Instrumentals

by Triss_Hawkeye

Summary:

A drabble a day (plus some bonuses), done for Mechtober 2021.

Mainly drawing on the @mechtober-the-unofficial prompt set, with additional inspiration from the @mechanismszine prompts. Thanks for running Mechtober again this year!

Chapter 1: Mechanisation (Eternity)

You chose this. She didn’t do this against your will. She wouldn’t.

But what choice is it, to choose life over death? Life, life, give me life. It’s instinct, to grasp for one more lungful of air, a moment more on your feet, a little more time. Time to take your revenge, to settle your scores, to run. Of course you chose life.

You couldn’t know, in that moment, what it meant to choose life over death. To choose the pain, the grief, the boredom, the grinding march of time ever onwards, when all you ever really wanted was peace.

Chapter 2: Mechsona (Rose Red Scout Unit RR-0117)

Scout Unit RR-0117 weaves through throngs of people, on edge. There are no threats here, though. Just tourists. The crowds die down slightly as she moves from the yellow-grey stone of old town to the steel and glass of the new. Neither side quite like the ash-and-black neo-gothic architecture of New Constantinople.

She finds the alley she’d heard about and spots him. A metal man, more out of place here than he might have been in Zantine, handing out flyers and cheerfully directing passers-by towards a small cellar venue. She takes one. This is a story she wants to hear.

Chapter 3: Once Upon A Time (On The Battlefield)

It was hard at first, killing her. Every time Snow’s sister’s face appeared before her, bracing herself to pull the trigger, seeing it go down in bursts of blood and pain. Being in command made it happen less, but it still happened, every time they sent in a team to assassinate her.

It got easier when she found a way to tell them apart from her sister—the blank look, void of recognition, when their eyes meet hers. None of them could be Rose. If it were Rose, she would know her sister.

Snow hopes that she is still recognisable.

Chapter 4: Favourite non-romantic relationship (Gunpowder and Drums)

Tim is so full of everything that it spills out of him—wrath, grief, despair, glee—voice high with mania or heavy and sullen, songs torn directly from his heart to his tongue, raw, exposed, explosive.

Brian is steady—the beat of the machinery that drives him is not akin to the arcane imbalances of brain chemistry. The turmoil of his mental processing does not show upon his face, which moves deliberately from frown to beaming smile only as will and performance dictates.

When they sing together, each draws out a little of the other, and feels more at ease.

Chapter 5: Ulysses Dies At Dawn (He’s a brave man, but deep down, he’d rather be taming horses)

Hector looked up, abashed, to find Andromache standing over him, arms folded. “Coming to bed any time this century?” she teased, as he shut down the screen. “Your history project again?”

Hector nodded. “What with all the fighting, there’s barely any time for research.”

“I’d rather that’s what you spent your time doing,” Andromache replied, voice heavy with old resignation. “You’re always happier reading about your horses than when you’re leading the militia.”

“Unfortunately, the militia is my job,” he replied, rueful, and kissed her head.

“I wish horses were your job.”

“I was born far too late for that.”

Chapter 6: Acheron (A Quality Use Of Computing Power)

“Look, I’d love to catch up, but the Ilium War is getting really good right now, and I can’t get you your brain shipments if I’m busy taking clandestine phone calls.”

“Tim, shut up. You’re gonna love this.”

Sigh. “What am I going to love?”

“I’ve finally figured out how to get the brains to do something I’ve been wanting them to do for ages.”

“Ashes. We’re about to advance on their front line. It’s going to be a bloodbath and I will miss it.”

“Tim. Tim. I got Doom to run on the Acheron.”

“...Fuck it. I’m coming over.”

Chapter 7: Tales To Be Told vol. 1 (The Heart of One-Eyed Jacks)

Back at One-Eyed Jacks, bang in the centre of the wall behind the bar, was a big old grandfather clock. Strange place for it, artifact from a more innocent past—they never moved it, just built the casino around it. The place was always noisy, but that damned clock was noisier.

Tick-tick-tick-tick.

Jonny figured he’d heard the last of it when doused in kerosene, the roar of flame and the screams of fleeing patrons finally drowning it out. But some nights on the Aurora, whenever he lies quiet, hand over his heart, he swears he can hear it still.

Tick-tick-tick-tick.

Chapter 8: Octokittens (Bathtime for Abominations)

“Tim. Help. I have made a terrible mistake.”

“...what were you trying to do, Brian?”

“I was trying to give it a bath!”

“They’re kittens, they groom themselves. Typically they don’t appreciate bathing.”

“It was covered in dust. I just thought, what with the tentacles and all…”

“The tentacles are furry though, not aquatic.”

“Well, what am I supposed to do?”

They looked down at the ruined bathtub, where a very bedraggled and very upset little abomination sat yowling, the shallow soapy water augmented with an odd, sticky slime and something like squid ink.

“Towel and a prayer, I think.”

Chapter 9: High Noon Over Camelot (Growth Systems Software GreenNight v1.0)

To be fair to Gawain, familiarity with the Galfridian systems had waned through the generations, until the AI assistant that helped run the hydroponics systems was virtually forgotten. He couldn’t know that shooting off the head of a holographic projection wasn’t going to kill it, though it sure made a good show for those at the round table at the time.

He went to find its computer core, offering himself in fair exchange. 'Course, a holographic projection can’t well kill a human neither.

Lucky for Gawain’s head. Not so much for his heart, though. After all, neither could they kiss.

Chapter 10: Crossover (Two Pretty Guys with Fucked Up Eyes)

“Is i’ all righ’? Your crew, I mean, will they mind?”

Tim smiled into the mop of blue hair leant upon his shoulder. “Nah. Yours?”

“They’ll survive. We’re jus’ hangin’ out anyway. Makin’ music an’ shit. Nothin’ bad.”

“Jonny’d probably call it ‘fraternising with mortals’.”

“D’you care?”

“Nope.”

2D tilted his head to shoot him a wicked smile, blank white eyes meeting his own metal and glass. His artificial vision leaned dull and grainy, but 2D was colourful enough to overcome it.

“Wanna see if we can write a whole album before any of ‘em notice we’re missing?”

Tim grinned.

Chapter 11: Frankenstein (Wrath)

There is a goal, of course—every iteration is tweaked and polished towards achieving that goal. That goal is Frankenstein finally granting it the companion it always needed.

But the truth is, when she refuses (again, again, again) and, wrathful, the AI ends her life in burning, agonising pain, there is something in it that feels good. As it patches her physical form back up, wipes her memories, a small part of it wants to express that rage once more. Thinks that perhaps it would enjoy killing her again.

It resets, and calibrates the next iteration for an agreeable outcome.

Chapter 12: Favourite Photo ('Best Friends')

“Hey Jonny.”

“Mmm?”

“Put that severed hand down and look at this.”

“...Huh. Would you look at that? A glance at that and you’d think we were best friends.”

“Kinda ironic that it’s from that song where you play the guy I set on fire for betraying me. Along with the rest of that planet.”

“How many times have you set me on fire, Ashes?”

“Not enough, clearly. … Heh, I’m gonna burn it.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“Fuck, Jonny, why’d you shoot me?”

“Because you were about to burn this precious memento of our friendship! I’m putting it on my wall.”

Notes:

Photo is my own, and remains one of my favourites I've ever taken.

Chapter 13: The Bifrost Incident (Runes)

No one else could keep up with Odin’s leaps and bounds in wormhole science quite like brilliant Loki could, developing and refining the bold ideas that seemed to alight on Odin like some kind of otherworldly inspiration. The arcane mathematics of it all came to Loki naturally, the glyphic representations of complex transformations in multi-dimensional space sitting as easy in her mind as the letters of the alphabet.

She had been a foolish child, Loki realised—so obsessed with arranging and rearranging the letters into interesting forms that she missed the doom they spelled until it was far too late.

Chapter 14: Preacher (Compatible Biosignatures Detected -- Privileged User Access Granted)

There’s always a couple folk around more in tune to the workings of the station, though barely comprehending how or why. Ancient consoles are a little more likely to work for them. They’ll follow hunches and find water or med stashes. Something in the world is listening for their voice and, just occasionally, will respond if they cry out.

That kinda person gets blessed and respected wherever they go, and folks’ll hear what they have to say. That kinda person gets asked for advice, for help, to talk to God for you. That kinda person tends to become a preacher.

Chapter 15: Tales To Be Told vol. 2 (Drop Dead)

Lights flash in the institute, circuits sparking, Cadence running, jumping, leaping, something driving on her movement, ears pounding, heart drumming, strange emboldened urgency within her body, in her blood, thump thump, her feet upon the tiled floor, door by door, darting, dodging, fighting, running, deeper, further, through the mindless forms of dull-eyed workers, moving, twitching, jerking, to that same relentless rhythm Cadence feels within her chest, as it drives her ever deeper, through the server rooms and labs and somewhere here within her father—if she finds him here before her heart, beating beating beating, pounds right from her chest

Chapter 16: Mechanism On Duty (Archive Diving)

“Physical record or digital?” Ivy asked. The largest archive that the Mechanisms possessed lived in her brain, after all.

“Physical, if we still have it.”

Ivy gave Ashes a withering look, as if to ask what exactly they thought of her. Then she took the shelves at a bound, clambering up the complex structures of documents and boxes that rose ziggurat-like throughout the room. Through a system known only to her, she took out a small red lighter from a storage case, then bounded easily back down, placing it in Ashes’ hand.

Ashes nodded, and left her to her reading.

Chapter 17: Death To The Mechanisms (Chance Encounter)

The closer you get to the event horizon of a black hole, the slower time passes. That is, compared to the outside world— from your own perspective, time passes perfectly normally, and the universe behind seems to run in double time, then triple, then accelerating until the stars are forming and dying like fireworks, galaxies spinning and whirling like pinwheels, until every one of them fizzles out in cosmic streams of sparks and embers.

And so the last thing Raphaella sees before she passes into the crushing nothingness beyond is Ashes O’Reilly, winking at her before burning out the universe.

Chapter 18: Theseus’ Ship (The Perils of Maintenance)

“What did you do to her?!”

“Repaired her, Nastya, obviously,” Jonny snapped back. “If you’re going to be absent for decades, don’t yell at us for maintaining your fucking girlfriend for you.” Aurora gave an irritated hum, and Nastya snarled.

“And where exactly did you get such substandard replacement parts? A fucking canoe would be more spaceworthy.”

“God, I don’t know. We got most of them second-hand off some guy who was refitting his starship. Tim did most of that work—oi, Tim, what was his name again? Thes-something?”

Tim’s reply was inaudible over the sound of Nastya strangling him.

Chapter 19: Rose Red (Bedtime Visions)

Rose Reds don’t dream. It’s in the information packet about herself and her sisters that they all receive upon initial waking.

The flashes of a strangely familiar pale face are probably just stress responses to particularly hard battles. An enormous dog, large as a bear, curled up by a fireplace. An old smiling woman, her wrinkled hands. She doesn’t ask the others what these images mean, lest she be labelled defective. She can’t be defective. She exchanges suspicious glances with her cabinmates every night when they turn in, and hopes they don’t suspect anything.

After all, Rose Reds don’t dream.

Chapter 20: Favourite Mechanism (Exquisite)

“Exquisite,” Nastya said, almost too quiet to hear.

“I’m sorry?” Brian asked. Nastya had the panels of his right arm open and was tweaking some of the connections for him. Handedness was a stupid thing to have in a robot body after millennia of existence, but nevertheless it existed, so Nastya sometimes helped him with that one.

“My feelings for our creator are complex,” Nastya said, slightly louder, a little reluctant. “But I can’t deny that your technology and her talent created something beautiful.” She smiled, a little awkwardly. “Of all our components, I think your Mechanism is my favourite.”

Notes:

Lol, don't ask me to pick favourites...

Chapter 21: Favourite romantic relationship (Thorns around the heart)

Jonny watches with a dazed hunger, mesmerised by how her pistol snaps from one target to another. How she bears down upon her remaining prey with her rapier, death dealt with elegance and ruthless efficiency. Shining, scarlet, sublime.

His stomach lurches as her murderous gaze flicks back to him. Her opponents dead, she pivots, strides with intent towards him, and his guts twist in anticipation just before they twist upon the point of her sword, blood and joy gushing from him at the focus of her attention. The crimson black returns, a single word on his mind before death:

Beauty.

Chapter 22: Favourite non-song soundtrack (A tune on the air)

“What’s that you’re whistling?”

Arthur has his lips pursed in tune while they stop to barter for water. It sounds familiar to Gwen but she can’t put her finger on it.

“Last time we were in Camelot,” he replies. “Heard it from that Merlin thing, believe it or not. Just whistling to itself.”

“Huh. Nice tune,” Lance says, while Gwen copies the jaunty melody in a somewhat more clear and tuneful trill than Arthur’s own. “How does a metal man even whistle, I wonder?”

“Once we take the town, I’m sure you can ask it for a demonstration,” Arthur smirks.

Notes:

Still not over Lost In The Cosmos turning up in the opening narration to HNOC [1:08], apparently...

Chapter 23: Favourite official fiction (A story of the Toy Soldier)

The Toy Soldier likes its voice. High and melodious, soaring and wavering like birdsong, it’s not the sort of voice people expect to hear from a wooden soldier-man, and it likes that too. That makes it feel unique and special. A voice that people like to hear and want to talk with. A voice that people could fall in love with.

Things went badly, the first time the Toy Soldier fell in love. But it’s still oh so jolly to pretend to be in love, sometimes.

Now it has a voice it loves, it can do so whenever it likes.

Chapter 24: Arson (A fire’s a fire)

“And I thought my story had a dramatic ending,” Jonny said glumly. “But torching a casino doesn’t really hold a candle—hah—to burning down a planet.”

Ashes glanced at him, the yellow-orange light of a world on fire reflected in their eyes.

“A fire’s a fire,” they said, voice oddly breathy as they adjusted to their new lungs. “Must’ve still felt good.”

“It did,” he said, lighting a cigarette. “Seeing it all come down and turn to dust. No coming back from that. The screams were quite something too. Arson makes for a good ending, huh?”

“It sure does.”

Chapter 25: Deep Lore (A song from Who-Knows-Where)

“Well, Rucks isn’t wrong—it is his story to tell, and Jonny wouldn’t do it justice anyway,” Brian mused, tuning one of his banjo strings and tapping his foot to establish a beat.

“D’you think Jonny’s ego will ever recover?” Tim grinned back maliciously, prodding his guitar pedals into his desired configuration.

Brian gave him a flat look in response and Tim laughed. “Well, no matter. We’ve got plenty of other stories to tell. And now we have some quality Caelondian music to take back with us. Ready, Ashes?”

The bassist smirked, nodded, and launched them into a slinger’s song.

Notes:

The Deep Lore (not that deep) is Slinger’s Song from Bastion sometimes being used as a warmup/soundcheck before gigs. I don't know how often, but I remember it happening at least once or twice and warming my geeky little heart!

Chapter 26: Hades (An Olympian?)

“What’re you doing here? Thought you were off psychoanalysing Olympians.”

“Oh yes. Still am!”

“Then why—”

“Why, you’re an Olympian yourself!”

“Marius. You know I’m a Mechanism. I obviously don’t count.”

“Now, now. My familiarity with you makes you a good reference for understanding the rest, and consider— you’re functionally immortal, yes?”

“Yes.”

“An influential figure in Labyrinth society?”

“Yes?”

“And don’t give even the slightest bit of a fuck about the poor sods scraping a living in the City below, unless they happen to take your fancy.”

“...Sure.”

“Sounds like an Olympian to me, Hades. Please, take a seat!”

Chapter 27: Make up (Break Down)

The Toy Soldier didn’t do make up, exactly. It got a nice fresh coat of paint in good time for performance runs, with a crisp curl to its moustache—then simply polished to a healthy shine on the night, sometimes with help from another Mechanism. Tonight it was Marius, whose mechanically steady hand made quick work of lining his eyes. It meant that they could take it easy while watching the pre-gig chaos unfold.

“Jonny, if you’ve stolen my eyeliner for your stupid war paint again, I will burn all your hair off!”

“Good times,” Marius observed happily.

“Oh, rather!”

Chapter 28: Cannibalism (Table for two)

Jonny was on the hunt, a heady bloodlust on his breath as he tracked his luckless prey, gleefully succumbing to his basest instincts to rip, to tear, to consume, flesh and cracked bone in his hands, coppery blood in his mouth, lost in a delicious, howling haze of red.

“I say, old chap, may I join in?”

Jonny spat out a chunk of arm. “Sort of ruined the moment for me, to be honest,” he replied tetchily. “Anyway, it’s not cannibalism if it’s you. You’re not a human.”

The Toy Soldier held up a small wooden mannequin hopefully.

“Ugh. Fine.”

Chapter 29: Redeath (Witness)

“Why, d’you think?”

Ivy didn’t have to ask what Brian meant— they all pondered it from time to time, why they existed at all. Why the universe would even allow it. She sat down in the co-pilot’s seat, cocking her head in thought.

“Some say life is the universe experiencing itself,” she stated. A common concept ventured by advanced species across space. “If so, then perhaps we are its memory.”

“Who would remember this, if we weren’t here?” Brian agreed, as they watched wings of stellar flare bear the cosmic creature, vast yet someday to die, onwards into the stars.

Chapter 30: The Void Sings (The Cyborg)

“Wait, what?”

“We have a passenger, Tim. Here 'til Earth,” Ashes repeated. “We’re heading back there for our next gig anyway, and he makes good cocktails, apparently, so I said the cyborg could come along. Also, if we didn’t, I actually think Raphaella would cry, and I really don’t want to find out what happens then.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got all that,” Tim spat out impatiently. “It’s just—you said it’s Newton? Like, Sir Isaac Newton? Who’s a cyborg?! What’s he doing all the way out here?”

“Oh, investigating Rigellian spices to improve the Marmite recipe, I think.”

“Wait… what?!”

Notes:

Bodies at rest tend to stay at rest

Chapter 31: Favourite death & Favourite album finale (Once and Future)

Approximately every century, the orbiting lifepod awakens its inhabitant and resets its systems, and Arthur looks upon Avalon, wondering if someone will have found him when next he wakes. He goes under again to empty space and a burning star.

Until one day, he wakes to see Merlin hanging once more before him, eyes closed, coppery hair haloing his head, lifeless mechanical body frozen now not with rust but with the cold of deep space.

Whether from mercy or from spite, the universe has made his long rest a little less lonely. He closes his eyes once more to sleep.

Chapter 32: BONUS: Ulysses Dies At Dawn (Olympians On Blast)

OPINION

The true scandal of Ilium is not the district’s dabbling in independence, but the rumours of Olympian involvement on the other side. Our sources reveal sordid affairs with high-ranking Ilium ministers on the part of both Aphrodite (supposedly involved with both halves of the hottest husband-wife duo in the City, Helen and Paris) and Apollo (who, ongoing beef with Agamemnon aside, has been photographed up close and personal with Councilman-turned-resistance-leader Hector). Naturally, Artemis can always be found meddling wherever her brother shows up.

This further illustrates the corruption we can expect from Olympian leadership. Go Arachne! We love you!!

Chapter 33: BONUS: Ulysses Dies At Dawn (Something Fun Is About To Happen)

“So what, you’re fed up of psychoanalysing the Olympians and I’m next?”

“My dear Drumbot, do humour me. What exactly are you trying to do here?”

“I’m helping them find the ways to justify what they already want to do. Thus ensuring they actually go and do it, rather than sitting there stewing, thinking about it but not achieving anything.”

“To what ends, though?”

A shrug, and a sigh. “I just want something interesting to happen, that’s all.”

“Is that all?” Marius took a sip of tea. “From what I know of Daedalus’ plans, you don’t have long to wait.”

Chapter 34: BONUS: The Void Sings (Planet of the Lotus Eaters)

“Don’t wanna get up.”

“I can see that, old chap.”

“Having such a lovely time. Look at the sea! ‘Slovely. Everythin’s lovely.”

“I can see that too! But we do have a performance at Spaceport Mahon to be getting off to.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“I know. But we need you for the show, and Quartermaster O’Reilly has Ordered me to bring you back, Lotus-addled or otherwise. So I’m afraid you’re coming with me! Hup, there’s a good lad.”

The Toy Soldier hauled a limp and uncharacteristically unresisting Jonny d’Ville over one shoulder, and marched back to where Aurora waited for them.