== BE THE BOY
Scuse? You are a man, not a boy.
== FINE. BE THE "MAN"
Damn straight.
Your name is DIRK STRIDER, and you are doing check ups on your latest robot. You are simply the best there is when it comes to robots, and no one will convince you otherwise.
Not that there was anyone to try, but you decided not to think about that.
== BE THE ROBOT?
No, not yet. He's not on yet.
== DIRK: TURN ON THE ROBOT
You're getting there! Just one last wire and... There! Said robot powers on for the day, so you can do your daily check ups. You think this might be the one to rule them all.
Heh, LotR.
==DIRK: STOP GEEKING OUT AND BE THE ROBOT.
Fine. You are now the robot.
"Good morning Dirk Strider." You say, metal face turning into something reminiscent of a smile.
"Good morning. What is your name?" He asks you, checking of a box on his clipboard.
"I am beta-4.13, model 2." You recite, answering the question the same way you always do. He nods, checking off another box.
"Very good." He mumbles, walking around you. You stand at attention, head up and titanium shoulders drawn back. He comes back around, and opens your chest plate, beginning his other checks.
He should ask anytie soon now. Everyday he asks, and he hasn't yet, and- "Do you love me?"
Ah. There it was. The question he asks every day. You're not sure why he asks it, but he does, smirking as he tightens and fixes your insides.
You don't hesitate. "Yes."
Every day he asks you this question, and every day you say no. But today was different. Today you did love him.
His head shot up, features hard and trained, easy smile that had been playing at his lips absent, replaced with a hard frown.
"No. You don't." There was a slight shake in his voice, and his rock steady hands trembled as he continued to go through your daily routine.
"But Dirk-"
"No. Robots do not love."
"But, I've run all tests, and did all the calculations! I do love you!" You insisted.
"No Jake! You don't! Don't say those things! Robots can't feel love!" Jake? Who was Jake? You were not Jake. You were beta-4.13, model 2. "You can't be in love." The shake in his voice became more prominent. Was he... Scared? But why would he be scared? You had seen movies. Wasn't loce supposed to be wonderful?
"Dirk?" You said, cringing at the metallic clang in your voice that you had never taken notice of before. "Dirk, is love wrong?"
==BE DIRK
Your hands shook, and you were struggling to keep your voice steady. Not this, not again. You shook you head.
"No. Not necessarily. But it's wrong here."
"But Dirk, why?" Beta-4.13, model 2 tilted his head in confusion, mechanics humming as he processed what you had said.
"Because Jake! You're not... You're not real!" You exploded, filling wih rage. What had you done wrong this time? Where had his programming corrupted? Every time... This happened every time.
== BE THE ROBOT
You are confused. Love was wrong with robots? But you loved him...
"I am real Dirk!" You insisted, stepping closer. He took a step back, shaking his head.
"No! You're not! You're not Jake!" He shook, covering his mouth with a gloved hand, smearing dark oil across his cheeks.
"Who is Jake? I am beta-4.31, model 2." You took another step forward, forcing Dirk into a corner. He was confusing you. He knew you were not Jake. You were beta-4.31, model 2 b-beeetaaa 4.. 21w30w mood
==BE THE MAN IN THE CORNER
"No!" You shout, leaping towards your robot. Before you were aware of it, you held a handful of wiring, and the machine underneath you flickered out, components cooling, and stopping.
You sighed, shaky and unstable, and dragged it- him- to the pile, where others were. You plopped him on it, and sunk to the floor next to them, breathy sobs being forced from your throat. You had been trying, for years, trying to recreate Jake. You wanted Jake back, not a robot.
Somehow, you always screwed up, and they ended up wrong, fucked up in a way that your beautiful Jake wasn't.
You stood, collapsing into a nearby chair. How long had it been, since Jake went AWOL? 2 years, 3? You weren't fully sure anymore. All you knew was that he was gone, and you had searched for weeks, but you couldn't find him, couldn't find any trace of him after his most recent Jungle adventure. You should have gone with him.
Making the robots was a mistake, you knew it when you started trying. But your actions were those of a desperate man.
Your name is Dirk Strider, and you just want Jake back.
A/N: You probably thought this was gonna be happy huh
