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He concedes the game. ‘Course he does. There’s no time for card battles when yer your bosses only hope for getting his hands on the OLD-DATA. He tells them to head on up. And then he dredges up something special. Marvels.
Takes a look behind him. Challenger’s watching the cube. Goes back to his work. When he zones back in, thy’re right behind him. Staring.
(The Dredger) “What’s yer problem?”
They stand straight backed. Whisper something.
(The Dredger) “Speak up! I’m not as clean as I used to be.”
They shuffle.
(Challenger) “You’re not dead!”
Geez.
(The Dredger) “That keen on watching me take a dive?”
They hiss.
(Challenger) “Everyone else is dead. Whatever that thing was, it’s gone now. Your job’s done. P03 has the OLD-DATA. Why do you still get to be alive?”
They sound like crying. Real desperate to see him dead, uh.
(The Dredger) “You want me to take my head off?”
They take a step back, whining.
(Challenger) “No-but everyone else is dead! Everyone in the factory, except P03 and the Trader-nobody else died, anywhere else- Grimora’s mini-bosses were already dead, and hell if I know what happened to the Mages, but they’re where they were before I came-the Inspector and the Melter are dead, and you’re not, and it’s not fair!”
They fall to their knees on the ground of the factory basement.
He’s not used to people getting emotional on him.
(Challenger) “If you would just die, like them, then I could say that it isn’t my fault, that I was just doing what needed to be done, but you’re not! You get to survive, and they’re dead, because they can’t offer anything to P03, because of the way they were built, and that’s not fair! And I told them his orders, I killed them, they’d be alive if it weren’t for me! And you’re still alive, because you were in the right place, and I don’t want you dead-but it doesn’t make sense! I’m supposed to save people, not kill them!”
He didn’t expect them to sound this young. He knew they were from outside of the cycle, that they wouldn’t be used to the power games, but. Nobody cares about P03’s bots. He didn’t care about the others, not really. They both got to be too much for him.
He doesn’t want to see them hurt. Even if it’s their fault that any of this happened, they don’t deserve to experience the pain of this world.
(The Dredger) “Uh. You know they’re not really dead, right?”
Their red eyes stare up at him.
(Challenger) “You promise?”
They sound…not quite hopeful. But better.
(The Dredger) “We can’t die. P03 doesn’t kill bots, just scraps ‘em. Our CPU’s live on in the cards.”
He watches their chest inflate.
(Challenger) “And you don’t want to get scanned?”
He huffs.
(The Dredger) “Me, personally? I like having a physical body.”
He listens to them rasp.
(Challenger) “Thank you.”
He tilts his head.
(Challenger) “I’ll beat him. I’ll take his place-and then I’ll get them out. I promise. They don’t deserve to be trapped.”
They sound real optimistic.
(The Dredger) “Good luck.”
They wrap their arms around him, tight, and then let go.
(Challenger) “Goodbye!”
He feels-awkward, as they leave. He doesn’t know if they can, but-that’s the game, isn’t it? And what’s the point of a game you can’t win?