Chapter Text
1
Cyn was bored.
Not that that wasn’t anything new of course. But still. Staring up and watching the clouds from between the leaves of her favorite tree could only keep one occupied for so long before you started to go just a tiny bit crazy. Not that she didn’t mind talking to Nori and Yeva when they weren’t bickering over a chess match gone wrong or resting or talking with their daughters…well, that last one was more for Yeva. Uzi hadn’t shown up in the Haven for a…frighteningly long time.
But, that’s just how it was.
Come to think of it, she didn’t see Nori or Yeva at all. Perhaps they were at a different part of the Haven, but then again, she would still be able to hear them wouldn’t she? She frowned as she sat up and put a hand to her core. No, they were still there…somewhere. Just out of sight for now.
Which, honestly still was annoying because again…she was bored. And she wanted at least someone to talk to. Preferably someone living. She knew it wasn’t daytime so Doll and Uzi would still be awake…not that Uzi would come. She never did unless Cyn forcefully yanked her in and even then…she kinda let her grip on the girl loosen a bit ever since she started letting the visions through again.
Because good god Uzi would need them now more than ever…
And…that’s when it happened.
The Haven shook, thunder rumbling past the mountains that ringed the meadow and making Cyn’s eyes go hollow as she scrambled to her feet.
“What in the…?” she blinked, looking around.
The rumbling came again…she could have sworn she heard screaming in it. Well, something pissed the Solver off. She gave a wide, fanged grin. Good. After all the hell it put her and the other Solver Drones through, it deserved it. A shimmer caught her eye and she turned back towards the copse of trees that lined the edge of the meadow not far from her favorite oak.
Curiously, she started towards the shimmer, like a soap bubble that had yet to pop between the branches and boughs of two aspen trees and their golden leaves.
“What are you ?” she wondered, putting a hand on the bubble-like shine…only for her hand to pass through with barely a ripple.
She couldn’t see her hand on the other side. But the screaming was coming from there. A slightly annoyed expression crossed her face as she took a deep breath.
“Boredom killed the cat…” she muttered…
And she stepped through.
This day was passing by as most did: quiet, save for the eternally howling wind outside. The wind didn’t usually bother her any, though; she was secluded nicely in her little room, and nothing from the roil outside could get in. She was well and truly done with what roiled outside.
Well…mostly.
Sometimes an unusual enough sound would get her to rise from dozing in her cozy chair to go look out the window. Today, as it turned out, was one of those days.
A horrific screech echoed in the distance, and it finally compelled Doll to shuffle over to the window for a look.
The snow was whiteout thick like usual…but she could see distant flickers of light through it, like something…detonating? She tilted her head a little, golden eyelights flickering quizzically.
[That’s new,] she deadpanned after a moment, smirking slightly. That level of chaos indicated that the Solver was dealing with…something. Okay, maybe this warranted further investigation. After a little stretch, she shuffled over to the door and opened it, stone-faced as a blast of wind immediately slammed into her, dusting her dress with snow. The usual lovely weather.
She didn’t have to walk far into the storm to see something unusual, however. A scant few feet from her open door was a small area where the snow seemed to slow and drift lazily in little eddies before it continued screaming through the air.
[That is probably a trap,] she mused to herself…before shrugging. She had nearly nothing left to lose.
She shuffled over to the little pocket of still air…and she was swiftly met with not the usual lovely weather.
“Oh, no, no, no… Why is it doing that…” N muttered quietly to himself, his golden eyelights hollow as he stared out at the infinite space beyond him. Another screech sounded and the whole of the Dreamscape rumbled around him, parts of the ever still ground actually starting to crash and ripple as if it were real water. What was happening to make it do that?? He had never seen this kind of behavior out of the Solver. He wasn’t sure if that meant good things or if that meant something world endingly worse just cropped up.
The butler shrank into his shoulders again as the awful sound rang out yet again, stiff as a board before he flicked his gaze over to the side and his discarded drawings. Okay, that was it. It was officially too loud and way too creepy for him to be able to keep drawing and pretend like nothing was happening. His visor sprang to life with a three pronged symbol as he waved a hand, causing part of the ground to rear up like a tidal wave. He was absolutely getting to the bottom of this.
Annnnd that’s when he saw… nothing. Or rather he was staring out at a metal hallway. Biscuits… Why wasn’t he looking at anything? Surely he knew where the chaos was right? But he could sure as heck hear things. Ohhh, could he ever hear things. A concerned voice asking if they were all going to die, a reassurance this was… normal? Whatever “this” was, some absolutely terrifying laughter that made even him chill a little bit, something about a “Code Alice”, and…
His thoughts were drowned out by yet another loud screech, this one causing him to clap his hands over the sides of his head. Oh, it was angry . Wait… Not angry. Confused maybe? Bewildered? Biscuits, he didn’t sign up to be an English expert! All he knew was there was clearly something going on in that cute little bunker and whatever it was, it had the Solver screaming in absolute unholy terror. “W-Woah… Um… Okay… That’s cool… I guess… Whattheheckishappening-”
He flicked his hand, letting the static tidal wave collapse before he pulled up another one to its side, his eyelights only getting brighter as they ringed with stress lines. He was looking through somebody else’s eyes now and… Was that a laser?? Whatever it was it nearly vaporized a good chunk of the roof just n- Ohhhh… Oh that wasn’t good at all… He cringed into himself, gritting his teeth as he watched the absolute architectural slaughter. He kept eye contact with the wave and flinched back as if he was afraid it was going to shoot back at him just looking at it before he frantically waved his hand, trying to get it to close before he instead settled for hunking down in a crouched ball and holding his head. Oh. My god.
The audio rending shriek the Solver gave just after that only served to punctuate the moment as the absolute carnage of walls and floors alike continued on the makeshift screen.
“...What the hell is going on?”
N’s head snapped up at the sudden sound of the voice, his eyelights still very clearly ringed with his stress. Who was… Was somebody seriously dreaming at a time like this?? Like this??? He wasn’t even sure if the Dreamscape was a safe place to be for himself right now, let alone someone not-him! He turned on his heels, fully expecting to lock eyes with one of his usual dreamers, though… He looked up from his crouched position in confusion. Who was that in the distance?
The shape before him was petite, a small little drone girl with long white hair tied up in ponytails with a large black bow. Her maid’s outfit was pristine save for a few grass stains on it, and her golden eyes were hollow as her head tilted slightly to the side in confusion.
“...Big brother N?” she blinked.
N’s eyes locked with the little drone girl, and near instantly his oil chilled as he froze stiff on the spot. No, no, no… That couldn’t be… But it looked just like her! But… The eyes were yellow… His hands balled into fists on the sides of his head. It promised it wouldn’t take her!! Why were her eyes yellow??
“Little buddy?” He whispered out quietly.
“What in…I am…very confused…” she blinked, “Why…why are you here? An-and why are you a Worker?”
N wasted no time in springing from his crouched position to his full height… which wasn’t a lot when he started pinwheeling his arms and nearly fell over. He took several unhindered steps towards her, his fingers immediately coming up in front of him to fidget. “No, no, no, no…” He whispered as he approached the maid girl. “Why are your eyes yellow? They shouldn’t be yellow- It promised!! We had a deal!”
“Deal?” she asked, “What deal? Big brother, the only deal that was made was the one I did to save you and Tessa. Perhaps I should have included V and J in it as well, but you and Tessa were priority…”
N looked confused at her words, this emotion showing clearly as he opened and closed his mouth a few times in an attempt to form a word. Who… was V and J? Wait- No! Not important right now! No time for that! He took a shaky breath. “No- No- It was supposed to- It- It took you and I… I told it to leave you alone and use me instead… It wasn’t supposed to take you too! That wasn’t the deal!”
“...You did what ?” she whispered, “No…no no no no, that is not what happened…I have always been the Solver’s Host. You…”
She blinked, eyes going stressed.
“You are not my Big Brother N…are you.”
N looked equally stressed as he stared back at the girl, his fingers knitting themselves together as he nervously fidgeted. Not… My Big Brother N… He ran those words back through his processors a few more times, taking another shaky breath as he spoke once more, his voice impossibly small. “...You’re not… C either, are you?”
“Close, I believe,” she gave a small little curtsy and an impish grin, “Hello, I am Serial Designation: Cyn. It is nice to meet you,”
N visibly deflated at these words, though it was incredibly hard to tell if it was out of disappointment or sheer relief as his shoulders went slack and he held up one finger. “...I’m N. Serial Designation N. Nice to meet you too…”
“What is…going on here? I am very confused.” Cyn admitted, “I heard screaming.”
N opened his mouth to respond to that, though all the air was sucked out of him in an instant as the Dreamscape rumbled around them again punctuated by another scream. He deflated even further with stressed eyes, slowly pointing a shaking hand up at the sky before he slowly leveled the point at the tidal wave screen that was still up a short distance behind him. “...That. That’s what’s happening.”
“...W-Why is it so angry?”
“It-” N flinched and cringed into his shoulders at the sound of some kind of explosion, Robo God only knows what, coming from the screen behind him. A wild cackling soon followed, and slowly he was turning his head to vaguely gesture at the screen. “...One of the Solver Drones is up to something… I think- Biscuits- Even I don’t know what’s happening over there-”
Cyn blinked, staring at the screen…and a soft giggling sound came from a little grin on her face. It then got louder and her grin wider…until it was a full on gremlin laugh that sent her to the floor rolling with laughter as tears streaked down her visor.
“Oh god! Oh god !” Cyn howled, “Hahahaha! YES! Oh I have been waiting for someone to do this!! Ahahahahaha!”
N blinked, then blinked again, then blinked several more times at this reaction. He started off with a nervous chuckle as he leveled his gaze up at the sky, half expecting another shriek or some other show of retaliation against their laughter, but when it never came… First a shudder went through him, then a snort, then finally an actual laugh as Cyn’s howling laughter began to get the best of him.
The laughter, soon enough, compelled a third drone to approach the pair, moving quietly and rather stiffly. She had briefly been watching from a short distance away, assessing the situation…but it quickly became apparent that the Solver of the Absolute Fabric had been completely bewildered by something, and she felt the urge to send that something her fondest regards in thanks for the show. A little smirk took shape on her faceplate as she came closer, and a quiet, breathy laugh escaped her.
“Oh…I…suppose we are not…alone?” Cyn blinked, taking a deep breath to calm herself, “And…I take it that you are like us then?”
[If by “like us” you mean…trapped in my own head, a plaything of a monster, then yes,] she deadpanned in Russian.
N nearly jumped out of his casing at the sudden laughter that joined them, his eyes hollow as he found the Russian speaking drone. That- Wasn’t one of his dreamers either. But… She did look awfully familiar… Much like Cyn did… He shook that thought away before he put on his best attempt at a smile, attempting to ignore the fact that the Dreamscape rumbled again. “Well, that’s… Yeah… That’s super fair actually… That’s a fair way to put it…” He commented.
“Oh very much agreed,” Cyn admitted, “So, we are all in agreement that this…is humorous, correct?”
[Oh, very,] the Russian drone smirked, before giving a two-fingered salute. [Wonderful show you have going here.]
“Oh yeah, it’s humorous! And super funny! And… Maybe actually pretty frightening a little bit-” N muttered that last part quickly before he snapped into a straight backed pose, his hands fidgeting before him. “That’s um… Yeah that over there is. Biscuits. That’s new. I’ve never seen this before.”
“Oh, if only we had batteries for th-” Cyn paused, “On…second thought…I may be able to…make this viewing a bit more…fun? If, of course, you would be willing to join me?”
N blinked at this thought, running it through his processor a few more times before his head tilted to the side. “More fun? Joining you where? There’s not a whole lot to do here in the Dreamscape… Just me and my drawings.”
“You are not the only one with a small haven,” she gave a little bit of a sharp grin, “I may have a better viewing area…if you want,”
[I would love to watch the show,] The Russian said with a smirk, before pausing a moment to give a little stiff curtsy. [I have forgotten my manners. I am Serial Designation: Doll. Pleased to watch the show with you.]
N snapped to attention at this introduction, attempting to return the curtsy with a small bow… But he quickly dipped forward and nearly fell on his face as his balance tipped too far forward. “N! Serial Designation N!” He greeted with a nervous laugh, putting his hands on his hips as he attempted to ignore the embarrassing failed attempt he’d just put on.
Cyn gave a sigh and got up off the ground, brushing herself off as she too dipped into a small little curtsy.
“Serial Designation: Cyn,” she grinned, “Now! If…you both would follow me…I would like to bring you to my Haven,”
And with that, she walked right through the little soap bubble portal she strolled out of earlier.
N watched as Cyn disappeared through the portal, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to process that. When did that get there…? He didn’t remember those being around the Dreamscape before. Then again… It still found ways to surprise him. He looked between the portal and Doll for a moment, a wide smile soon crossing his face as he gestured to the portal. “Ladies first!”
Doll chuckled a little at that, then didn’t hesitate to stride through the portal, back upright and stiff as she crossed through.
The sun shone brilliantly overhead and Cyn gave a soft smile as she stepped back into the cool breeze of the Haven. The leaves of the trees around her whispered gently and she turned back to face the other two Hosts with a massive grin as she spread her arms wide.
“Welcome to the Haven,” she smiled, “We should be safe from any interference. The Solver is kept behind the mountain barrier…but…we should be fine.”
N popped out of the portal in just enough time to hear Cyn speaking, and immediately his eyes had gone hollow as he took in the sight of the Haven around them. A quiet gasp of surprise fell past his mouth as he looked around, taking in the sights and the sounds of the trees and the leaves around him. There was actual scenery here! It wasn’t just a big empty infinite space! Ohhh, he was jealous already. “Woaaaah… Is this where you live?”
“For the past…oh dear…how long has it been?” Cyn murmured, “Twenty years? Ten years? I am not sure anymore…I have…been here a long time,”
Doll’s jaw dropped as she took in the scenery, quietly walking among the flowers and just…gazing longingly at every cloud, every rustling leaf. There was a wistfulness etched deeper into her faceplate the longer that she looked. [It is beautiful,] she finally said.
“I have…had a long time to perfect it,” Cyn admitted, “Come, follow me. The Lake is the best place to watch. Oh, and if you see two Solver Drones around…pay them no mind, they are probably bickering over their chess match again.”
N was still drinking in the scenery around him, his eyelights darting around as they tried to take in every little detail he could see all at once. Compared to the place he had been in for ages, this was practically a sensory overload. His gaze returned to Cyn, his head tilting curiosity to the side again. “Oh? Chess match? I like chess! But… Cards are better.”
She let out a small, bell-like laugh as a grin crossed her face.
“Much…like my Big Brother. I taught him everything he knows. Could never quite beat me in Rummy or any other card game.”
N’s eyes narrowed, his cheeks puffing out slightly at that. “...C was really good at Rummy too. And D could stomp me at poker. But!! I was training hard! I was going to win! And I probably would have! …Eventually! So there!”
Doll tuned back into the conversation at the mention of cards, chuckling a little. [Hm, it sounds like we should all play at some point, perhaps. I warn you…I was unbeatable back in the day.] A sharp smile crossed her faceplate for a moment.
N’s eyes narrowed slightly at this, a hand coming up to rub his chin before his hands went back down to his sides, a look of determination in those eyelights. “I never won but I went on a whole training montage! I bet I could win now!”
“Oh I will take you both up on that! After all…what exactly is stopping us? Since we all are trapped in our heads?” Cyn asked as she sat down on the lake’s beach, dipping a finger into the water and watching the ripples cascade into picture form, much like what had happened in N’s Dreamscape, “But for now…”
She snapped her fingers and the air rippled, a large bowl of batteries appearing next to her.
“Let us have some fun, shall we?” she grinned.
N muttered a soft ooooo sound as the large bowl of batteries appeared, his hand immediately starting to creep towards the bowl as he bent down next to Cyn to sneak one. He hadn’t had these in so many years… Oh, this was going to be so much fun! He even had new friends to watch with!
Doll settled herself down on Cyn’s other side, posture rigid and movements slow. She eyed the bowl hungrily before quietly reaching for it and plucking a battery out. She regarded it with bright eyelights for a moment before popping it in her mouth, a look of bliss crossing her face as it crunched between her fangs. It had felt like an eternity before she’d gotten to see such pretty scenery, enjoy such good food…or be around any pleasant company.
N popped the battery he snuck into his mouth and crunched it between razor sharp fangs… and nearly choked as he watched another laser shoot by on the viewing screen and take out another hefty section of the roof. Where did she even get a super doomsday laser weapon anyway?? And how much of the bunker was left?? Oh noooo. The Solver was going to be so mad if anybody died here. Her included. Actually- Maybe not her. But everybody else? Sure. He shuddered at the thought and shrunk into his shoulders, his eyelights hollow with stress lines as he shakily grabbed another battery.
Cyn just started giggling, tossing up another battery and crunching it between her fangs, grinning as she kicked her feet in the sand.
“I honestly have not seen this much chaos since one of my Solver Drones brought a railgun to class,” she grinned, “It did not scream though. This is new.”
“Yeah… That’s… Um,” N cringed with another battery between his teeth as something else exploded off in the distance, heard but unseen on the screen. “That one’s Alice… She builds stuff all the time but. Um. Not- Not like that- Biscuits- Not like this.”
“Alice…hm…I had an Alice that was counterpart to a Solver Drone but…surely this cannot be the same?”
N continued to watch the architectural mayhem on screen, his head starting to dip to the side before he frowned and jerked himself upright. A small look of confusion crossed his eyelights. “That’s… Um…” He had to squint as he took a moment to recall details. “Alice- I mean- That Alice… She has a non-Solver Drone counterpart. She’s a Solver Drone herself… Sorta… Kinda… Her infection isn’t as severe. I’m not sure why. I can’t see her as well as I can her son half of the time.”
“...That is strange,” Cyn hummed, “No, she was a regular Worker for me…went a little crazy, but I was only to see her in flashes because of the Solver Drones around her.”
“She married… Um… Who was it… Think, think, think…” N scratched his head with one hand as his other plucked another battery from the bowl. “Um. Khan? Khan Doorman? I think that was his name. I see him sometimes because of Alice and her son both being… Um. Solver Drones. Yeah. I see him in flashes if I look in at the right time.”
“...Huh…” Cyn blinked, “That is not who married him here. That would be Nori…who…”
She looked to the side, giving a small sigh as she turned back to look at the lake.
“Nori is one of the data ghosts that resides here in my Haven. She and Yeva. Both of them were killed and their spirits rest here for a while. So I am never truly alone.”
N opened his mouth to speak, though he deflated a bit as those words settled on him. Oh… He never did well with people dying. Never had. He gave a sympathetic frown and rubbed his arms. Not to mention the fact those were both familiar names… His head started to dip to the side again before he jerked himself upright. “There’s… Biscuits… Uh…” The butler held his hands up to count on his fingers. “Six? Six living Solver Drones? B-Back home, I mean. Not counting me since I’m kind of… weird.”
Doll was quiet and thoughtful, listening to all of this. She even paused in snacking on her batteries. Memories echoed in her processor, times where sometimes a voice other than the Solver’s would wail into the wind. Oftentimes she had been half asleep, and assumed it was just the Solver playing with her again, trying to lure out its favorite plaything for another round…but she had learned her lesson. It was best to never engage again. It had already stolen her life and everything she had ever loved from her.
It always took some very clear voices, near and dear to her core, to lure her to that frost-coated window to a peek outside.
Perhaps…perhaps she should have come to the window more?
“The only ones that are alive are…well…” she looked at Doll with an amused smile, “One of them seems to be your counterpart. Yeva’s daughter is also called Doll. Nori’s daughter is the other one, Uzi. They are the only remaining Solver Drones besides myself. My siblings I do keep an eye on, but their Solver has been blocked.”
Uzi, Uzi, Uzi. That name rang a very sharp bell with N, so much so that he cringed again part way through munching through another battery. Oh, things had not been kind to her… Or Nori for that matter… He could only hope things had gone better for Cyn’s versions. “I watch my siblings too. They don’t… do the Solver powers either. I made sure of that,” He spoke quietly. “Can’t say the same for the Solver Drones…”
Doll’s eyelights hollowed at the mention of having a counterpart. She had a what? With…a what? A slight tremble ran through her for a second before she schooled herself back into rigidity. [Surely…it is coincidence.] she said, making her voice be even.
“Hm… I don’t know…” N began as he scratched his head again, though it tipped over again at his touch. He frowned and jerked himself upright again. That wasn’t supposed to be happening here… That needed to stop. “One of my siblings looks a lot like you, Doll. And another one looks a whole lot like Cyn! Um… Maybe the counterparts thing is actually real…? Maaaaybe…?”
“Well, I did say something about my brother…and how I thought he looked much like you,” Cyn pointed out, “He is one of the Disassembly Drones sent to Copper-9. So seeing you was much a shock. But…hm…this is quite interesting,”
N hummed thoughtfully at Cyn’s statement, reaching to pop another battery into his mouth. “Well… My little sister, C… She was one of the Disassembly Drones sent to Copper-9. D, who looks a lot like…” He paused to nod towards Doll, “was another one. Also sent to Copper-9 as a Disassembly Drone…”
Doll gave a bitter little laugh, at that. [So that is another thing we all have in common,] she muttered. [Our families being sent to Copper-9 as Disassembly Drones…] Oh…she would never forgive the Solver for what it had done to them.
“...I see,” Cyn hummed, drawing a little in the sand before a thoughtful light appeared in her eyes, “I wonder…hm…that could potentially be fun…and has the added bonus of angering that virus even more…”
N ran Cyn’s words through his processor a few more times, frowning as he tried to catch the meaning behind her words. “...What could be fun?”
[Angering the virus is fun,] Doll said with a malicious smirk. Oh, at the mention of her Disassembler family, she was more than eager to spite That Thing even further.
“You all want to see your families, true?” Cyn asked, her head tilting slightly to the side.
That…actually gave Doll a moment of pause, before she answered. [True. But…it is best that they do not see me.]
N opened and closed his mouth a few times again, his facial expression immediately indicating his torn feelings over the question Cyn proposed. “I… I don’t know, little buddy…” He began as he started fidgeting his hands in front of him. “I-I mean I do! I really do! I haven’t… Biscuits… I haven’t seen those goobers in years… But I’m not sure how they would feel if I just suddenly ran up to them…”
“Then we ease them into it,” Cyn grinned, “After all…I think it would be amusing to see how your counterparts handle mine…perhaps…”
Her face fell slightly as she gave a sigh.
“Perhaps that would mean some healing for them as well…”
N’s eyelights drew into a frown at the sigh and the last of Cyn’s words. There was absolutely something there and he knew it, but he wasn’t sure if he would be allowed to pry at that. This wasn’t his sister after all… He really shouldn’t overstep any boundaries… But Robo God, he really wanted to. “I, um…” He began softly. “I don’t know if mine need ‘healing’ exactly but. They’ve had some tough times here and there. Not just because of the mansion… I know they’ve been under a lot of stress. I can see it whenever I check in on them from the Dreamscape.”
“Well…to put it a different way,” Cyn admitted, “I believe that my world is…a little further down the years than yours? I have been stuck here for nearly twenty years. You both do not seem that old. So…my thoughts were that perhaps mine may be able to give yours advice?”
She turned to Doll.
“Oh, I would not expect you to go see them if you were not comfortable with it. I will remain hidden as well, if only to watch. Though…” she gave a small little wicked smirk, “I… could call for Yeva if you would like to meet her. Though I am not sure how well that would go over for you both.”
Doll blinked, several different emotions flashing through her eyelights before they flickered back into blank ovals. [No…no, that is fine, it is probably for the best that we do not do that,] she said in a voice that was entirely too monotone for a moment. [As for mine…they could probably benefit from some advice,] she admitted. [There has been a lot of turmoil in their squad in the last few months. I…cannot help them. But…maybe talking to older, wiser selves can?] It sounded really out there, to be certain…but this little meeting and the entity that connected them would already make a lot of physicist’s heads spin, so what was one more mind screw?
Especially if it irritated and confused the Solver.
“ Excellent …” Cyn’s grin got even wider as she clapped her hands together and then rubbed them like the evil gremlin she was, “And…I believe I might have the idea for the first one.”