Possessed
H. came out dragging a hollowed shell of a humanoid figure. Hands hooked under its shoulders, he slid the machine through successive heaves to the center of the room.
“It isn't...” J. was either breathless from astonishment or from shock, probably both.
H. took a breath, “it is. I hid this older model during the extermination.”
H. motioned J. to help lift it into a chair. Once seated, H. pulled its head forward and started flicking his thumb against the back of its neck, making slight adjustments searching for a gap. A click, and it was open to receive cabling.
“Does it even work?” J. had a sense that this machine wouldn't take what they wanted, or needed, it to take.
“I don't remember what exactly was wrong with it, but it was a model I put aside to fix later. I figured if it was found, I could use the fact it was broken and 'forgotten' as an excuse.” H. had its cabling set, and a slight glow drifted into its eyes, and dim lights shown down its legs and arms.
H. pushed the head back against the chair, fixing it to look straight ahead.
“Are you going to try to fix it?” J. never seemed sure that he understood H.'s exact plan, it was never something J. cared to share openly.
“I think we should leave it be for now. See what happens to it.”
J. was again feeling out of the loop, “For how long? And how long until you decide to really fix it, or at least try to remember how it was broken.”
“However long is needed,” J. then made an uncharacteristic followup, “I'd like to leave the brokenness as a challenge. I remember enough to know that it won't be inaccessible to our friend.”
Sitting in an abandoned room, the lights dimmed on the figures outline, before glowing back to normal a moment after.
The lights are off and the room is silent. A light layer of dust was collecting on the machine from time in wait.
Within a second, its head ticked to the right, then back again.
The lights dimmed, then rose again to their normal levels.
Moments passed.
Within a second, its head ticked to the right, then back again.
Now many more moments passed.
The lights dimmed...