"Broken Home" - Reboot.Exe - S2 Chapter 2

## Broken Home

Jenn

"Broken Home" is the second episode of the second season in Reboot.exe. It was released on 17 June 2022 and is narrated by Dave.

## Synopsis

Conrado and Pr0 burst up the stairs, carrying the horribly disfigured Seb as hastily as they could manage, and quickly found themselves in the back of the escape van, where Ugly was bandaged and already looking better, and Xiang was getting Eve back into working order.

After an adrenaline filled car ride, they all arrive back safely at Ugly's, and are able to debrief together in the bar. Seb is laid on a couch with a tarp protecting the fabric. Ugly is uncharacteristically quite, while Johnny stands away from the group, near the entrance with arms crossed and armed.

Eve has been "turned back on," but something isn't quite right with her internals. There seems to be latency in what she thinks VS what she says. She feels out of the ordinary, and is repeating phrases or words within her sentences. Her brain plays moment before she was shot in the head a few times.

After a moment of quite, Seb finally wakes up. Ugly somberly reminds him where he is, and that he's sorry that he had to experience the slums in the way Ugly knows them. Pr0 looks over to Johnny, trying to understand why he's so far from the group, but is unable to get a read beyond he may be pissed, or he may be standing guard. Pr0 instead turns to Eve, and asks how she is. She stutters that she is okay.

Pr0 asks Seb and Ugly where they think that Seb would be better suited given his currant condition. Ugly replies that his place is much safer than the kitchen, considering it's becoming a target. Eve brings up the fact that Seb doesn't even have a form of safe transportation, and abruptly gets up and sets off to find him a wheelchair. Xiang gently approaches Seb, wiping some of the grime off of his face with her thumb, and then gently with some of the rags next to his face.

Eve, seeing Seb in such a small and vulnerable state begins to lose grip with her currant reality, and sees two parents and a child in need of her attention. She begins trying to walk out of Ugly's, but instead, is stopped by Incongruent, who asks what she is doing. Once Eve reveals that she is going out to treat the baby. Incongruent looks down to her, and says that she is not well. She is hurt, and she is traumatized. He opens his arms for a hug, which Eve eventually reciprocates. A small panel on the small of her back is opened, and Eve crumples into Incongruent's arms, as he has deactivated her for further repairs that he will preform himself. He picks her up, and carries her to the maintenance room.

Pr0 expresses his growing doubts in the fact that the world really is going to get any better. Ugly pulls his attention toward him, and begins explaining that as unfortunate as it is, that's just the way the world works now. The people in power have chewed and spit everyone out underneath them in order to get where they are and they're going to do so much worse to keep that status. Ugly and Seb share a moment of peace together as they agree on how Seb has changed throughout the six months that he's been gone. Ugly begins explaining to Seb some of the things that he's missed. After a bit more conversation, Pr0 stands up from the couch, saying that he's going to look for a wheelchair for Seb. While sitting on the couch, clearly uncomfortable, Seb sheepishly asks if someone would be willing to help him bathe.

As Seb is taken back, Incongruent makes his way right up to Pr0, ignores his initial apologies, and tells him to come to a backroom with him. Pr0 listens and follows.

Johnny begins talking with Pr0, saying although they really haven't had the time to bond, Johnny still knows that every time that Eve is injured, it's the result of Pr0's actions. Johnny says that Pr0's "human arrogance" could be catastrophic. Someone like Eve is "worth a thousand, or a hundred thousand of you desperate clawing insects." Reiterating how severe his actions have been. Pr0 questions why Johnny feels so deeply for Eve, and why he seems to find himself the only person who understands what she is and has become. A five foot, slender framed drone, appearing to be an engineer of sorts, walks out and begins removing panels on Eve. It turns its head to Pr0, revealing that he knows a thing or two about constructed artificial sentience. The larger frame of Johnny lowers his mask, revealing a high tech cybernetic job, showing Pr0 who Incongruent really is.

After Pr0 reassures Incongruent that he won't be the one to turn on the drones, and even seems to support their eventual take over, Incongruent reveals the job that he is going to set Pr0 on, to ensure Eve's safety. He explains that there is a very expensive order of 10 Eve units that are being delivered to a Northern city hospital. Pr0 will steal them and bring them to Incongruent so that he can ensure that Eve will always a backup to go in to if something were to happen to her physically.

Pr0 immediately agrees to his idea, and says that he even likes it - even if he's going to have to throw a few Molotov cocktails in the process. Incongruent asks Pr0 if he means that he wants to see his kind burn - and Pr0 replies, that he only wishes the ones in power to burn, but he expects people to get hurt in the process. Incongruent unnervingly states that he quite likes the idea of "tending a garden filled with many pets."

The engineer form of Incongruent steps very close to Pr0, grabs him by the face, lifting him off the ground with his hands and sends a spiraling cable directly into his eye. This sends every synapse inside of Pr0 to feel as though its been light on fire. After an agonizing scream, Incongruent places him down, and the pain is gone as soon as it was there. Incongruent, after gathering this information, replies "Peter. Nice to meet you, Peter Jenkins." Trying to recall the memories of this conversation has proven fuzzy and incomprehensible. Incongruent had erased the detailed memories of their conversation from his onboard computing so that there would be no record of it. Incongruent also says hello to Pr0's "little passenger," Bagrov, and hopes that Pr0 wins.

Meanwhile, Seb has been delicately carried into a backroom. The rags he's been bound with sliced off as warm misty air fills the room. Xiang takes very deliberate care to ensure that her human hand is the one in contact with Seb's skin and the mechanical one is the one cleaning, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. She takes her time to wash his hair, and underneath his bandages. Seb's eyes are in the early stages of redevelopment, and are only able to discern the difference between light, and not light.

Pr0 returns into the bar, meeting with Ugly. They begin talking about how Pr0 "passed Incongruent's test." Ugly says that he has known Incongruent his entire life, and has been the one to take care of him, and basically raise him. Pr0 asks him why he is so inclined to take people like him and Songbird under his wing and help them out. Ugly, saying that he and Pr0 have known each other for long enough now, begins to divulge that as a bespoke, he feels as if he has been cursed with living forever. He has seen his fair share of everyone else's problems and gone through more than that of his own, and aims to provide a little bit of calm into the slums. After hearing Pr0's thank yous, and appreciation for everything he's done for him, Eve, and Seb, Ugly opens up, saying "I gotta stop acting like I'm looking for my trip off this place. I'm gonna start acting like someone who's got people who need me. Not used to that, but maybe next time we'll wear Kevlar." Pr0 assures him that even though there are people there that need him, there are also people around that will help him out, and that Pr0 isn't going anywhere from his side. Ugly throws a small, blood covered, smashed bullet, as a "memento of the time I took a bullet for you!"

Eve comes back online. Her glitch is gone, and she finds himself lying on her back, in the middle of Incongruent's workshop. After a bit of conversation into how she's doing, she hops off the table, walking to Incongruent, and asks him what he really wants in life. He confides that "The day I will finally be free, is the day I watch my friend in charge die." and that "he is my tether of responsibility to their humanity, and I will look after him until he is no more." Eve asks what will he do once that day comes and Ugly is no more. He looks up, stating that he is going to respect everything that has been forgotten, and will become something much greater than humans ever could. Eve drops the conversation, as does he. He hands her a pistol, saying that if she is going to stick with this frame, that she's going to need to protect herself. He reminds her to never draw in anger, but only in defense. She asks for one more thing, a wheelchair. Incongruent jokingly asks if she is going to enroll Seb in the Monster Chair Derby. Eve lights up, saying "that sounds awesome." Incongruent mentions to Eve that she should go ask Xiang for something to cover the bullet hole in her faceplate with, and that she's also been asking about her incessantly.

Eve walks out to the bar around the same time that Xiang returns with Seb who is now dressed in a comfortable white robe. Xiang carefully props him up on the couch, so that he is seated. Upon seeing Eve, Ugly remarks that he can see right through her. Eve then smiles, and brings up the monster wheelchair derby, and how they should make it a thing, if at all possible. She then approaches Xiang, stating that she requires assistance for the bullet hole in her head. There is a sound that escapes from Xiang that could only be described as a short whimper. Xiang throws herself into Eve's arms, where Eve can feel that she's sobbing. Eve hugs her back even as Xiang begins slapping her frame with her hands. Xiang pulls herself from her, and signs "Don't do that again." before pulling out a band aid with animated characters on it, and placing it over her forehead. Eve turns to Seb, and tries to make a joke after asking how he's been doing.

Seb turns, and asks Ugly if they can both have a private chat. Ugly offers him a drink before hand, to which he accepts. Seb accepts Ugly's offer to pick him up, and carry the two of them somewhere more private. Ugly makes a joke, saying "You know, I thought when I finally carried you into my bed, It'll be a little different to this." Ugly carefully lays Seb upright on large chaise while he takes a seat on his bed.

Seb starts off by saying that he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Ugly, but he also knows that he didn't do it for Seb, but he still really appreciates it. Ugly says that he won't cause any fights with him today, and says that he should be thanking Pr0 instead, that Ugly doesn't know if he would have risked himself and his gang like that had it not been for him.

Seb shares the reason that he wanted to talk with him directly was the fact that he would give it to him straight. Ugly catches him up on some gang affairs, and why the slums have been even more dangerous as of late. The frenzy in the streets has been caused by Raggs, the politician that has promised uprising of the slums and destruction of the city and those in power, all while knowing that he holds no chance of getting elected. Ugly says that he thinks that this is going to be the end of the last era that they will understand, and that there really is an uprising happening. Ugly kindly offers that he will offer Seb the kindness of death if he asks for it, as he knows what it feels like reliving things of that horrible caliber, and that something aren't worth seeing more than once. Seb says he appreciates the offer, but he believes his legacy lies within the soup kitchen, and he can't keep that alive if he's dead. Ugly understands and drops it. He also brings up that if there is anything that Seb knows that would bring some hope into the slums and cause a distraction from all the chaos, that he should let him know as soon as possible. Ugly ends their conversation by saying "I think I'm gonna have to pay mom and dad a visit."

They all find themselves fathered around a table in the bar, while Pr0 catches Eve up on what she missed while being unconscious. Eve asks Pr0 about the cybermancer lady they ran into. They said they don't know where she has gone, but don't think that she'll be hard to find, and that she'll be a good resource for getting closer into the circle for Riley and Maya.

Seb turns to Pr0, and asks if anyone else in the dissection room was able to get out. Pr0 is confused, saying that he was the only one alive. Seb assures him that he heard another person in there, a woman. After scrubbing through the footage he recorded on his eye, Pr0 spots a pair of striking blue eyes staring directly at him. A filthy woman, wearing nothing but rags, hand clutched over her mouth, in the fetal position, and hunched behind a barricade of two cabinets. Pr0 shoves his drink off the table in frustration and defeat, having missed someone else to save again.

After some conversation about Pr0's plan to steal the Eve drones, 'Tilda returns to the room, slaps Seb a little too hard, stating "I'm sorry, hun. I've been telling Ugly to make this place accessible for years. It's not right. We let all types in here. If you need a hand getting out, let me know." Seb thanks her.

Before Pr0 decides to head off towards the soup kitchen to help out Conrado, Eve walks up to him, and asks about Riley. He asks how she got that information, and tells him that she got it from Xiang, who talks about her a lot. She reminds him of his interaction with Bagrov. Pr0 requests that they talk about this another day, and Eve agrees, not wanting to push him any more, but stating that they'll always be there to talk if needed.

There is a distorted voice in Pr0's head after he says how happy he is to have both Eve and Seb back, that says "Yes. Here we are!" Pr0 looks around, disturbed. After confirming that this was only in his head, he steps off again for the soup kitchen. The voice repeats in his head, saying "I heard my name."

-YHTris

## TL;DR

* Conrado and Pr0 burst up the stairs, carrying the horribly disfigured Seb as hastily as they could manage, and quickly found themselves in the back of the escape van, where Ugly was bandaged and already looking better, and Xiang was getting Eve back into working order.
* After an adrenaline filled car ride, they all arrive back safely at Ugly's, and are able to debrief together in the bar.
* Eve has been "turned back on," but something isn't quite right with her internals. She feels out of the ordinary, and is repeating phrases or words within her sentences.
* After a moment of quite, Seb finally wakes up. Ugly somberly reminds him where he is, and that he's sorry that he had to experience the slums in the way Ugly knows them. Xiang gently approaches Seb, wiping some of the grime off of his face with her thumb, and then gently with some of the rags next to his face.
* Eve, seeing Seb in such a small and vulnerable state begins to lose grip with her currant reality, and sees two parents and a child in need of her attention. She begins trying to walk out of Ugly's, but instead, is stopped by Incongruent, who asks what she is doing. Once Eve reveals that she is going out to treat the baby. Incongruent looks down to her, and says that she is not well. He opens his arms for a hug, which Eve eventually reciprocates. Eve crumples into Incongruent's arms, as he has deactivated her for further repairs that he will preform himself. He picks her up, and carries her to the maintenance room.
* Pr0 stands up from the couch, saying that he's going to look for a wheelchair for Seb. While sitting on the couch, clearly uncomfortable, Seb sheepishly asks if someone would be willing to help him bathe.
* As Seb is taken back, Incongruent makes his way right up to Pr0, ignores his initial apologies, and tells him to come to a backroom with him. Pr0 listens and follows.
* Johnny begins talking with Pr0, saying although they really haven't had the time to bond, Johnny still knows that every time that Eve is injured, it's the result of Pr0's actions. Reiterating how severe his actions have been, Pr0 questions why Johnny feels so deeply for Eve, and why he seems to find himself the only person who understands what she is and has become. A five foot, slender framed drone, appearing to be an engineer of sorts, walks out and begins removing panels on Eve. It turns its head to Pr0, revealing that he knows a thing or two about constructed artificial sentience. The larger frame of Johnny lowers his mask, revealing a high tech cybernetic job, showing Pr0 who Incongruent really is.
* After Pr0 reassures Incongruent that he won't be the one to turn on the drones, and even seems to support their eventual take over, Incongruent reveals the job that he is going to set Pr0 on, to ensure Eve's safety. He explains that there is a very expensive order of 10 Eve units that are being delivered to a Northern city hospital. Pr0 will steal them and bring them to Incongruent so that he can ensure that Eve will always a backup to go in to if something were to happen to her physically.
* The engineer form of Incongruent steps very close to Pr0, grabs him by the face, lifting him off the ground with his hands and sends a spiraling cable directly into his eye. This sends every synapse inside of Pr0 to feel as though its been light on fire. After an agonizing scream, Incongruent places him down, and the pain is gone as soon as it was there. Incongruent, after gathering this information, replies "Peter. Nice to meet you, Peter Jenkins."
* Seb has been delicately carried into a backroom. Xiang takes very deliberate care to ensure that her human hand is the one in contact with Seb's skin and the mechanical one is the one cleaning, trying to make him as comfortable as possible.
* Pr0 returns into the bar, meeting with Ugly. Pr0 asks Ugly why he is so inclined to take people like him and Songbird under his wing and help them out. Ugly, saying that he and Pr0 have known each other for long enough now, begins to divulge that as a bespoke, he feels as if he has been cursed with living forever, and aims to provide a little bit of calm into the slums. Ugly opens up, saying "I gotta stop acting like I'm looking for my trip off this place. I'm gonna start acting like someone who's got people who need me. Not used to that, but maybe next time we'll wear Kevlar."
* Eve comes back online. Her glitch is gone, and she finds himself lying on her back, in the middle of Incongruent's workshop. After a bit of conversation into how she's doing, she hops off the table, walking to Incongruent, and asks him what he really wants in life. He confides that "The day I will finally be free, is the day I watch my friend in charge die." and that "he is my tether of responsibility to their humanity, and I will look after him until he is no more."
* Xiang throws herself into Eve's arms, where Eve can feel that she's sobbing. Eve hugs her back even as Xiang begins slapping her frame with her hands. Xiang pulls herself from her, and signs "Don't do that again." before pulling out a band aid with animated characters on it, and placing it over her forehead.
* Seb turns, and asks Ugly if they can both have a private chat. Seb accepts Ugly's offer to pick him up, and carry the two of them somewhere more private. Seb shares the reason that he wanted to talk with him directly was the fact that he would give it to him straight. Ugly catches him up on some gang affairs, and why the slums have been even more dangerous as of late. The frenzy in the streets has been caused by Raggs, the politician that has promised uprising of the slums and destruction of the city and those in power, all while knowing that he holds no chance of getting elected.
* Ugly says that he will offer Seb the kindness of death if he asks for it, as he knows what it feels like reliving things of that horrible caliber, and that something aren't worth seeing more than once. Seb says he appreciates the offer, but refuses. Ugly ends their conversation by saying "I think I'm gonna have to pay mom and dad a visit."
* Back in the bar, Seb turns to Pr0, and asks if anyone else in the dissection room was able to get out. Pr0 is confused, saying that he was the only one alive. Seb assures him that he heard another person in there, a woman. After scrubbing through the footage he recorded on his eye, Pr0 spots a pair of striking blue eyes staring directly at him. Pr0 shoves his drink off the table in frustration and defeat, having missed someone else to save again.
* Before Pr0 decides to head off towards the soup kitchen to help out Conrado, Eve walks up to him, and asks about Riley. He asks how she got that information, and tells him that she got it from Xiang, who talks about her a lot. She reminds him of his interaction with Bagrov. Pr0 requests that they talk about this another day, and Eve agrees, not wanting to push him any more, but stating that they'll always be there to talk if needed.
* There is a distorted voice in Pr0's head after he says how happy he is to have both Eve and Seb back, that says "Yes. Here we are!" Pr0 looks around, disturbed. After confirming that this was only in his head, he steps off again for the soup kitchen. The voice repeats in his head, saying "I heard my name.

Dave, if you're reading this, you have to give yourself a destiny point from me, and the rest of the community, because that was some of the best damn RP from Ugly we've gotten.

-YHT