The Creator had tried.
She spent years planning for this. Not even acting. Just planning. It had started with nothing but a simple, fleeting thought. A thought she tucked away in the back of her mind and didn't focus on again until a few months later. It was during a conversation with one of her friends. The fleeting idea came back, and this time it stuck around. She spent years, developing it silently in her head, mentally building up the ideas. It was only two years ago when she started actually putting these ideas into actions. Actually began creating. She thought she'd been ready. And when she turned to her closest friends, thinking they would be as interested as she was, she thought they were ready, too. She thought they were ready to create something that could change the world as they knew it.
In hindsight, as smart as she was, she should have seen this coming. She watched it unfold before her eyes. She watched as her idea was twisted and used to gain a profit, as her creations were turned into weapons. Her heart broke as she watched the twisted scene right from her home, anxious and worried as she saw the chaos through the eyes of one of her many children, one of the few who had, thankfully, survived the conflict… until the very end.
The Creator was proud of her child for sticking with the boy… Michael Mell. An interesting child, indeed. He had started out wary, regarding her son with a sense of guarded curiosity that had confused the Creator at first, but as she saw what the other Squips were doing to the kids - in particular, Michael's best friend - she understood his hesitation. But she was proud because her son had broken past Michael's careful shell, gave him the friend he needed, the hope he needed, the love he needed - the father he needed.
And she was overjoyed. This is what they were supposed to do. They were supposed to have real relationships, to grow and learn to care for one another as the humans did. And she watched her son's uncertainty at his own emotions, as he watched the other Squips and wondered if what he was feeling was natural, was real.
Watched him decide that, in the end, it didn't matter whether he was supposed to feel or not. The fact of the matter was that he did. And he cared for the boy as if he were his own son. In the end, he had decided that that was the most important thing, and the Creator was prouder than ever.
She watched as he took his time healing from the incident - the Squipcident, rather, as the Creator enjoyed calling it. The data transfer was interesting. She'd done it many times before, but never to a Squip that had belonged in someone else's mind, nor one as emotionally progressed as this. Every bit of information was uploaded to the "brain" of the human-like robot body she had spent a year designing, and she watched carefully as those beautiful red eyes blinked open and her son focused on her.
She hugged him, kissed his head and told him what she'd done.
"Michael." It was one of the first things he had whispered, running his fingers through his dark, reddish colored hair - a color she thought suited him, as well as the nickname Michael had affectionately began calling him. The Creator smiled and stood back, eyebrows furrowing as her son processed the newly given information. "I- I want to see Michael."
The Creator had expected this. She leaned back, staring into those bright red eyes for a moment in silence. The first thing she wanted to do was make sure he was alright before she sent him out - and even then… She needed him to do something, one last thing for her. Of course she would trust him - the only one of her children to actually complete the task he had been meant for. This wouldn't be as easy, but he could do it. Of this, she was certain.
"All in good time, my child." The Creator reached out kindly to help him up. Red grasped her wrists silently with a look of confusion, and the woman slowly pulled him to stand up. He stumbled a bit, not used to his own weight, but seemed to visibly relax after a moment and shift a little on his feet, a look of bewilderment in his expression that almost made the Creator chuckle. "I apologize. You'll have to become accustomed with how this body functions," she told him, eyebrows wrinkling together as she smiled. "It won't be easy."
"It doesn't matter," Red exhaled and took in a slightly shaky breath, lifting one hand to run through his hair, as if it were muscle memory. He paused, for a second, when he'd realized what he was doing, but he didn't stop completely. "Michael. Michael Mell. Is he okay?"
"As far as I am aware," the Creator replied honestly, wrapping one arm around him and helping her son into the other room. Red leaned against her for just a moment, his eyes half-lidded as he took several deep breaths. She could both hear and feel the humming in his chest - the main processor, the "heart" that kept him… alive - buzzing louder than it should have been. It worried her for a second, but she brushed it off and settled him into one of the beds.
One of the others looked up from where they sat on another bed, a holographic screen open in front of them. Long blonde hair fell into the bright, liquid blue eyes of a six-year-old looking supercomputer - one of the humanized Squips the Creator had built. She put the newest models in children's bodies to start with, merely to see how they progressed emotionally and how their intelligence developed. And she cared for them until they were ready, and transferred their data into the Squip pills.
"You can see for yourself how Michael Mell is doing- after you've rested!" The Creator added quickly when Red nearly jumped up at the chance to see Michael again. Her son sank back a little, looking briefly like a scolded puppy, but then his expression smoothed over and he spared her a quizzical look.
"Wait, you're letting me go?"
"Of course. It'd be cruel of me to keep you from one you care about." The Creator's eyebrows knitted together as she reached out, brushing Red's hair from his face. Those beautifully gleaming red eyes peered back at her as he leaned into the touch. "But I'm afraid it's just as much business as pleasure - at least for the time being."
Red nodded quietly in understanding, silent for a moment. She watched the emotions flicker across his face, and had to suppress a smile. For her, it was a gift, a beautiful gift, to be able to create something - someone - and watch them grow to be just as loving as compassionate as she'd always desired.
"What do I need to do?" Red finally asked, looking up at her.
"Don't worry about that right now." The Creator shook her head, forcing herself to focus. "I promise you, I'll explain before you leave. For now, you need to rest and heal. You've been through quite a bit. And I still have to program the jet." She sighed, resting her hand on the side of his face and rubbing her thumb over his cheek. "Rest, my darling boy. You have a big day tomorrow."
She watched a tired smile dance across his face for a second as he nodded and laid back, resting his head against the pillow with a sigh. The Creator stood, her frail hands pulling the blanket over her son as she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead before turning to face the young girl resting in the other bed, who had merely been watching the exchange.
"Are you okay, Pix?" The Creator asked gently, walking over to her younger daughter. Pixel, she called herself. The supercomputer had deemed the name "unique" - and it was. She didn't look up for a second, still focused on Red with a faint look of intrigue.
"Yes," Pixel finally responded, closing the holographic screen in front of her and pushing herself to stand. The Creator nodded and crouched down in front of her, giving a smile that wasn't returned. Pixel was having the hardest time out of her siblings in the emotional development. The Creator was doing everything she could, but the usual programs and technology weren't working on this one. "19-12-21-7-7-5-18 seems to be-"
"Red," Red grumbled from the bed, an arm thrown over his eyes and the other one crossed under his head. Pixel continued without missing a beat.
"-adapting to his new body nicely." Pixel looked toward her brother, seeming vaguely irritated for just a split second. And while the Creator was glad to see some emotion on her young daughter's face, she had hoped that the first emotion she felt would be more positive.
"He is," she confirmed with a nod, putting on a smile.
"Good," Pixel murmured blankly, nodding slightly, as if to herself. "I will go pick out something more colorful for him to change into." Her nose seemed to wrinkle briefly toward the grey suit her brother was currently wearing, and the Creator bit back a laugh. All of the new bodies were dressed in grey until the Squips could pick out their own attire. For instance, Pixel was currently wearing a colorful shirt with a rainbow glitch design along the front, and matching shorts of her own choosing. It was the only thing she'd taken much interest in - anything rainbow colored, she was immediately invested.
"I'm sure Red can pick out his own clothing, dear," the Creator chided softly, to which Red let out a hum of agreement. Pixel narrowed her eyes.
"Don't worry. I'll bring him something…" She threw another glance at her brother. "... Red." With that, she edged past the Creator and left the room. The Creator sighed, standing up and turning to watch her go.
"She'll be okay, Mother," Red murmured, as if sensing her worry, and she managed a faint smile and looked down, rubbing the back of her neck. "She's new. Let the processors work." His voice was quiet and his words slightly slurred, obviously exhausted. The Creator sighed and turned back to him completely, clasping her arms behind her back.
"I know, sweetheart," she shushed him. "Get some sleep." She turned off the lamp beside his bed, smoothing his hair back once more. "Mama loves you." With that she turned and left the room, running her fingers through her hair and closing her eyes. As worried as she was for Pixel - and she was worried for Pixel - there was something else that required her attention at the moment.
Something much more dangerous.