forum 1-1 with @Hiro_Shimada (I’ll figure out a better title later, maybe)

Started January 03, 2022 by @Serpentess health_and_safety language

tune

hiro looked up '' the sunrise, my new friend named bax, " he listed off

Malcolm rose an eyebrow at him.

“Bax? You named that one?”he asked, a bit confused. Though, there wasn’t any disapproval in his voice, quite the opposite in fact.

"yeah, he hears me. aint that right bax?"

Bac flashed once, straightening in its best version of a proud pose.

A small smile lifted Malcolm’s lips. The boy could befriend machines, and Bax had a sense of personality.

“ bax, let’s get ready to go, get Malcolm one of his injections please,” he said and held his hand out for the little bot

“No, it’s not like that. I only use them as needed. Besides, I’ve got one on me, in case my leg starts fucking with me again. It’s been doing that lately, so it wouldn’t fucking surprise me if it started again,”Malcolm replied, slowly standing and groaning at the aches in his old body.

Bax hadn’t moved, seeming already aware of Malcolm’s words. The others rose with Malcolm, ready to follow.

“ it’s alright, I’m just trying to teach bax to help. Kinda like a med bot.” He said “ I’ve always wanted something like a service dog, ever since I seen a younger man with one. He had a limp like you but I don’t remember his face. “ he said and stood as well

Malcolm hummed, intrigued by the possibility of ‘teaching’ one of his guardians. It wasn’t impossible, since the nanobots had a form of intelligence, just difficult unless they were designed or modified to accommodate the process of learning.

Malcolm then snorted at the other comment. He had never been one for pets, even before the explosion that tore him up. He was too obsessed with nanobots to properly care for a living, organic, pet.

“A limp like me, huh? I doubt that man had bones reinforced with metal and cybernetics, particularly old and obsolete shit that’s a bitch to replace,”he couldn’t resist commenting.

He then sighed.

“Anyway, if you want to keep teaching him, I could adjust his build to accommodate. Or I could even figure out a way to install a sort of ‘med-bot program’ thing. I usually make guards, but I’ve got a couple other helpers, excluding the variety of nanobots I have,”Malcolm offered.

“ I’ll let him learn on his own. Bots have been know to evolve on their own, upgrading themselves when they see fit. “ he said from what knowledge he had from his father

“True. Let me know if he does evolve though, so I can look at him. I’m fascinated by the way nanobots evolve,”Malcolm replied.

He then started heading out so they could find something to eat and continue their journey.

Hiro had gone into an old sports shop, finding a bow and about ten to twenty arrows still in good shape “ great find.” He said to himself as he carried out the things. “ here, found you a few metals from there, “ he said to Malcolm “ I think it’s platinum “

Malcolm had followed Hiro into the shop, going to the gun section. Though, he was dissatisfied with the guns that remained, most of which were damaged beyond repair. However, when he finally met back up with Hiro, his expression brightened.

“Ah, lovely platinum,”he mused, taking the pieces and stashing them in one of the many pockets inside his lab coat.

He then noticed the bow and arrows.

“I’ve got plenty of fucking guns, you know that right?”he asked.

“ not a gun man, got beat with one once haven’t liked them since.” He said nonchalantly and walked with Malcom

“Suit yourself, but I’ve got basically limitless ammo, as long as I have the materials to make it, which I have plenty of,”Malcolm replied.

He looked around as they walked, one to make sure the other six bots were still following, two to pass the time.

Hiro took pride in teaching bax tricks. They were mostly basic commands but they were necessary in teaching bigger tricks

Malcolm watched the pair, intrigued. He pondered if their bond had anything to do with Hiro’s upgrade, or if it was just luck.

Bax did its best to follow the commands, even if it took a few tries to understand. There seemed to be an air of curiosity about the little bot.

Hiro smiled. “ okay little dude, that’s good for now,” he chuckled

Bax flashed, then jumped onto Hiro, climbing up to perch on his shoulder again. It settled contentedly.

Malcolm chuckled a bit at the sight. It reminded him of his old spidery guardian. They had a similar bond, though he had never named the guardian, and it was more like a loyal and happy guard dog.

Hiro sighed and walked on “ almost there..”

“Finally. I haven’t walked this much in… probably twenty fucking years,”Malcolm commented.

“ it’s good for ya,” he said and chuckled

“Probably doesn’t fucking matter much at this point. I’m too fucking old,”Malcolm snorted.

“ nah you gotta lotta life”

Malcolm snorted.

“Do you even know how old I actually am?”he asked.

“ nope. But your like a father to me right now so no dying.” He said a little quicker so Malcolm could only here if he was really trying