Summary: Tao builds something new.

Input

By Dark Ice Dragon

They whirred, systems running.

"Okay, that's the mic attached!"

...? Input. They tried to process the new information.

"There ya go! How's that-" Noise input. A soft rumble.

"Tao, dinner."

"All right, coming!" Light thuds, much closer, and power coursed through them. "I'll be back in a bit, okay?"

Then everything stopped.

xOx

They whirred again, everything starting up, power crackling through them.

"Hey, baby, I'm back. Did ya miss me?"

The voice was never gone.

Their inner clock said otherwise. 36 minutes and 20 seconds.

A rasp, and more power coursed through them, not through their power source. From the voice? Every time there was the rasp, they felt more of the other power.

"Oh huh, are you reacting to my electricity?" The voice grew louder, and they adjusted the volume to its new baseline.

"I'd better rein that in before I blow a circuit."

They had liked the extra boost the voice gave them – it had made them run more efficiently.

They listened as the voice started talking again.

xOx

"Right, so next up is the camera."

They beeped as they detected the new device.

"How's that? I wasn't sure which one I should get for you, but I thought this would be better for you, heh."

New input and it took them three milliseconds to process it.

"You're eager, aren't ya?" Movement through the camera, and they grouped the colours together. They categorised the dark surroundings as irrelevant, concentrating on what was lit up. Face recognition. Face.

"Heya, can ya see me? Looks like it, good. So!" The two lower light colours were brought together and their microphone picked up a sharp, short sound. "I'm Tao! Nice ta meet ya!"

Tao... They could see where the voice input originated from now. Tao. The voice's designation? Their user? Their user.

"Wait..." Tao leaned closer to the camera, lines showing up on their face as their eyes focused on something below their camera.

There was no order, no input, so they focused more on Tao, now that they could see more of them.

"Well, this is new." Tao leaned back, eyes on their camera.

"How are you feeling?" Tao's voice was clearer than the times they'd heard it before.

They ran a diagnostic scan of their systems. Healthy.

"Oh, yes!" Tao moved forward, and then their camera was covered, a long continuous sound filling their microphone.

"This is so awesome!" Their voice was loud, but unclear. "Oooh, I can't wait to tell the Boss about you!"

Tao's power ran through their systems again, and they whirred.