The Secret of the Solver (Canon ending)

Chapter 16

(1171 words)

     N and Z had reached the library with the bird in N's hand. Z had been too grossed out to carry the bird so she made N do it.

"Sorry. Where were we...? Oh..." The bird had gotten back up and started talking again.

Z, N, and the bird were standing in front of the trapdoor at the library. V was on top of it, standing with an error sign on her vizor. She was stiff as a board, not moving at all.

"Okay so N and Z I can pull you guys out at an-" N cut the bird off.

"NOW! NOW PLEASE!" N stood in fear.

"Anytime... But, you'll never get these memories back dude." The bird explained, sitting on N's head.

"They're that important?" Z asked.

"To you! And, like... me..." The bird said.

"Why? Who are you?" N asked.

"We just... hang out. Shut up! Repression door!" The bird scoffed.

V's had 'ERROR: 606' on her vizor screen. Z looks at N who hesitates but moves V out of the way. He also moves the rug that she was on revealing a locked trapdoor that led down to the basement, it was locked.

"Ugh stupid J has the key we have to get it from her," Z said, rolling her eyes.

Suddenly there was giggling and Z and N looked at each other, then to V who was smiling ear to ear with a claw hand. The bird lays an egg in terror.

***

E was again in the corner annoyed at J and Tessa who were trying to take the chains off. J was biting the chains holding Tessa to the ground.

"It was paid time off! To attend UUUNION NEGOTIATIOOOONS!" Tessa said overdramatically.

E had just gotten the chains off of himself and was walking over to J and Tessa. "Finally got those stupid chains off."

J had finally reached her breaking point, "THIS IS AN UNRELATED LAYOFFFF!" She started punching the chains in rage. Not knowing, she broke the chains and Tessa just gave her a thumbs up.

"Finally!" E stood near the door, "Come on!"

Tessa, E, and J snuck above the gala looking down at all the people, waiting for Cyn to make an appearance.

"How do you two reckon we murder us a robo-child?" Tessa asked the two crouched drones.

"Hmmm..." E wanders off.

Tessa finds a suit of armor with a sword and grabs it while J finds a revolver and picks it up. Tessa looks at J and she looks back at her and they swap weapons. E comes up behind them with a giant battle axe. "Hey guys." He says in a slight whisper.

"E what the hell where did you get that?!" Tessa asked him.

"I don't know up my ass? But it's totally awesome!"

Tessa just walked away, E following. Just then they see Z and N crouched at the other side of the hall, "Psst! E!" Z called.

"Z OH MY ROBO-GOD YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" E ran over to Z.

"YEA, I AM! YOU ARE TOO!" She hugged him. E was a bit hesitant but then gave in to the hug.

They all look up to see V above them, "We need the basement key. This bird's from the futureeee!" N said as they huddled in a group.

The bird flies over to J and takes the key out from behind J's hairband. "Hehehe I kill you." The bird flies back to N's head snickering mischievously.

"Cyn's gonna massacre the gala!" Tessa warned.

"Who our Cyn? Nah she's cool!" N said, just before V swooped down, splitting the group up.

"Go do your weird basement thingy! We got the coma patient you creeped up on!" J said signaling to Tessa.

"Not creepy! Sweet!" N called back.

"E! Are you coming with us? Or staying with Tessa and J?" Z asked E.

E looked at Z then back at Tessa, then back at N, "YOU!"

"Okay let's go!"

As N and Z turn around, V shows up and swipes a claw at them barely missing. N drops the key on the ground, Tessa grabs it and throws it back at N, and he catches it in his right hand. V takes J's sword and throws it at E's face. Z kicks it out of the way just in time.

"Holy shit... Z you saved my life!" E looked at her.

"That's what friends do." She smiled at him. Friends. The word stayed in E's mind.

"Friends?" E asked and smiled back at her but it was quickly interrupted by N grabbing both their hands and dragging them away. E couldn't help but think about his hand in N's even if they were running for their lives, it was just special in a way.

"By the way, are you two going to tell me what the FUCK is up with the bird?" E asked as they were running.

"Bite me!" The bird said.

"And it speaks, of course." E says.

J yells and charges back at V picking up her sword again. They engage in combat as N, Z, the raven, and E run to the library.

***

The four of them make their way to the library, they are all standing over the trapdoor waiting for N to unlock it. N goes to unlock the door when Eldritch Cyn pops up. "Jump scare. Grab." She grabs the bird and throws it out the window.

"DARKXWOLF17! NOOOOO-HO-HO-HO-HOOI!!" N yelled.

"Seriously! Why is the weird bird witch thing so special!" E exclaimed.

"It's from the future!" N called back, and E just groaned.

Eldritch Cyn grabs Z holding her against the wall but malfunctions and its eyes turn purple. The person controlling the bird had hacked into Eldritch Cyn, taking over her body.

"Okay, we're in!" The person spots V behind E. "And J was useless, surprise." The person drags N, Z, and E into the basement and shuts the door before V can get in.

"Is V okay... like in the future?" N asked the person. E suddenly felt a burning in his chest. He had never felt anything like this before. He didn't know what it meant... but it hurt. It hurts for N to care about V but why?

"Unfortunately. Now let's see what that yellow creep was up- oh..." They all stare at the basement, seeing what Cyn did when she was locked down there.

There were many worker drone corpses, dismantled and scattered around. There was oil in puddles all everywhere.

"I knew there was something, y'know... off about Cyn but this is... something else..." Z said, looking at the others.

"So... That's a pretty... metal origin story..." The person said, still staring at the corpses.

"You think?" E said, stepping back a bit.

"Not dealing with this great, to be immediately honest!" N's voice shook. He took a moment to repress the feeling. "Okay... it's uhhh gone now-..."

"Alright let's get out of here." The person snapped before shutting down again.

"Uhhhh ghost buddy thing person drone? You okay...?" E waved his hand in front of Eldritch Cyn's face.

Suddenly Cyn's voice came back, "Better than ever. Buddy."

"Oh shit-" E was cut off by Cyn grabbing the three of them and slamming them into chairs.

"Let's reset these memories one more time." Eldritch Cyn says.

"NO! NO! NO!" Z struggles to break herself free.