate area. Permission to proceed with research?"
"Go ahead," said Melissa, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Titanium Reens beeped in recognition, whirred, and started scanning the area. Her eyes glowed in a soft yellow light as she did this. Melissa could see what Reens was looking at if she looked at the holographic display.
"Repair terminal found. Scanning... Terminal seems not to have required parts for repair. Scanning... Repair terminal found. Terminal seems not to have required parts for repair." Reens scanned every repair 'terminal', or machine shop, she could find, but couldn't find one with parts she needed. Her ears drooped in disappointment.
"Necessary components not found. Repairs dismissed as top priority. Returning to previous objective: assisting those in need. Proceeding with caution," Reens stated in a slightly lower tone, as if she were upset. She kicked her rockets on and flew upwards, scanning the area again.
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