Chapter Text
When the six re-entered Otto's mind, they thought they knew what to expect, but it was completely different in the chilling rain. They hadn't been led to the VIP lounge, nor anywhere in the museum. Instead, the Psi-Portal had dumped them just outside of a place that had been forgotten to time.
Otto's old lab, the one in Green Needle Gulch.
"I thought this thing blew up," Bob mumbled. "It was just after the new one was suggested, so he could be closer to the Motherlobe. Too many memories in there, or whatever. I… I wasn't focusing on what he was saying. I was busy with my own issues." Cassie stepped forward.
"...I remember the sound of the explosion. It terrified my bees. It wasn't as bad as someone else's breakdown, though." She glanced at Bob, who avoided her eyes. "...and I was… I was in mostly the same straits. I can't blame you."
Bob sighed deeply, deflating a little, and Helmut patted his back.
"It's okay. We got this, Bobby. All of us together-- we're bound to figure out what's eating at him."
"...Alright, everyone. We're going to need to go at this like a real mission. Which means psychic links, codenames, and focusing on what we're doing." Ford stepped in front of the group, looking them over. "So. Does anyone have suggestions for code names?"
"Feast of the senses?" Helmut suggested, already grinning.
"...Please no," Compton quietly answered. "I don't like the name Tasty."
"Besides, what would you be, honeybear? Everyone knows you're Psi-King. We'd need names that Otto doesn't know if we're in his mind."
"...Alright. Names Otto doesn't know. Hm…"
Ford finally sighed. "How about this. I'll be Ranger. Compton's Activist. Helmut's Performer. Bob, Captain. Lucy, Acrobat, and Cassie--"
"Previous jobs, I see. I'll be Librarian then."
"Bingo. Are we ready?"
"Psychic link set up."
"Great. Let's go in."
Ford led the others into the cave of a lab, walking deeper than he thought possible as the lights around them grew dimmer, finally flickering to black.
Then, the floor under them vanished.
They tried to grab onto anything they could, anyone they could, and then, there was nothing else to hold.
Otto found himself in a small room, somewhere he couldn't recognize. He huffed, rubbing his head as he say up, and he looked at the little friend with him in the low light of its back bulbs.
That stupid Good Idea. It stared up at him with those bright eyes, offering him a quiet smile. Its fur was on end from static, so he brushed it down.
"...what are you, little guy?" he mumbled. "Guess I don't have anything I can do but focus on whatever you are." He picked up the idea, looking it over, until he finally found the answer to what it was.
Ask for help, the idea whispered to him. They want to help you. The voices are lying.
He set it back down, and laid back on the floor, wishing he had at least brought a coffee with him. Even though his pockets were laden in psi-pops and dream fluffs, he didn't have a pin that could get him out of there or even light up the room more than his tiny friend was. He was almost useless. Almost .
There was something he could see in the room, at least: a computer, much sleeker than any he had seen. There were screens above him, prepared to show whatever they needed. A mission control center, made just for him. And since he didn't see any doors or windows…
He approached the desk and set the Good Idea down beside it before putting his fingers to the keys. With his touch, three monitors lit up: Three different locations, full of mental denizens but lacking any sense of real life.
"...Should I wait for the others to show up?" he asked both himself and the good idea. It hopped off the desk and onto his lap. "...Alright, if you're gonna be like that, I'm gonna name you. How about… Sparky."
It didn't react.
"Sparky it is. I'll get you a collar if we get out of here."
It snuggled up to him, and he managed to smile.
"Alright, alright, fine. When we get out of here."
Cassie was the first to wake up, blinking wildly as she tried to re-orient herself. She was in some sort of city, lit by neons and sleek outlines. Blueprint paper lined the streets, and buildings were sometimes made of their own blueprints. She grabbed the figure next to her, hauling it to the side of the road just in time to avoid a rapidly passing car. That was when she looked down at who was in her hands.
Ford Cruller, still mostly out of it.
"...Ranger? Ranger, can you hear me?"
He finally stirred, groaning as he tried to straighten out. "Gah… Set me down, will ya?"
She dropped him, letting him fall on the pavement.
"That works." He stood, brushing himself off as he looked around. "...This is a lot more than I thought it would be. I was thinking he'd be hiding a room or something, not a whole city…"
"It's like the books in my mind. Nothing to it. Let's find the problem and help him through it--"
"Ford? Cassie?" A voice echoed, and a monitor nearby crackled to life. Those his glasses were askew and his hair was an even bigger mess than ever before, it was still clearly Otto on the screen. Cassie blinked.
"...Otto? What the h-ll is going on!" Ford exclaimed. "You got a lot to tell us--"
"I know, alright! I was trying to act like everything was okay, and suddenly it all flew out of control-- I don't know where I am, I'm in some dark computer room with Sparky."
"Who's Sparky?" Cassie asked. Otto held up the idea again, and it hung from his hands like a cat unwilling to let go of its perch on his lap. "...You named it?"
"Of course I did. I'm stuck with this little guy now, I can't just have a nameless idea running around. Even if it's just a name in workshop, it's better than saying "that thing over there with the big claws" or whatever." Otto shrugged as he leaned back.
"...Fine. What can you do right now, Mentallis?" Ford asked.
"I can hit buttons and watch you guys on screens. I found the broadcast one for where you are, so I bet there's ones for the other two groups. Apparently, you two are on the red line."
"Other two groups-- who's with Booley?"
"That'd be Helmut. And… yeah, I probably should talk to them. Don't worry, Lucy and the cactus are fine, so far. They're on the blue line. So there's red, green, and blue. RGB." Otto looked down for a moment. "I'm going to connect to the green, then. I don't entirely know what all these buttons do quite yet, but I'll figure it out and see if any of them can help you guys with whatever's going on here. Otto out!" He hit a button, and the monitor they were watching him on died quickly, shutting down before they could say anything.
"...Alright, Ranger, do you have a plan?"
"Honestly, not yet. We don't even know where we are here, Librarian."
"Then let's figure that out first."
Helmut was panicking.
The first thing he was aware of was the fact that his Bobby wasn't there. There was no sign of him anywhere, in fact-- Not even a trace of dirt in the clean city streets. Nothing but him and a couple of mental denizens and--
"Compton?"
He managed to pull himself out of his panic for long enough to poke Compton's shoulder, startling him into looking at him.
"H-Helmut? But where's Cassie--"
"Bobby's gone too. This isn't good at all--"
"I-- I can try to ask where they are? I don't know, it's all I can think of--"
"Ah, shoot! We forgot the code names! Ford's gonna be on us if he hears that--"
"Are you two okay?!" Otto's voice cut through everything, making both Compton and Helmut jump as they searched for the source. A monitor on a nearby wall waved at them, or rather the person on it did. "Sorry, that was probably loud. Are you okay?"
"I-- I think? Is Cassie--"
"Worried about you, but she's with Ford. And I haven't checked on the other group just yet. Point is, I think you guys are gonna be mostly on your own here. Just you two, and me popping in like this. I'm stuck in a room with that idea from before, but I've got a bunch of buttons that'll likely do something. I've got monitors on all three of the groups, so-- I can probably talk to all of you guys and share information. Unless your link still works? I didn't ask Ford if he got that set up--"
Helmut tried to reach out to Bob, but he couldn't even find a blip on the radar. Nothing but him and Compton. Apparently, his worries were evident on his face, because Otto quickly continued.
"Alright, so I'll be communicating between the groups. I'll tell Cactus you're alive and okay, and Cassie that you're a bit panicky but alright. Point is, I think this place is trying to bring the groups to different places. You're the green line, Cassie and Ford are the red line, and Lucy and Bob are the blue line. So if I say a color, that's the team I mean. On the other hand-- you're gonna be on your own for a bit here. You guys got it?"
"Wait, can you tell Bobby I said that I love him?"
"...Fine. Just this once." Otto sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Don't expect me to say it more than one time."
"You're a lifesaver."
"See you guys in a bit. I'm gonna go talk with the next group and make sure they're alive."
Otto’s monitor turned off, leaving them in the midst of the space they were in. With the conversation under his belt, Helmut could at least relax enough to really place the area.
A train station. Sort of. It was a bit sleeker than that.
“...Compton? Uh, what are these things? Are those busses?” He pointed to the vehicles pulling in on rails. “They don’t look like trains…”
“Oh. Er… If I remember right, they’re monorails.” Compton pushed his hat up a little. “Otto told me a bit about them a few weeks ago. They’re only just being put in near us, so I haven’t seen one in real life…” He gestured. “I suppose this is the way forwards?”
“Looks like it.” Helmut straightened his hat, shook his head to let his hair fall where it wanted, and confidently walked to the doors as they slid open. “All aboard!” He cheerfully called, and he hopped on, sticking out a hand to catch Compton’s. He helped him over the tiny gap between platform and car, then took a seat on one of the many purple benches. Compton hopped up to sit beside him, and as the monorail started moving, they did their best to stay calm.
Lucy was doing much better than Bob, at least, but that wasn’t saying much, as he paced back and forth in the blue cell they had ended up in.
“--And now Helmut’s gone. Great. Just great. The others are all gone, and we’re locked in, and I don’t even know what to do.”
“Remember the code names, Captain.”
“F-ck the code names! I don’t know where my husband is, again . He could be in danger, again . And I could never see him again AGAIN !” Bob flopped to the ground, burying his face in his hands. “We just got here, and now suddenly we’re trapped, I don’t have my smelling salts because Helmut has our shared one, and there’s no way out of this stupid room.” He groaned. “I’m so tired…”
“...This is probably the worst time to interrupt, isn’t it?” a voice asked, breaking through the complaints. Bob looked up and around, but Lucy was quicker in finding a screen with Otto on it. He looked like a mess, certainly, and she could almost see a resemblance in the way that he and Bob looked-- stress made their glasses fall askew over their old faces, with hair (or, well, beard) that couldn’t be tamed.
“...You look like garbage,” Bob finally muttered. Otto rolled his eyes.
“Says you. Speaking of saying, your husband wants me to tell you the obvious. He loves you. The normal sort of stuff. All that sappy junk." He waved a hand.
"....thanks. It's… I really needed that," Bob admitted. Otto didn't even smile.
"I think I'm starting to figure out the lay of the land here. Is there anything you guys can do where you are?"
"We're locked in whatever place your stupid mind dropped us, Robo-dork," Bob shot back. Otto's form slumped slightly. "...Too mean? I'll cut back."
"Nah. Honesty is good."
"I'm just mad at being away from Helmut. Not at you."
"...Whatever. I have some buttons, so I'll need you guys to be on the lookout for any symbols--"
"There's a triangle next to this door over here," Lucy cut in. "While you boys were arguing, some of us have actually been looking around."
"Triangle. Is it filled in?"
"Nope, just an outline."
Otto scanned whatever was before him, and hit a button. The door slid open, and Bob stumbled to his feet to join Lucy.
Bob blinked. "...Looks like we've got a path onwards. Ladies first?"
"Such a gentleman," Lucy teased him.
"Great. I'll catch up with you two in a bit. Looks like Ford and Cassie are getting a bit ahead. Need me to carry a message to the Lucy-lovers?" Otto chuckled. Lucy smiled at the screen.
"Oh, no need. They know."
"Tell that to those lovebirds, will you?" Otto jabbed a thumb towards Bob as the other man huffed.
"Hey. Sometimes it’s just nice to hear he cares. We had to skip twenty years in there and--"
"Spare me the lecture for now, please. I… I know. I messed up. I should have checked over the brains. I should have realized it was Helmut. I get it. It's obvious. You can yell at me all you want later."
Before Bob could even squeak out an answer, Otto's screens turned off, leaving them with one way open and no other ways to go. Lucy gestured for him to follow, and she created a tiny flame to light their path as they walked along. She could see the confusion in Bob's eyes. At some point, she would ask him what he was thinking. For now, though, they had an exploration to get through.
Or, rather, get into. The idea of a new mission after so long felt exciting. At least now, she had someone on her side.
Ford walked around in circles, humming slightly to try and focus his mind. No matter what he tried to reason, it fell apart with interrupting thoughts and emotions leaking into every pore of the air.
The air was charged with electricity, offering them an easy way of transport if they were willing to steal some of the electric scooters parked along the path. It could be a possibility. Even so, he felt more inclined to not suggest it, especially around Cassie.
“...Any sign of anything, Librarian?”
“Nothing. It’s just us and normal denizens.”
“Suspicious.” Ford cast his eyes around. “I’m gonna talk to ‘em.”
“Stay safe, Ranger.” She reminded him as he walked towards a few of the bots nearby. The trio he found that were still enough to walk to and not bother were all similar, in the way that family members are. All three were designed with larger heads than usual, and they were rather round. Not one had a visible neck, instead sticking together with magnetism and hovering a bit above their bodies. He would have to ask Otto about them when they had the chance, he noted to himself. One jumped at the sight of him.
“M-mr. Cruller? Is that you? You’re not supposed to be here!” It pulled out a clipboard from a bag, scanning every line. “It-- Our schedules say that you should be on the Blue line, in the factory-- Oh, no, this is a nightmare--”
“Speaking of. Have you seen any nightmares around?” He knelt to meet it face-to-face. “Seems like Otto’s dealin’ with a lot of ‘em.”
“...” The little robot looked up at him, then at Cassie, then at its friends. Finally, it got up from where it was resting, rolling on a little wheel. “...I’m not supposed to talk about those, sir… There’s… New management. She says we’re not supposed to say anything about nightmares, especially if you or the others show up, and especially not if Mr. Mentallis is around--”
“Too bad, I’m here and I’m listening, sooo… Break the rules a bit, buddy?” Otto’s voice interrupted from a screen nearby. He was petting that Good Idea of his still, using it as a source of relaxation-- Not that Ford blamed him much, after the stress he seemed to be under before. The little robot that stood before Ford, though, looked terrified at the sight of him.
“M-M-Mister-- Mr. Mentallis! I-- I-- I’m really sorry, sir, but I don’t have the authorization to tell you!”
“Disappointed but not surprised,” Otto mumbled.
“I was about t’ ask the guy something, Otto. Relax a bit.”
“Bit hard to do that, Cruller, but sure, I’ll say I’m relaxing.”
“I-- How can I help you, Mr. Cruller?”
“Easy. We’re trying to help out Otto. What’s the problem around here?”
The little robot blinked owlishly, making Ford wonder why it had been given eyelids in the first place. Even so, it smiled at him, adjusted its little bag, and tucked its clipboard away.
“You’re willing to help us? That’s incredible! I’ll show you what I can, sir! Come with me, Mr. Cruller and Miss O’Pia!”
It started to roll off, and Ford glanced at the monitor before looking to Cassie. She had already started to follow, chatting with the little thing as she would with Compton. Ford turned back to the monitor.
“...Otto? Don’t forget, we’re here to help you. You don’t have to do it all alone.”
Otto didn’t reply before it winked out, leaving Ford staring at a blank screen. He sighed, and turned on his heel, teleporting a little bit away to find the others in the group. It took him a moment, but at least he managed it without getting stuck in a tree or the like again.
Compton moved his feet slightly as the monorail pulled into a station, and he looked up at Helmut.
“...Do you think it’s time to get off?”
Helmut sighed and stood. “...Guess so. We can’t just ride this thing forever.” He extended a hand to Compton, who took it, and they walked off the train together.
They were supports for the rest of the team, not people who knew what to do on their own anymore. Helmut was still recovering from being a brain in a jar for years; Compton was still recovering from being abandoned for so long. They knew it likely looked a little bit weird, but they still held hands, making their way off the monorail and out of the station, finding themselves on a walkway.
They stood above most of the city, looking down on a world of green and red and blue, all spilling together like ink. They were only kept away from the edge by a thin metal and glass railing. Compton couldn’t help but stare a bit, awe creeping into his voice when he did manage to speak, clinging to the railing.
“Oh my.”
Helmut leaned over the railing, looking around as his hair fluttered in the wind. “I totally agree, Comps. This place… Woah. It’s… It’s a symphony. Violins and cellos, definitely. More electronic violins, though… And that bit over there, all the lights--” He threw his hands out, gesturing beyond the area, his figments fanning out around him-- “Tastes like mint, or-- It’s spicy, but in a good way. The kind where you just breathe out and savor it. And that part with the red-- It’s sirens and screaming, something that’s not good-- Rotting away already, like… Bad produce! Yeah, really bad… peaches. I think. It’s got that nasty feeling to it. And the rest is-- It’s like-- And the whole thing-- It’s so--” Helmut balled up his hands, trying to find the words, and finally fell back, shutting his eyes and breathing. “...Alright. We got this. I got this. Not gonna get overstimulated this time.” He opened his eyes again, smiling. “We good.”
“...Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I just… Don’t usually see things that are so… Happening? Busy? Where there’s so much going on. Like a crowd. It’s all so much going on and I get swept up in it if I don’t slow down.” He chuckled awkwardly. “You get me, right?”
Compton nodded. “Overstimulation.”
“Yeah, that!”
“...Do you see anything that looks like we could get closer to it? I think that the red is likely where F-- Er… Ranger and… Librarian? That’s where they are.”
“So that means that the blue bit would be where my Bobby is.”
“Codenames, Helmut.”
“...Captain and… Actress? No, that’s not it… Acrobat. Like Raz.” Helmut nodded, looking around a bit more. “...Green. Otto said we were on the green line, right? So… Maybe if we keep looking for a problem on the green line, then we can figure out what’s going on…”
“That would work.”
Compton let go of the railing, and let Helmut take his hand again, the two of them walking away from the station just in time to come across something just as big as the problems they feared were happening to the others: A large mob of robotic citizens, contrary to the tiny amount that had been on the monorail before. Compton’s heart leaped into his throat, pounding hard with terror at the sight of the crowd.
“Oh, shoot me in the face, I am not handling a crowd right now,” Helmut muttered. Compton searched nearby, finding a small alleyway they could use to avoid it. He pulled Helmut towards it, ending up with Helmut almost pulling him towards it instead, and they both tried to hide from the mob.
It wasn’t far enough away to completely avoid making eye contact with one of them, though. A robot with long, flowing fabric draped around it and a big bow that fell over its camera-like eyes ran to them, pushing the bow out of its face with a mitten-like hand.
“Helmut? Compton? It’s really you? Oh my god, this is incredible-- We really need help right now.”
Helmut glanced at Compton, then the machine that stood before them. It was about the same height as Lizzie, Compton reckoned -- Not short, but not tall either. Just… a height.
“I-- Yes? Is there something we can do to help?” Compton stammered.
“Actually, yes! New management says we gotta keep working hard to make the right emotion, but… Well, all the workers figured out that it just hurts our real boss, so they’re on strike. I need help to take this to the management and stick it in their faces that we’re on Otto’s side here! Please!”
It took a hand from each of them, looking between them with hope in its eyes.
“...Please?”
“I… I think we can do this. Helmut?”
“...Yeah. Let’s go stick it to the man.”
Bob was not having a good day.
It started with being woken up early by Ford, only to get to Otto’s trouble being shoved away from them so hard that even he could feel the repression in the air, and now he was stuck in some building that felt stuffier than one of Truman’s suits with only Lucy to keep him company. Not that he was complaining about being with her, she was likely the best part of everything going on.
“Bob?”
“I’m coming. Just… Gimme a minute.” He panted as he leaned on a wall, shutting his eyes. “You… You move so fast… It’s hard to keep up.”
“Oh. Well, I could slow down if you asked.”
“Would you actually do it?”
“Depends. Maybe.”
“Please. I… I’m gonna pass out if we keep it up at this rate.” Bob managed to catch his breath, stumbling after her. “...Any new things in the hallway ahead, speedster?”
“Nope. Still more doors and hallways.”
“Fantastic. Maybe at some point, we’ll find a place to sit. Or… Any point at all to this.”
“Now, now. There’s bound to be a point to it. Has Otto ever made anything that doesn’t have a point?”
“Yes.”
“...Has he done it recently?”
“Alright, fine, no…” Bob sighed. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”
“I know you are. But if we don’t find a way out of here, then we won’t be able to reach the others.”
Bob’s heart sank at the thought. He adjusted his glasses, and took her by the shoulder.
“We’re not letting that happen.”
“That’s what I thought.” Lucy smiled, and they set off side-by-side. After a moment, a monitor on the wall lit up. Bob wouldn’t admit it was almost comforting to see Otto after what felt like hours stuck in hallways and rooms without end.
Otto waved as they slowed down to face him. “Hey. I’m back. Apparently, there’s actually something happening here. Ford’s supposed to be here. And according to some of the robots in this head of mine, there’s new management. Meaning…”
“Something’s gotten in,” Bob supplied for him. Otto sighed, digging a hand into his hair.
“...Seems so. But… If Ford’s supposed to be here… Wait. What if he didn’t mean your Ford-- Have you two seen any signs of any machines? Robots, automatons, all that jazz?”
“No,” Lucy answered simply. “Not one bit of life.”
“Hm. Well, if you see a bot that looks like Ford, ignore whatever it says. It’s broken and nonfunctional and definitely has nothing to do with anything.”
There was a beat of silence.
“...Fine. It likely is broken, but it’s gonna be… Wrong about you guys for a while. So watch your steps with those things. Things got a bit messy under the surface. I’ll try to find something that can help you--”
“Pardon me!” A voice interrupted, and a mechanical person of no distinct gender walked out, looking at the two on the floor and then the monitor. “Mr. Mentallis, what are you doing?”
“Being trapped in a room with a Good Idea. And you are?”
“I’m the one who’s keeping things working in this place-- The factories have been running poorly ever since the attacks. Apparently, there’s no need for the blue line anymore?” It adjusted its clockwork arms, ticking with every passing second. Gears caught on gears, and it managed to pull on its goggles from around its neck onto its eyes, and it walked past Bob and Lucy to face Otto face-to-face.
“I-- Listen, I’m not trying to shut down anything here--”
“The new management certainly is. Either these two are here to fix that issue, or I shall ask them to leave.”
“...Attacks?” Bob managed to ask.
“Nightmares. Doubts. Enablers.” It didn’t even face them. “Are they here to fix the production line?”
“You could ask us. We’ll help,” Lucy answered. Otto managed a small smile.
“...I can’t tell them what to do.”
“Fine then. I’ll show them what to do.”
“That’s actually great. Thanks. Big help.”
Otto’s voice wasn’t sure of what he was saying, but Bob didn’t mention it as the clockwork person led them away. All he could do was give Otto a tiny smile before hurrying off to catch up.