Post by greedyslayer on Jul 3, 2008 18:17:58 GMT -5
notes: occurs after the intro ep. "NOS-4-A2"
Daddy Issues 101 by greedyslayer
Nos-4-A2 was not truly able to recall exactly how he escaped after that first fiasco in the very heart of Star Command. It was blurry, to say the least. Perhaps through sheer force of will he had woken himself after the Little One's energy drain, found some dormant energy reserves previously unheard of. There had been only the opportunity, and he had snatched it, still half-groggy (which probably explained the cloudy recollection). Nos had noticed that he was being transported away from Star Command to some different holding place, and perhaps security had been far too lax during transport--what had they to fear from an offline robot that reclined lifeless with empty blank optics?
But Nos-4-A2 distinctly remembered the feeling of disappointment. Father had not come.
Like any other robot, he exercised at least some logic; perhaps he had escaped before Zurg could get to him, and wouldn't Father be pleased to find he had escaped all by himself.
Nos still found the thought utterly pathetic. Another blow to the ego, how bloody lovely. 'Wouldn't Father be pleased'--it was all about his displeasure, after all. It made his tongue spasm just trying to say it, so Nos would never voice out loud that he failed--mentally knowing it was quite enough.
Father had explicitly ordered he did not want failure.
But, Nos argued with himself, I did do well, I did, I was competent, I did my be--I almost--
Almost isn't good enough. A sneer. Competent? What was the end result?
Quite alone on the moon unbearably empty of any sustenance--the nearest respite hidden away he could find--the energy vampire clenched his jaw, and swung back and forth angrily from his upside down perch on some stupid little dead tree.
Maybe Father was right to leave him behind.
But no, no, he had done well, he had! He could do better though, he would, he will, he'll be perfect, Father won't regret--
Nos stopped swinging, realizing enough time had passed, but more importantly realizing that he had been waiting still for Father, and counting how much time he could spend on that before he simply had to move on.
The vampire ransacked the first careless ship he crossed paths with, just tearing the robots inside apart and leaving them in pieces. He had never ripped his prey apart before--though he had not been online long enough to compile a decent track record of consumed prey anyway. He found it rather amusing, the way steel broke under his force, especially since he imagined XR's face on each of them.
From the ship, Nos tried using the code he had been given to contact Planet Z. He would explain to Father, that he'd do better (ask why? Why haven't you tried to find me yet?)
Nothing. Nothing taking his call, no one taking it. Nos tried again, and again, and again, to the point where he knew he was in more of pathetic denial rather than being too stubborn. He even navigated the ship toward Planet Z's direction--nothing. The transmission should go through if the communications were fine; he checked; they were in top condition, despite his rampage. Nos' last self-awareness of his own pathetic reaction was his passing thought of maybe there being something wrong with Father's end, and then continuing his idle watch for any of Father's ships.
Nos paused, turning away from the window and facing the wall. He then tossed what was left of his prey around, dismemberment clanging. Father hadn't defeated Lightyear or Star Command yet, and he'd been around longer, knew them longer. Probably never even been in the Command center before. Never got as close as Nos had.
And yet, and yet--well, he would not even be here if not for Zurg, so was it not all his still, that near-victory?
"No," the energy vampire hissed to a head he held up that really did look like XR, he wasn't seeing things, just as much as he definitely was not talking to himself. "No, that was me, it's mine, it--" How could any part of Zurg's latest scheme have worked without Nos' own will? Zurg thought of the abstract, but Nos had (damnably almost) made it the reality, he did the actual work with pride and enthusiasm.
"I am not just Zurg's--Zurg's--" He was crushing the head while struggling for a specific term besides the possessive, even though that actually seemed accurate enough. "I am not Zurg's puppet, some toy he can shelve when it's--" Nos rolled the head in both claws. Then he growled and threw it into the communications screen, a resounding crack following and visibly splitting down the glass.
"I don't need him! That useless, inferior--" yes, utterly inferior, he wouldn't have gotten that close without Nos, he had failed countless times before Nos' own creation, and probably would continue to do so, that stupid moronic ignorant dim-witted erroneous idiot.
So Nos-4-A2 set a course for wherever he wanted, and it felt truly lovely without any orders to heed.
Daddy Issues 101 by greedyslayer
Nos-4-A2 was not truly able to recall exactly how he escaped after that first fiasco in the very heart of Star Command. It was blurry, to say the least. Perhaps through sheer force of will he had woken himself after the Little One's energy drain, found some dormant energy reserves previously unheard of. There had been only the opportunity, and he had snatched it, still half-groggy (which probably explained the cloudy recollection). Nos had noticed that he was being transported away from Star Command to some different holding place, and perhaps security had been far too lax during transport--what had they to fear from an offline robot that reclined lifeless with empty blank optics?
But Nos-4-A2 distinctly remembered the feeling of disappointment. Father had not come.
Like any other robot, he exercised at least some logic; perhaps he had escaped before Zurg could get to him, and wouldn't Father be pleased to find he had escaped all by himself.
Nos still found the thought utterly pathetic. Another blow to the ego, how bloody lovely. 'Wouldn't Father be pleased'--it was all about his displeasure, after all. It made his tongue spasm just trying to say it, so Nos would never voice out loud that he failed--mentally knowing it was quite enough.
Father had explicitly ordered he did not want failure.
But, Nos argued with himself, I did do well, I did, I was competent, I did my be--I almost--
Almost isn't good enough. A sneer. Competent? What was the end result?
Quite alone on the moon unbearably empty of any sustenance--the nearest respite hidden away he could find--the energy vampire clenched his jaw, and swung back and forth angrily from his upside down perch on some stupid little dead tree.
Maybe Father was right to leave him behind.
But no, no, he had done well, he had! He could do better though, he would, he will, he'll be perfect, Father won't regret--
Nos stopped swinging, realizing enough time had passed, but more importantly realizing that he had been waiting still for Father, and counting how much time he could spend on that before he simply had to move on.
The vampire ransacked the first careless ship he crossed paths with, just tearing the robots inside apart and leaving them in pieces. He had never ripped his prey apart before--though he had not been online long enough to compile a decent track record of consumed prey anyway. He found it rather amusing, the way steel broke under his force, especially since he imagined XR's face on each of them.
From the ship, Nos tried using the code he had been given to contact Planet Z. He would explain to Father, that he'd do better (ask why? Why haven't you tried to find me yet?)
Nothing. Nothing taking his call, no one taking it. Nos tried again, and again, and again, to the point where he knew he was in more of pathetic denial rather than being too stubborn. He even navigated the ship toward Planet Z's direction--nothing. The transmission should go through if the communications were fine; he checked; they were in top condition, despite his rampage. Nos' last self-awareness of his own pathetic reaction was his passing thought of maybe there being something wrong with Father's end, and then continuing his idle watch for any of Father's ships.
Nos paused, turning away from the window and facing the wall. He then tossed what was left of his prey around, dismemberment clanging. Father hadn't defeated Lightyear or Star Command yet, and he'd been around longer, knew them longer. Probably never even been in the Command center before. Never got as close as Nos had.
And yet, and yet--well, he would not even be here if not for Zurg, so was it not all his still, that near-victory?
"No," the energy vampire hissed to a head he held up that really did look like XR, he wasn't seeing things, just as much as he definitely was not talking to himself. "No, that was me, it's mine, it--" How could any part of Zurg's latest scheme have worked without Nos' own will? Zurg thought of the abstract, but Nos had (damnably almost) made it the reality, he did the actual work with pride and enthusiasm.
"I am not just Zurg's--Zurg's--" He was crushing the head while struggling for a specific term besides the possessive, even though that actually seemed accurate enough. "I am not Zurg's puppet, some toy he can shelve when it's--" Nos rolled the head in both claws. Then he growled and threw it into the communications screen, a resounding crack following and visibly splitting down the glass.
"I don't need him! That useless, inferior--" yes, utterly inferior, he wouldn't have gotten that close without Nos, he had failed countless times before Nos' own creation, and probably would continue to do so, that stupid moronic ignorant dim-witted erroneous idiot.
So Nos-4-A2 set a course for wherever he wanted, and it felt truly lovely without any orders to heed.
You've just got all sorts of great looks into Nos's psychology, don't you?