Chapter Text
Prologue
3 years ago
Sometimes it was hard living in a world full of smog and smoke, leaving the sky in almost permanent grey clouds, staining it with the hell of pollution. There was so much crime under the darkness that even the sun failed to break some days, or perhaps it was just in this city. Corrupt, yet new, broken, yet healed.
The cracks that rotted beneath a layer of greatness and riches, the alleys and backpaths being the blotch of smudged ink on a gorgeous painting. But it went even deeper than that. The rich grew richer, the poor grew poorer, hunger, the lust, leering in the depths of the ink. Luring to smudge it further in an attempt to be better. Only for more of the city to grow dark.
It was hard being a mere mechanic these days. An artist on the side. Don’t get me wrong, many people come to request my services. Very so for the reason my prices were as low as they could be, just enough to sustain. Albeit barely. But by doing so, you end up crossing paths with many you have to tiptoe around.
The whole “robots taking over the world thing”, ya know, the thing we used to joke about a long long long time ago? Yeah, it isn’t too far off when you look deeper into this city. The amount of disdain I garnered for my line of duty from my very own race amassed into mountains quickly.
But that didn’t mean that all the metal beings were heartless cruel tyrants, so many of them were kindhearted tin-cans that just needed a bit of oil when they had finally grown stiff under the pressure society puts us all under. That is why I do my job. Because beyond the money we all needed to survive, I enjoyed helping those of metal kind who were struggling on their own. Sometimes I’d joke to myself that I was a doctor, just for animatronics.
The scratch of my quilled pen gradually comes to a stop as I linger on the rough catscratch short-hand words of my notes, a small annotated and detailed drawing on the opposite page showing different pieces of an animatronic listed and labelled. I tap my lip lightly with the feather, a gentle hum rattling my chest.
“How’s it look doc? Endo too complicated for y’a?” A low menacing laugh chitters from to my side, and I turn my gaze to them with an award winning professional smile.
“Why of course not, it's not the first time I’ve come across your model, although you’ve seemingly been modified to have faster power currents through your different parts. More specifically your arms. It’s quite interesting.” Their gaze narrows in sudden suspicion of me, but I shrug off their intense stare while turning back to my leatherbound notes.
I pick it up to show to them while pointing to two areas with small buttons noted.
“This should disconnect your sensory, and by extension most of the electricity in your chest cavity, while I replace that section of wire. Don’t worry you’ll still be able to feel your limbs and move them as you need, just not your torso”
Finally I turned my proud, yet humble, gaze back to the animatronic who was looking away with a snarl on their muzzled face. A maned wolf animatronic; incredibly tall with a long fox-like snout, reddish mangled fur full of dirt and grime, and ears filled with white fluff that flick here and there warily.
“Can you forgo disabling it?” He grumbles table clicking beneath the tail rattling in irritation.
“Wish i could, but last time I attempted a replacement like this I ended up with jaws locked upon my arm.” I give a lighthearted chuckle, patting one of the long legs that hung off the table and stretched just short of my counter. My scar was on full view for anyone to see, teeth marks embedded into my upper arm and deep into my flesh with gruesome tenacity.
“It’s up to you Mr Holter, we don’t have to go through with this.” My gaze softened. I knew how harsh the world was out there, beyond my little workshop down the Back alley. The lack of trust such an environment has forced each of us to have to survive makes trusting anyone a struggle. So many mechanics and tinkerers were under the hands of gangs or other higher powers.
“Just. Get on with it” he grumbled, swinging his limber metal limbs up onto the scratched metal table and leaning back onto the chair like extensions adjusted to size.
“Of course” I turn away to snatch up my tools, metal equipment with no paint left anymore but shining under the soft lights of my workshop. Well used but taken care of. The nervous tapping continues in the background.
“And.. you're sure I’ll still be able to use my limbs?” A subdued voice murmurs in the background, static quietly underneath.
“Of course. I wouldn’t restrict someone unless there was absolute need for it.” I return in absolute seriousness despite knowing that the question was more aimed for themselves than me.
I pace back over, laying my tools on my leatherbound book before meeting the gaze of Holter, who was seemingly searching my face for some kind of lie. I offer a kind hearted smile.
“I promise Holter you’ll have absolute control over all your limbs. But with the state of your torso currently, you are going to need your sensory ability disabled.”
A grimace forms across their metallic face, eyes flickering down to the mess their chest cavity was, bullets having torn through half their plating and wiring. Luckily it had avoided a lot of their main parts, but many of the shredded wires would have to be removed and replaced to gain any ability to function again.
They lower their clawed hands from where they guarded. Looking away.
When this fellow had first dragged themselves into my little abode, they had collapsed in a heap of metal just past my doorway. Legs having given out under all the stress of broken wires not circulating enough power to support the mass of their body. It had terrified me at first, the oil that had soaked their fur making me think that they had made it too late. Luckily, and suspiciously, the oil wasn’t their own. But I wasn't about to ask.
Thankfully their arms still worked fine due to the power modifications that had happened at some point in their robotic life, and so I had helped them over to the table and asked them to pull themselves up. After all, an animatronic was hard to lift, let alone one that was 8 foot tall or maybe more. They were so jittery while I took notes and asked what happened, lips pulling back in multiple snarls when my questions got close to the cause before I explained that I needed to know what happened to fix it. They hesitantly told me about the bullets and I nodded before removing any that had gotten stuck without piercing through their back casing.
No questions asked. And of course while wearing insulated gloves and ignoring the hissing static all too close for comfort.
My hands gently reached forwards, deep into the endoskeleton while avoiding the sparking wires to click the two buttons, briefly watching relief flood the animatronics eyes as they opened and closed their hands. I offered a quick smile before getting to work,
Hands coiling around the base of one set of wires and pulling them with no hesitation, unhooking the safety clip from both ends. Trailing my hands delicately along another damaged wire, I find the ends and remove those too, and continue the process of removing all the damaged pieces and a bullet I had missed in the previous process. Gently, I set those to the side in a box, next to another filled with spare parts that are neatly bundled. Picking up a bunch of brown and yellow striped wires, I turn my gaze to the animatronic watching my every move.
“I assume you have no way of paying for this right? I mean your clothes aren’t exactly existent anymore "I gesture to the torn bottoms, shredded, leaving mere shorts and threads that i assume used to be flared trousers.
A growl rattles the animatronic as their eyes widen.
“So what if I don’t, are you going to give me in or some shit. take my parts for money huh? Now that you have me unable to move my torso?” The standoffish behaviour is obviously to cover for the fear he now suddenly displays, brown eyes flicked with reds narrowed and a large toothy snarl overtakes his face.
“Oh goodness no!” I replied with vehement disgust “I was asking because it means I have to use these'' I shake the bundle in my hands “to repair you. They are spares, discarded and repaired, or donated pieces for those who can’t afford them. That way it won’t cost you to be repaired. It does mean your repair job won’t be the most effective or at least compared to new wires, but it will work well enough to have you functioning like normal. All i ask is that i can take the damaged wires i removed from you to pass on the favour to the next animatronics who need them”
The claws that were slithering to grab me silently retract, a guilty look overcoming their furry features as he offers a nod. “Okay.. well thank you then.. you can take them” he once more mutters, settling his arms down onto the repair table to allow my hands access.
It wasn’t long before he was up and running again, my hands snapping out to unlock their torso and reactivate the sensory, swinging the hatch closed as they sat up, paws patting at their torso almost surprised.
“Mind calibrating and telling me how it all feels?” I request patiently, a small screwdriver still gripped in the palm of my hand.
The maned wolf nods slowly before standing with tall wobbly legs, form looming over me almost curious. Apparently I was wrong with my height estimation, with how they stood on very small paws, they were almost nine feet. Intimidating but I was used to it. And also one of the reasons my workshop had such a high roof. Gradually they shift backwards to give me room, twisting their torso to the left. Then to the right. Then leaning forwards into a four legged stance, as to which I noticed their arms were just as long to allow such a stance. And then standing up again. I noticed a stutter in their movement as they stretched, a quick grimace flickering across their face. I motioned with a hand to approach.
“Here turn around, I’ve gotta replace that back plate before you do anything drastic.” I chucked, the wolf turning around slowly and crouching down, sitting on their heels to allow me to reach. I brushed some of the thick fur of their mane out of the way, removing and quickly replacing the metal on their back. It wasn’t furred like the rest of them, painted a reddish brown although not the same tone, but it was the best I could do on short notice.
“If you come back at some point I’ll order in the part you need, but this is all I’ve got for now. Sorry Holter. Does it feel better at least?”
“Yes.. thank you little mechanic” he offers the smallest of smiles as he stretches to full height, a happy wag of their tail signifying a job well done.
“Are you sure this is free?” He asks, head tilting as he asks in bewilderment.
“Of course! Every time I repair an animatronic, I ask if I can take their damaged components to salvage or repair. Not every animatronic can afford the care they might need after all, and the parts of the ones who can and don’t need go towards them” I grinned, gesturing towards a door at the back of the room labelled ‘spares storage’.
“But what about your time? You don’t get paid for it, so why?” The sheer disbelief colouring their tone had my grin spread into a genuine smile.
“Because some people need help and I don't mind offering it. If I’ve got my appointments I usually ask for those in need to wait a little while longer. After all, I've still gotta live. But when I’ve got the free time I usually assist where I can. Luckily you came on a slow day”
He nods in reluctant acceptance, looking back and forth between the door and my small frame. I snorted a brief laugh.
“Go on, this mechanical doctor dismisses you. You’ve probably got places to be”
There was barely any hesitance as they quickly dip their head in thanks before darting out the door on incredibly quick limbs. What an interesting fellow.