Chapter 262 - Loboto-Roboto

After hearing Afton miraculously 'speak' to them, Kelin whips around and quickly addresses the robot with the purple brain dome. "DALA! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?"

"Dr. Klein... If my hypothesis is correct, this Lobotomite is the repository of the brain we sent the signal to, the skinvelope once containing it." they say, in a sly, almost creepy tone of voice. To be honest, Afton didn't know what was worse, being called a Lobotomite or a 'skinvelope'...​​

Dala continues, "If so, it's proof that there may indeed be something beyond the crater. Just look at it... The way it blinks. It's like a big hairless teddy bear." it says, pushing its monitors closer to Afton, presumably to observe him more thoroughly.

Klein retorts, "I KNOW WHAT IT IS, DALA, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT'S DOING DOWN HERE. WITH IT'S... IT'S LIMBS ALL OVER EVERYTHING... AND... ARE THOSE PENISES I SEE WRIGGLING ON ITS FEET? DISGUSTING."

Afton raises a brow and glances down at this feet for a moment, wondering if the fungus had changed more than he'd expected... Though, whether or not having all your toes replaced by penises was a bad thing, he didn't really know... At the very least it would make toe-play way more fun, right?

Dala interjects after Klein makes his observation, "I believe they are toes Dr. Klein. Little teddy bear toes. Penises are much larger than those tiny extremities... Eh, not that I would know." they admit as sheepishly as an inhuman robot could manage.

Zero cuts in, "I don't recall the human penis ever being that large..." he says, not realising what that exactly implied.

"It depends on one's own frame of reference, Doctor O." Dala corrects before going off on another tangent, "Look at its little nose with its two orifices for ingesting oxygen."

Dr. Klein slowly turns his monitors from Dala towards Afton, "NOSES? BY THE GREAT STATIC, THESE LOBOTOMITES CONFOUND ME WITH THEIR SHEER NUMBER OF USELESS EXTREMITIES."

Afton shakes his head to recompose himself, having almost burst out into laughter at Dr. O's accidental slip of the tongue. "Yeah? Well, you confuse me." He states, gaining the group's attention, "I mean, what's the point of those monitors anyway? Those eyes don't blink and your mouths don't move, it's as if you're just slapped on whatever components you could find that fit onto your bodies." he says, gesturing at Klein's monitors.

...

Hmm, Afton appeared to have stumped the robots for a moment... Of course, personalities as loud as them wouldn't remain silent for long.

"BOROUS!? WHAT DO WE DO? THE LOBOTOMITE IS... EXCRETING!" Klein quickly says as a moment of silence.

"I'm not sure!? I don't think that was it excreting! Merely... Asking a question!?! EGADS! The Lobotomite understands us!" Dr. Borous suddenly exclaims, as if Afton hadn't literally just been talking to them.

Afton sighs to himself, only now realising that the robots hadn't actually listened to a single thing he'd said. Though, upon sighing Dala seemed to vibrate for a moment, it's monitors flashing in a peculiar way. He didn't like the 'satisfied' sound coming from it either, and is that bio gel leaking from its dome?...

Dala, having recomposed themself from... Whatever they had just been doing adds to Dr. Borous analyses. "I agree with Doctor Borous' histrionic findings. This little lobotomite is unusually attentive for something whose brain has been extracted."

Afton's eyes widen at this, "Wait what?"

[Brainless Perk has been granted!]

[Brainless] : Your brain has been replaced with advanced technologies. Your head can no longer be crippled and is +25% more resistant to chem addiction. Also grants +1 DT.

...

As much as Afton wanted to try and deny it, the notification before him couldn't lie... Honestly, it was pretty terrifying to realise you'd unknowingly had your brain extracted.

It appears, just as Afton was struggling with the thought that he'd had his brain somehow removed, the robots were also struggling to comprehend how he was. Well, thinking.

"NONSENSE. LOBOTOMITES CAN'T COMPREHEND US!" Dr. Klein says, disregarding the fact Afton had literally been speaking to them.

"*BZZZTTTCH!*" The robot called 8 sounds out, Afton wondering if they could understand him or were just inferring what they wanted.

"8, have you been in the Mentats again? If we slow down our auro-processo-receptors to understand this excretion, we'll all be rendered ignorant!" Zero says, clearly insulting Afton. Again, Afton would've been somewhat offended, but the 'pacification field', as Dr. Klein had called it earlier, was messing with his head.

Dr. Klein finally decides to get to the root of the problem, "ALL OF YOU, POWER DOWN, SHUT UP, AND LET ME PROVE ONCE AND FOR ALL HOW WRONG YOU ALL ARE. AS USUAL." he says before slowly pushing his monitors closer to Afton, "LOBOTOMITE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? CAN YOU SPEAK?"

...

Afton wonders if it'd be worth just staying silent to confuse the annoyin-... Uncooperative robots further. It seems like any evidence that he, as a lobotomite could think rationally, was terribly shocking for them. Shaking his head, he decides to try and actually talk to them.

"I am Afton Parker! I understand you all perfectly well, now will one of you tell me how I got here and why you REMOVED MY BRAIN!" he says, raising his voice out of reflex and getting a painful headache from the 'almost' A.G.G.R.E.S.S.I.V.E action.

Dr. Klein reals back slightly at Afton's volume but moves his monitors to look at his colleagues, as if he were glancing round, "THOSE WERE WORDS, WEREN'T THEY... IN THE FORM OF QUESTIONS.-IT'S ASKING ME QUESTIONS! IS THIS SOME KIND OF TRICK?"

"Our efforts have turned against us! In playing GOD, we have created a MONSTER!" Dr. Borous exclaims, sounding almost fearful of the prospect of Afton having free will and free thought.

"Perhaps as we were ruthlessly lobotomizing it with our cutters, we filled this skinvelope with... Awareness. A teddy bear with new stuffing." Dr. Dala adds.