Chapter Text
“Gone again…”
Argus sighed with heavy frustration, scanning the trash piles for any sign of life. Through the haze of toxic smog, the sun struggled to light the rusted landscape at this hour of the morning, but given an hour or so, it would clear enough for the temperature to begin to rise.
"We have a schedule , same as every other week. Why would she choose today to run off when she knows -"
He pinched the bridge of his nose.
Why had he been cursed with such an obsession with timeliness?
He yanked the shack door closed, grumbling as he took the weaving path down past the other houses towards the centre of town. People were beginning to start their day, opening up windows and sweeping away the dust that had built up over night, some nodding to him, others paying him no mind. The further down the hillside he went, the more the buildings were built out of greenish-white, curved ruins, which ran all the way down to the water's edge. Patterned fabric flapped in the breeze, offering glimpses into the holes used as doors and windows. The resistance here had long learnt he wasn't interested in talking to them, which saved him from menial chatter.
His only interest was keeping her safe.
Which was easier said than done, more so as she grew up.
As the centre of town came into view on the paltou, he vered to the right and back up again towards older ruins, large metal and brick buildings surrounded by flattened chain link. Broken radio towers rose from and around it, looking like a monster's jungle gym.
It was one of her favorite places, mostly due to the view of the surrounding landscape it provided at its peaks. As close to escape as she was allowed. A breeze pushed through the rubble, clearing the low haze enough for beams of light to streak through, catching on the curtain of red hair high above.
Goal.
She was his whole world. The intricacies of programming artificial life were lost on him, but he knew that something integral to his being existed only to serve her. Since the day Elysium fell from the sky, that was all he’d done. Though, she made it harder everyday.
“Get down from there!”
She had the audacity to grin down at him and casually wave, “Stop being a worry wa-AH!”
As she adjusted, she slipped backwards before he could even react, tumbling from her perch and falling down into a pile of scrap. He ran for her, climbing over the trash with single minded determination, though she emerged just as he arrived.
“Bah! Yurk!” She rubbed her head, thankfully looking unharmed, “See? I’m fine!”
“Why do you do this? To torment me on purpose?”
“You’re always just a stick in the mud, what’s wrong with living a little?!”
She stood and brushed herself off.
"Goal, there's something in your hair."
"Hm? Where?"
"Wai-"
She twisted, flicking the clump wildly.
"Stop! Don't. move."
She complied, letting him come closer to pinch at the gooey mess. It was greeny-black, with an oily gleam, but otherwise unidentifiable and wholly stuck in place.
"Ew, I think we'll have to cut it off."
She stuck her hands on her hips, frowning down at him.
"See! I told you long hair was impractical, but nooo you kept putting it off because you don't like that hairdresser."
"I don't like anyone… but he is weird."
With a huff she pulled the mess over her shoulder and began walking back into town, purposefully leaving him behind.
"Hey! You haven't apologised for messing with the schedule!"
She looked back, poking out her tongue, before picking up the pace to force him to run after her.
"Welcome to Worlds End Salon, how may I- oh! Good to see you sir!"
Argus put up a hand to block the sight of the beaming hairdresser, Goal stepping in front to take over the interaction.
“Hi Fork, got a moment for a hair emergency?”
She held out the clump of hair, and his expression dropped instantly, regarding her with cold contempt.
“Ugh, what a mess. Not to mention barging in, without an appointment…”
Goal put an elbow into Argus, who sighed and looked him in the eye.
“It’s an emergency. ”
He faltered instantly, saluting and hurrying over to an empty chair. Goal gave an appreciative nod and sat down, while Argus remained at the wall in the reception. Dealing with other clones that survived Elysium's crash was usually a non-issue, but there was something about this one that put him off, something in the way he looked at him with such expectancy .
There was nothing to expect. He was a bodyguard, he’d done his job for 12 years, and he’d continue to until his death.
‘Goal will be twenty this year, yet she still acts like a child. I don’t think Ulysses quite understood the difference between protection and raising.’
“Uh, Sir?”
Argus reluctantly reacted to the title, looking over to see Fork frowning, pointing to the unconscious- He ran up to Goal, cradling her face in his hands. With frantic fingers he checked for a pulse and pried at her eyelids, finding her alive but wholly unresponsive.
“I think I saw a spark?”
He moved to her brain implant, finding it wasn’t flush with her skin, one corner raised a few millimetres. Gently, he pushed it until it clicked and released from her skull. Metal seams had pulled apart in places, and a wire had fallen through the gap. Using a nearby hair clip, he maneuvered it back and pinched the sides closed, before reinserting it. Seconds passed, before her eyes began to open.
“Hmm? Did… did I fall asleep?”
“No. Looks like your tumble has damaged your implant.”
“Oh…”
“I think this is a bit more than an ‘ oh’ issue. It’s going to need proper repairs.”
He stood, considering their options. Fork glanced between the two.
“So uh, should I finish the hair cut or…?”
The Elysian technician, Osrin, could only shake his head at their plight.
“I just don’t have the supplies anymore.”
Argus ground his teeth, “You’ve been servicing implants for years, can’t you just… order more?”
“I barely have enough zlotti to feed myself, let alone keep up a workshop.” He gestured to the makeshift surgery littered in wire scraps and metal shards, “Unless those Deponian traders decide to visit, I’m going to have to go into… I dunknow, cactus farming or something!”
Goal frowned, flicking her new short hair from her eyes, “If you’re poor, shouldn’t you consider changing jobs anyway?”
“And what? Get dirt on me?”
The Elysian recoiled in disgust, muttering as Argus pulled Goal from the building.
“I never liked that guy.”
Goal rolled her eyes, “Yeah, not like you’ve said that every other visit. So, what should we do?”
He crossed his arms, “Hm, I suppose I’ll just have to find someone else who can do the work.”
“Oh! So we’re going on a trip?”
She bounced on the spot, though he halted that by holding her in place.
“ I am finding a surgeon to fix your brain . There is no we. ”
Her cheeks puffed out with frustration, though a sly look suddenly ran over her face, and she put a hand to her forehead in a dramatic fashion.
“But what if I collapse again? I’d be all alone, defenseless! Could you live with yourself should something happen while I’m in this state?”
Argus writhed as he tried to find a counter argument, clenching and unclenching his fists.
“ ...Fine. But this is not a vacation.”
“Yeah yeah, but this means we’ll have to find a larger Deponian settlement, with more people and services and shops .”
“Not. A. Vacation.”
“Didn’t my Father order you to keep me safe and happy? ”
“He- you’re not allowed to pull that card!”
“And what would make me happier than anything right now would be a trip to a new place! New sights! New sounds! You have pulled every excuse ever to keep me here, but now we have no choice. Man, I should have broke this thing years ago.”
“Years ago Osrin would have been able to fix it. And that is your brain you’ve broken.” He sighed, dragging a hand down his face, “Time to…ugh, ask around then.”
“Maybe let me do the talking. Most of the town is afraid of you.”
“As they should be.”
“We’ve arrived!”
Argus gripped the back of Goal’s belt as she lent over the boat's railing, eager to see their destination.
Their investigation had brought them to the Floating Black Market, a mass meeting point for those looking to do trade in the Three Quarters. ‘ If you're looking for anything, you're sure to find it there’ they’d been told, though the name alone filled Argus with suspicion of the legitimacy of work they’d find.
Said suspicion wasn’t eased as they disembarked and began to wander the streets, the sight of Deponian’s loitering, selling wares, trading and who-knows what else putting him on edge, but clearly over exciting Goal.
“Do not run off, if you pass out again I’m sure one of these junk rats would take off with you and sell you to the highest bidder.”
She dragged her eyes away from the wonder of a new town to glance at him, “Is that supposed to scare me? Because it actually sounds kinda exciting.”
“The brain damage is worse than I thought. We need a surgeon fast.”
“Hah!”
Goal’s interest in pursuing the shop fronts ended up working in their favour, as the surprisingly friendly locals gladly pointed them in the direction of a workshop owned by a man called ‘Doc’, the most experienced brain surgeon around. Turns out Deponian’s found brain implants just as trendy as Elysians did.
So at the far edge of the markets, they made themselves known.
“What can I do you for?”
Hunched behind his desk, Doc squinted at them, one eye lolling to the side, which dropped Argus’ expectations of the man's skills.
“We’re in need of an implant repair. Our usual go-to was out of parts.”
“Hmm. Come closer.”
Goal happily stepped forward, Argus defensively glued to her side.
“Oh, an Elysian type.”
She smiled, “You can tell?”
“The edges are too smooth to be made from tools here, definitely bot handiwork. May I?”
He held out his hands, waiting for permission to remove the disk. Argus mustered his best glare and stared it directly into the man's good eye.
“If you try anything Deponian, I will gut you with my bare hands and use your organs as decoration.”
Doc shrugged, “Fair enough. Please take a seat dear.”
She sat on the low bench, twisted so he could reach the port. With a simple push, the cartridge popped out and her body went slack, Argus grasping her shoulders to keep her from falling forward. He watched with intensity as Doc lowered his goggles and lifted the edges of the device, inspecting the damage.
“Hmm. Hrm. uh, uhmh.”
“...Well?”
“It’s going to need replacing entirely. Spot repairs would risk data loss. Has she experienced any confusion or memory problems recently?”
“Not that I’ve noticed. Do you have something suitable?”
“Not with me now, but Gillian’s should have what we need in stock.”
“How long will it take to get it?”
Doc removed his goggles and set the cartridge down, pressing the seams closed.
“Well, if we want to work efficiently, it would be best for you to collect the new disk while I prepare for surgery.”
Argus re-ignited his glare, leaving Doc to raise his hands in a placating manner.
“The sooner it’s fixed, the better it will be for her. Plus, being from that Elysian settlement, I can make the assumption you’ve got little in the way of money?”
He averted his gaze. Violence had always been his prefered currency.
“Go to Gillian’s Gadget shop, ask for a high quality disk, put it on my tab. By the time you're back it should be as simple as copying the data and making any minor adjustments to the input.”
Doc carefully reinserted the cartridge, and Goal stirred back into motion.
“Hm? Is it done?”
With measured reluctance, Argus released her and stepped back.
“I’m going to pick up the parts. You will stay here.”
“Aw what? You get to go shopping?”
“Goal please, just… stay. ”
He spared one more glare for Doc, who nodded, before he left the workshop.
“We’re baaaack!”
Goal looked up for the schematics Doc had been showing her, spotting at the entrance a Deponian carrying boxes and a… metal dog? The surgeon raised a hand in greeting.
“How was your walk?”
“Oh most eventful. He tried to chase after not one, but three platypi! Very energetic.”
A talking metal dog! Goal was suddenly on the edge of her seat in fascination.
The Deponian huffed, “Hey, those little thieves we’re eyeing off these supplies that I generously offered to help move.”
“Generous as in, contractually obliged? Hehehe.”
The man stuck out his tongue, but got caught in the action as he caught sight of Goal, eyes going wide in equal amazement.
“Hurry up and bring those boxes down Cleverbite, I’ve got preparations to make.”
The robot nodded and tugged its lead forward, pulling the man along, though he was so fixated that when they came to the stairs he missed the step and began to tumble, sending the boxes flying. They all rolled down into a heap at the bottom.
“Darn it Rufus! Watch where you’re going, those are fragile!”
He scrambled to his feet and began sweeping the boxes back up, shoving them onto the open workbench.
“Uh, there! All fixed, nothing wrong, please don’t tell my Dad.”
He dusted off a bit of dirt, then let himself be drawn back to the beautiful stranger, sliding up next to her. He smoothed back his hair, adjusting his flight cap.
“Hey baby, did you fall from Elysium? Cause you’re like a fallen star… er, I mean… shooting star?... Fallen angel?”
Goal couldn’t help but laugh, “Well, I did fall with Elysium, so that part works.”
His face lit up, “Wait really?! So you're an actual, real life orbit pixie?!”
“Orbit pixie? Hah, what an odd name!” She held out a hand in offer of a shake, “I’m Goal.”
“Rufus!” He shook her hand with great enthusiasm, then looked over to where Doc was now rifling through the boxes, “Hey, you’re new here right? Need a tour?”
“Oh well, I’m here for surgery.”
“Doc always takes ages to set up, you don’t want to be just sitting around. A quick tour, back by the time he’s ready!”
She mused, certainly excited by the prospect of getting to look around more.
‘ Argus will probably drag me straight home afterwards anyway…’
“Sure, I suppose a quick tour wouldn’t hurt.”
“Awesome!” He took both her hands and pulled Goal to her feet, “I know all the best places!”
It took a surprising amount of willpower not to fight the robotic shopkeeper, that lollipop the most tantalising looking food item he’d seen to date. But he couldn’t risk Goal’s health for it, and causing damage that he couldn’t afford to fix also wouldn’t help his cause.
“Maybe there’s a shop with them, scare them out of one… plus I could get a second for Goal since she’s been well behaved.”
He kept pace while making his way back, but he did have to come to a stop when he spotted an unusual sight. A group all dressed in identical green and grey uniforms, with helmets covering their faces, shooing away some Deponians from the area. They were familiar, the garb very similar to what he remembered seeing Ulysses in, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it meant.
“Oh! Sir! Argus!! Over here!”
He jumped and did a double take, suddenly finding the hairdresser from their town running towards him.
“What the hell are you doing here?!”
“I got my old job back! I mean, not that I didn’t hugely enjoy cutting hair, but I’m glad that they took me back after all this time.”
“And your old job was-?”
Fork suddenly snapped to attention with a salute, just as a figure stepped around the corner. Clad in the same green and grey, but with red gloves and cape, and a slightly different helmet.
“Bailiff! Area clear, the Deponians here were easily moved on.”
“What about that… one…”
Argus just caught a glimpse of eyes through the orange visor, staring him down.
“He’s a clone like us, I didn’t think that would be a problem.”
“I see.” The Bailiff seemed to consider something, before he handed a gun to Fork, “Unfortunately, he’s unneeded. Dispose of him.”
“What?!” Argus recoiled.
“Aw really?”
“Yes. I’d rather not compete against myself .”
Fork frowned, but readied the weapon, leveling it with Argus’ head.
“Sorry, the Bailiffs orders are final. It was fun while it lasted?”
Instinct drove Argus to dive out of the way of the shot, rolling behind a few crates, giving him enough cover to get into a nearby alley. A few more shots were heard, then footsteps behind him picking up the chase. He had no idea what was going on, but for now he needed to lose his tail and get back to Goal.
“And this here is where they serve the best platypus burgers!”
Goal peered into the darkness of the order window, catching a vague glimpse of something moving.
“Fascinating. Is platypus a regular thing in the Deponian diet?”
“It can be, if you manage to catch ‘em. Personally, I like their eggs, sunny side up.”
Rufus licked his lips, eyes drifting up to one of the little creatures perched above them on a washing line. It squawked and flew off when it caught on.
“I’d love to try one, but we should be getting back. Argus will flip if I’m not there when he returns.”
Rufus stopped mid-step, “Argus?”
“Yeah, my… bodyguard, I guess? He’s a clone my Dad made to protect me, though he usually just acts like an overprotective brother.”
Something like concern crossed his face, but Goal couldn’t question it before the sound of gunfire and shouting rang out from the markets below.
“Uh-oh.” He moved to look down over the balcony.
“What?” She stepped up beside him, “What’s going on?”
“Sounds like someone pissed off the Organon.”
“What’s an Organon?”
“What’s a-? Hu, you poor ignorant beauty. They’re an army that has been terrorizing Deponia since the time of Elysiums launch! Oh but don’t worry-” He turned around, making a sweeping gesture with his arms, “I’ll protect you!”
At the peak of his movements, his hand struck the side of Goal’s head as she tried to turn around, resulting in a sudden spark and her body falling limp. She swayed, then tilted backwards, tumbling over the railing as Rufus realised what had happened. He dove for her, but there was little to do afterwards as they both began to fall.
Curled under a bridge, the steps crossed overhead in quick succession, before fading out. Suddenly running for his life had not been in his schedule, so Argus was getting mighty sick of it.
He checked the area for any more of the armed goons, finding the area desolate as the Deponians had also run in fear. The only blessing he could count was the gondola parked nearby, which would make a good vehicle for scouting around the markets to get back to Goal. As soon as her implant was fixed, they could leave this crazy place behind.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
He’d barely stepped onto the boat when the scream came from above. High up something barreled down at high speed, and as he tried to pick where to run to, the gondola struck the edge of the canal, inflating it’s airbag. The mass landed right atop of the new cushion, breaking the dramatic fall.
Argus almost had a heart attack when he looked it over.
“GOAL!”
He pulled her up, panic rising as she remained unresponsive. The disk was dislodged again, but in this environment he didn’t feel comfortable moving to adjust it. He needed to get back to the workshop, fast.
“Ugh, that had to be the most pleasant crash landing I've had-”
His eyes caught those of the other from the pile, who his brain labeled first as Deponian, but then specifically as clone.
“Wha-”
“AHG! DARK EXCHEQUER!”
An accusing finger flew in his face, before the terrified man tried to snatch back Goal.
“H-Hey! What the hell are you doing?!”
Argus wrapped his arms around her middle, resulting in a strange human tug-of-war.
“I won’t let you dastardly Organon take off with this orbit pixie! Go do your stupid raids elsewhere!”
“She’s my ward! Go put your weird fantasies on someone else!”
The man opened his eyes to glare at him, before his anger seemed to dissipate as he looked him over a few times.
“Hmm, are you… not the Dark Exchequer? The terrifying and feared leader of the Organon, Bailiff Argus?”
With a sharp pull he regained full hold over Goal, “My name is Argus, but the rest of that stuff I have no idea-”
He paused, remembering the armoured man who had given the hairdresser the gun. ‘ He said he didn’t want to compete against himself.’ So the idea of another version of himself running about was wholly possible with how cloning worked.
Having calmed down, the Deponian reclined, “That’s freaky, you really look just like him. Hu. Sorry for the misunderstanding, I guess. I’m Rufus by the way.”
Argus’ mind went back into action mode, focusing on the immediate problem.
“Why is she not with Doc?!”
“She wanted a tour.”
“While her brain was damaged?!”
He laid her down and balled a fist, looking to strike the Deponian, but as Rufus coiled in defense, an oar was shoved into his chest.
“Start rowing! We need to get back now .”
“Why do I have to?”
He gestured at Goal, and Rufus turned away.
“Oh.”
“Now move .”