A week had passed since they got to the facility, and besides Vivar and a few doctors from time to time, Savan had contact with Angie or Marc only at the cafeteria, during lunch and dinner.
One of the things they were advised to learn about was everything about Vivar, including his energy gauge, weak points, and abilities.
Savan -“ So you have a hidden railgun on your right arm? The...Emerald Spear? That could be useful, and dangerous I guess”. Savan tried multiple times to make the robot speak to them a bit more freely, but all they could get from him were drafted responses about the subject with no personal add-ins.
Vivar -“ Yes. It has high destructive capabilities, but it consumes a third of my energy volumes, which means we can’t use it sparingly. But another confrontation method is my titanium shield. Good for defensive tactics and it has a sharpened edge at the bottom, which I can press on any material and cut it clean off”.
Savan -” Fantastic, greaatt…fuck”, responded Savan slightly irritated. Realizing it, they took a breather and slightly slapped their cheeks, which somehow left visible red palm marks.“ Sorry for my outburst there, we do need something to defend ourselves with. I just, well, hoped that this year’s challenge was a bit less bloodless, to be honest”.
Vivar, unbeknownst to Savan, was capable of feeling. Small bits, like now when they felt happy that their partner had some innocence to them, but experience taught him that bullheaded pacifism could also be a detriment to him. So, to help them understand his perspective, Vivar opened up a bit:
Vivar -” Patient 8, I took part in many other competitions so far, with all kinds of partners, and there has never been one where unexpected dangers didn’t change the course of the races. Please be aware of that, so I won’t be eliminated again in the first round, Seven.”
Savan -” Savan…wait. Subject, uh”, they mumbled, trying to remember Marc's lines for the name change.
Vivar -” Are you trying to update the network's library?” Vivar asked.
Savan -” Yes...I guess, but I don’t remember the line. Can I simply ask you to do it for me, change my name?”
Vivar -” Surely, you can do that without the patient's 5 admin commands. It’s done, by the way, now everyone from the facility and competition will know to address you as Savan Four”.
Savan -” Yes”, exclaimed the C.E. before noticing the last part. “No, go back”.
----
At dinner, Angie started to complain about her C.T.D and how it reminded her of a child she knew back in the commune:
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Angie -" He just...sits there, staring at me quietly. If I have to beat this one up to open up, whoo boy, may the Underground King help him, because there aren't any miners around here to hold me back".
Marcos stopped eating, and sighted, as he finally understood what irritated him about Angie. She reminded him of a rougher and unhinged big sister. " She would have done the same too", he muttered out loud without noticing.
Angie -" What was that?", asked the miner while injecting something through her veins.
Marcos -" Oh...I thought that...Nothing, just that you probably would have done the same to me if we had grown up together."
Angie -" I hardly left the neighborhood of the commune tower, so we probably never met. Lucky you, I guess?"
Marcos -" Maybe. My older sister was a bit of a hard-ass as well when it came to training. Now that I think about it, she probably tried to imitate father back then."
Savan sat quietly between them, able to only listen to them talk about their childhood since a year in a cloning tube wasn't that adventurous.
Angie -" Big family I guess?" replied Angie. " I never knew who my folks were, but the kids back home were raised by the entire group, so that way I probably had hundreds of parents. Except for now though". The story made her remember a part that she almost forgot about. " There was this lady that came from time to time, with gifts and stuff for the adults and the kids...Oh no, something just clicked for me as well. Those bastards! They lied to me and told me it was Santa. "
The girl was genuinely distraught at her own revelation and left the table dragging her feet along.
-----
Week two was also uneventful, with the duo going over different scenarios in the Playground- Vivar tried to push Savan into using their knowledge of prosthetics products to help them out of peril, seeing as “you are quite frail for a C.E, Savan”.
Savan -” Yeah, well my generation had some kinks to them when we were created. I believe that geneticists who played around with our genes weren’t, let’s say, people who paid too much attention to details. Heck, I think I only survived so far just because I got safe places to work from.”
Vivar -” From the records, I would conclude that is not true. C.Es from your generation did the exact same jobs, but still suffered massive injuries or mental breakdowns. Many who studied you concluded that your zealous disposition and friendly attire helped you in many cases. From my time spent with you, I would agree with them.”
Savan -” Oh, thank you, buddy, that’s nice of you. But, what you just said about me, that applied to the rest, we were kinda built like that. So, with no disrespect for my passed-on sibling, I just had the right luck, at the right moment to save me from dire moments.”
Vivar didn’t know how to continue the conversation or if it had any point to do it, so they only “noted” it down.
Savan -” And Vivar, could you change just your designation for me from C.E to clopy?”
The C.T.D appeared a bit confused by the request, especially since their partner asked only for his library to be updated. He nodded and did exactly as asked, but still inquired about it.
Vivar -“ Clopy isn’t a word. I understand wanting to have your name changed, but why your species designation as well?”
With rosy cheeks, Savan bowed her head and rapidly answered: “I know it’s a silly thing, but it's just, well, that it’s something I came up with. And it’s mine, and my friends, and my people’s”, they said more confidently this time. “And only If they want it”, with less certainty in their voice this time.
Savan -” Acknowledged, clopy Savan”, responded Vivar.