NaNoWriMo: Talos & Doogs

Charlie leaned over Doogs. “Is he dead?” He looked around, and finding a suitably long stick proceeded to poke at the body of the barfly.
“It is inadvisable to take such an action. He will wake soon.”
Charlie kicked the unconscious drunk. “Why didn’t you kill him like the big ugly that ran the place. He smelled. This one smells a bit as well.”
“Their odor does not present an issue for me, but I will make sure he bathes upon waking for the benefit of everyone else. As to the reason I did not eliminate both of the individuals who were in this establishment… I cannot say that he presented a threat, so he did not require such vehement and irreversible discourse.”
The words were too complex for Charlie to fully comprehend, but he recognized the tone from dealing with plenty of adults. It was the same old ‘I’ll do what I want’ crap.

“Bullabuhumba,” Doogs muttered, half-aware of being alive again. “Fnark.”
“As I observed, the individual is returning to functionality.”
Doogs sat upright. “Huh-huh-huh, whatthefuckhappened?”
“Are you able to stand, or do you require assistance?”
“You killed Beanie.”
“He presented a threat. I cannot permit threats to the greater plan.”
“Whu, youse have a plan? Whaddya gonna do with me? I swear, I really was gonna pay the mone-”
“We have a plan?” Charlie asked.
Talos pondered the possibility he may have been more seriously damaged than he believed himself to be, but concluded that a sleeper program in his makeup may be to answer for his statement as to a plan. “I am unaware of a concrete plan, but I will search my system for any reference to such a thing.”
“I’m hungry.” Charlie moaned.
Talos placed a hand under Doogs arm and raised him to his feet. “Do you know how to prepare a meal suitable for the child?”
“Shures, usedta be a short order cook. I’ll rustle him up sumpting straight-aways.” Doogs thought twice about adding ‘please don’t kill me afterwards,’ but thought it nevertheless.

Doogs looked to the door, back to the bronze robot, then to the door again. It was fast, but Doogs had seen people outrun robots before. On the old films he had even watched normal guys knock out robots with a single punch, but the bronze synth looked pissed off enough that any violent movement would probably see him end up like poor old Beanie.
The oven in the Lucky H was older than Doogs, and probably hadn’t been cleaned in as long, but he managed to get the hob lit up.
“Eggs, hash browns an’ sausages do ya?”
“For sure.” Charlie turned to Talos, “We should keep him around after all.”

Talos was searching the bar for whatever could be adapted for use in making the building more habitable for them. The jukebox, which had been playing music right up until the moment Charlie had entered the bar, was now sitting in hundreds of pieces as Talos determined what components could be scavenged. Some elements could be co-opted into a rudimentary security device, but the design would need to be modified substantially to take into account the lack of more complex parts.
“We will need to look beyond the confines of this building for further hardware.”
Doogs looked up at this comment, seeing a way to be free of the bar, and away from the killer robot and his companion. “I gots a whole lock-up filled wit’ bits an’ pieces. Youse can have dem all.”

####

His stomach full, Charlie followed Doogs out of the bar to a hov that had been abandoned in the car park more than a week earlier. It looked like it would work, and Doogs prayed it would start, but the engine was dead.
“Dammit kiddo, we’re gonna have to walk it.”
The speakers crackled, and Talos’ voice emerged: “Bring the vehicle to the rear of the building. I can repair the damage which has occurred before you retrieve the components Mr. Doogs has acquired.”