[scipionyx]

thank you very much and sorry for the looooooong wait... I hope you enjoy the next one a bit more... again too late to proof read xD if you see mistakes feel free to tell me c:

Chapter 3: Friendship

“Why on Oddworld would a Slig send us to another Zulag without going with us? Since when are we allowed to wander around on our own? ” Kuna wondered, kicking an empty bucket aside with his foot. “This is all really strange… they are acting so…” “Reserved …and …cautious…” Perru finished the sentence. “You sure are an Idiot Kuna. –Haven’t you heard of the incident?” He added cynically.
“What incident?” Kiaw asked still concerned with what had happened last night.
“You don’t know?” Perru looked around carefully and whispered: “Nobody talks about it… but someone has poisoned the Sligs meals,” he grinned at the thought and added: “they are all sick and can’t work, don’t tell me you guys haven’t noticed that there are almost no Sligs around?”
“Now that you mention it…”Kiaw looked around too. The place was deserted and there was only a single Slig guarding the area.
…
They eventually reached the other Zulag.
“Wow! I never knew that this Zulag looks almost exactly like ours!” Kuna said with a strange smile on his lips and an expression from which no one could tell if he had been truly amazed or just mocking.
After a while of walking Kiaw broke the silence again: “Hey… I have to ask you guys something… do you… have you ever heard of Sam?” He stared at his feet while he was walking.
“No I have never heard of mother… I think no one has… Why?” Perru answered looking up to the catwalks far above their heads.
“I’m not talking about Queen Sam, I uh… I mean Sam our supervisor.”
“What? One of the supervisors is named after Mother???” They all halted and looked at each other speechless just the distant noise of the machines could be heard.
“That’s not funny…” Kiaw tried to stop them from chuckling but his desperate expression just made it worse. They roared with laughter. Patting him on the back Kuna exclaimed that he hadn’t laughed like that since that accident when the Boss’s suit caught fire.
Kiaw frowned. He remembered quite well how he, Unaî and Rycko had reacted when they met Sam for the first time. They had reacted a lot meaner than just laughing at him.
Sligs usually used the word Sam as swearword among others and even some Mudokons used it, holding a grudge against their own Mother. Since Mudokon supervisors were “produced” and “upgraded” in Vykkers Labs, without origin, roots or backstory, nobody would ever regard them as children of Sam.
Some Mudokons might even find it worse to call a Mudokon supervisor after the name of the Queen than a Slig.
Mudokon Supervisors were “fake Mudokons” … emotionless traitors and liars without feelings.

“It’s not his fault!”
Kiaw defended him not really knowing why. “Everyone always called him like that. The Sligs laugh about it too. Actually he never had any friends except for us.”
Perru and Kuna looked at him becoming silent again. “You are friends with ‘that thing’?”
“Yeah, but he’s different… at least I thought so… I don’t know…”
The two Mudokons stared at Kiaw.
“We are still all Mudokons, no? It's not like a supervisor is that much different from a Mudokon... Just cause they build things into his body doesn't mean he's a robot like the Greeters” Kiaw mumbled and replied to himself: ”… Maybe he was just hanging out with us because there was nobody else he could hang out with.”
“There’s no such a thing as friendship between them and us.” Perru replied coldly.
“Yeah, they are even worse than the Sligs. One of them will never be one of us. But I already heard of some who act like that, if the ‘Mudokon friends’ try to escape they can sell them out. They don’t even get anything for it.”
Kiaw stared at him wide eyed.
“Yeah, you better be careful. Or you all could get killed soon.” Kuna nodded - more to himself than to Kiaw. ”Where are your friends anyway? You mentioned them before…”
Kiaw didn’t even look at him anymore.
They walked on - an awkward bitterness between them attended by a monotone buzzing sound and metal feet clonking rhythmically on the steel floor above them.
He couldn’t stand it…pretending friendship… killing his best friends. No he just couldn’t imagine that they were dead! …pretending friendship… killing his best friends! … the image of the beaten up Mudokon from cage 62 haunted his mind.
He would’t see his friends again… never… his eyes slowly filled with tears but he blinked them away and looked up to where the irritating mechanical sounds came from.

His breath caught as he saw that it was Sam who patrolled on the catwalk above them.
He clenched his fists tightly. Unable to move any further he glared at him.
“Hey Kiaw… is something wrong?” Perru and Kuna eyed him confused by his sudden change of mood.
“You two better walk on. I’ll catch up with you soon…” Kiaw replied under his breath grinding his teeth.
“Hey what are you up to now?” Perru followed his glare with concern. “Don’t tell me this s-supervisor is…”

But Kiaw had already started to climb up the ladder. He was boiling with rage. It felt as if an uncontrollable fire had inflamed inside his body. His hate had formed a lump in his throat.

Sam turned around and looked at him.
“Hey Kiaw! What’s up? Haven’t seen you for months … Is something wrong you look quite-”
“You bstrd!!!” Kiaw lunged at Sam the same moment.
They both fell on the hard metal floor of the narrow catwalk and Sam lost his gun. It slipped out of his hand and fell on the ground below – raising a cloud of dust in front of Kunas and Perrus feet.
“Where are they!” Kiaw screamed tightening his grip around the surprised Mudokons throat. He trembled with anger. “What have you done to them!!!”
Sam gasped for air and tore himself away from him. He returned Kiaw a hard punch in the guts with his metal leg throwing him backwards.
“What on Oddworld is wrong with you?!!” He yelled standing up again. “You know I have no choice but to report you now!”
“You know what’s wrong quite well don’t you?” Kiaw hissed convulsed with pain. “You damn Traitor. Where are they?!Spit it out!” He coughed and stood up as well. “I thought we were friends… But I thought wrong.”
“Look I’m just working …I don’t know what crap you’re talking about…”
“Are they dead already?! Did it make fun to shoot them or didn’t you have the guts to look into their faces while doing it!” Kiaw screamed so loudly that it resounded through the whole Zulag causing some Scrubs nearby to stop their work.
“What are you talking about… Kiaw what the heck has happened to you? I haven’t done anything! I wasn’t even around the whole last week!” Sam shouted.
”Scrabshit! You were there! You have been seen! There is no other Mudokon supervisor with a scar like yours!!! Maybe you didn’t even feel anything at all while betraying us you grrzt Machine!!!” Kiaws expression twisted to a painful grimace.” I swear I’ll kill you!”
“Wha-”Sam saw Kiaw striking out to hit him in the face but Sam dodged it and grabbed Kiaws leg sending him to the hard ground again.
“Take those words back…” Sam almost whispered.
“Damn you! Damn you, you! Liar!!” Kiaw clutched the guardrail and pulled himself up to his feet again, panting. “I can’t stand your grzztzz lies!” He glared at Sam with teary eyes. “We all mean shit to you. I really thought you were different… all the time you spent with us…”
He flushed with anger again.
But suddenly the barking of a Slog interrupted him. Sam turned around and saw the Slog running towards them. It ran past Sam and lunged at Kiaw.
…

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