Crow (NoochZahHutt)

Part Four

"Where'd my socks go?"

Those were the first words I ever heard him speak. They were oddly human sounding, like someone speaking through a robotic filter. My hand was still on his shoulder.

"The boss got rid of them," Preston replied seriously.

"Whaaaaaaat?" He replied sadly. "Goodbye, rainbow thigh-highs..."

"Wait, I'm conf-" he cut me off abruptly.

"Hold up," he began, glancing at Preston. "Did you just say the boss? Is that what he's calling himself now?"

"Yeah, he-" Preston began to speak but the robot interrupted him.

"And on that note, what the actual fuck," he said. "How long have I been down here?! Why am I down here?! Who the fuck are you?!" He turned to me.

I started to remove my hand from his shoulder, but he grabbed it quickly and intertwined our fingers. "No, you're charging me."

"What-" Preston began.

"Look, I don't know how, but your hand is charging my freaking battery so don't let go." The robot laughed. "Also, I still don't know who the fuck you are."

"I'm Brandon," I replied. "And I don't even know who the fuck I am. Or who the fuck you are."

"I am commonly known as Nooch," Nooch said dramatically. "Less commonly known as Nooch. My name is Nooch."

"Oh my god, you are more annoying than I remember you," Preston pressed his palm to his face.

"Hey, I haven't talked to anyone since...how long have I been down here?"

"Five or six months I think," Preston answered.

"Whaaaat?" Nooch said. "I figured it would be longer than that, LOL. How's shit going with Crow and the Fever?"

"Well, the status of the Fever hasn't really changed," Preston explained. "I'm worried about Crow, though. They're getting more violent with every attack."

"Really? I didn't think they were capable of violence," Nooch said.

"Trust me when I say that they are," Preston said. "A little birdy warned me of an attack they have planned on the market."

"The market?" Nooch said quizzically. "Jesus. Those guys are innocent, I'm not sure what Crow is thinking."

"Could someone please explain?" I asked them.

"Yeah, sure," Nooch said. "You need a government-issued permit to have a stand at the market. For some reason, Crow thinks this means they're allied with the government."

"Well that's stupid," I scoffed.

"I know, right?" Nooch agreed.

"Okay, this has been fun, but..." Preston began. "You need to shut back down now."

"What? C'mon, I just woke up!" Nooch exclaimed, more disappointed than anything.

"Brandon, let go of him," Preston said in a warning tone. I tried to pull my hand away but Nooch gripped onto it.

"No, Brandon, don't let go of me," Nooch said, glaring at Preston. He sounded scarily angry. "What's this all about? Why did you guys shut me down in the first place? Hmmm?"

"Listen, I can't-"

"You can't what, Preston?" Nooch shifted in his position, looking like he was getting ready to stand up. "You can't tell me why you forced me into a coma and shoved me in a basement for six months? I think I deserve to know."

"It's nothing personal I prom-"

"You're not gonna tell me, are you?" Nooch stood up, and by extent, I was forced to as well. He turned and looked at me. "Can you believe this guy?"

"No, I can't," I replied, thinking about my wrist. "Preston, I think you're outnumbered."

"Uh..." Preston said, stepping back slightly, ready to sprint up the stairs at any moment.

"EXCUSE ME," A voice yelled directly behind me. It was the boss. We all jumped, not expecting it, and turned to face the spot where the noise had come from; but there was nothing there.

"If it isn't the Blur himself," Nooch laughed. "Changed your alias, huh? You're 'the boss' now? How...unoriginal."

"I know, I know..." This time the voice came from behind Preston. "But I shouldn't be the center of attention here."

"Sorry," I bumped in, "but where is he?"

"Anywhere," Preston replied.

"Everywhere," Nooch added.

Neither of the responses really answered my question but I just went with it.

"What happend to my fucking rainbow thigh-highs?!" Nooch asked. He appeared to be scanning the room, looking for the boss.

"You actually seriously liked those things?" The boss said. He seemed to be standing right in front of us. "I threw them out."

"WHAT?!" Nooch yelled. "NOOOOOOOO!"

"Calm down, they're just socks," Preston said.

"JUST SOCKS?!"

"Shut the fudge up," the boss said. He seemed to be standing next to Preston now. "That's not important. The important thing is who's to blame for Mr. Nooch's reactivation."

I pointed at Preston. Preston pointed at me.

"Alright, alright, alright," the boss began, "someone tell me the story."

Preston briefly explained, exaggerating the parts about how he tried to stop me from coming down to the basement. I cut in several times, saying that he hadn't actually tried very hard - if he really hadn't wanted me to come down, I'd be injured right now, and Nooch would not be activated.

"No matter the conclusion," the boss began, "Nooch has to be shut down."

"Hey-" Nooch said.

"Why?" I interrupted. This robot did not seem like a threat, he seemed like a friend.

"That doesn't matter," the boss brushed me off.

"Can I at least say hi to Choco first?" Nooch asked. There was a pause.

"...I mean..." The boss pondered, "I guess, I don't see why not. But he's going to leave soon so you'll want to hurry."

"Yaaaayy!" Nooch exclaimed happily. He dragged me passed Preston (and possibly an invisible version of the boss as well), and up the stairs.

At this point in time I had a mindset that things could not get any weirder, that nothing would surprise me. I mean, I'd just accidentally reactivated a robot with an obsession for rainbow thigh-highs.

But this is where things just begin to get crazy.

~~~

This is just the freaking beginning, and I am just now realizing how long this story is gonna get. Thanks for reading! I'm so happy y'all love it so much.

Ciao!

~Lia