Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Zeta Project'. I do not own any of its characters. It's just a fanfic.
As English isn't my native language, I want to thank Dragonmaster01 for her editing work on this chapter.
As in all of my stories, here Zee has a material covering over his synthoid's body. More details about this idea, you can find in Chapter Three of my fanfic "The Nettle's Shirt', book 1 of 'You Need Me".
Hide and Seek
by Iglika
Chapter One
Zee's point of view
Our feet sank into the soft, glittering white snow. All of the pathways of the park were cleaned, but we walked right across the snow carpet over the lawns. Ro was Ro; it was too bothersome for her to follow the beaten path. She was continuously inventing complications…
No, Ro was right - I was excessively worried for her. There was no harm in walking in the snow. I had bought her perfect boots, so her feet couldn't be wet; furthermore she wore enough warm winter clothing, so she couldn't get cold. I had to relax and enjoy our walk. That was all I had to do now.
I knew that the anxious way I looked at her betrayed my overprotective state, but this time instead of scolding me, she pretended that she didn't notice anything and she merely walked beside me even without to glance at me, as if her only thought now was really to take pleasure of the winter view around us. Her pretending though gave me all the reasons to expect some prank, but that was okay, my main goal was not only to know that Ro was healthy and safe, but to see her happy no matter if it would be on my expense.
Actually… I loved her pranks and jokes. Yes, that was the truth, I knew her intentions were always good-hearted, she merely wanted to teach me how to behave more like a real human so I was never offended, even when for a moment I felt a little bit…err… stupid. It was much better for both of us if I would look stupid in front of her than to expose my ignorance about something in a tense situation when we had to run and to risk people identifying me as a synthoid. And most of all - Ro never humiliated me; she really simply wanted me to be more human.
I looked at the light blue sky above us and the trees around as - their intertwined branches were like a piece of tender white lace of snow, over which the sun light glimmered with little light blue, yellow and lilac sparkles.
I really loved to enjoy every beautiful view, every peaceful moment… Was this too… meaningless? Well… maybe the way I described the beauty around me was too common. But yet I'm just… a synthoid, a… robot. A very weird robot, indeed, as Ro often was saying to me, the weird robot, who showed her what a family's love is, the weird robot, who taught her to see the beauty in everything. And maybe now she really was getting pleasure from the winter scene around us.
This area of the park was deserted, we were the only ones who walked here. A frightened pigeon flitted above us, making a slight cloud of snow-dust powder over us. I lifted my hand and let some snowflakes to fall on my fingers. I was unable to feel them, but I could detect their gentle coldness. My material covering radiated a normal human-body temperature, so the snowflakes slowly began to melt on my fingers until they became very, very small water drops. If my hand was just metal now, they wouldn't thaw so fast. I slightly smiled to myself - the snowflakes didn't recognize me, I was a real human at least for them. And for Ro, of course…
"Huh…?" I mumbled something indistinguishable from beneath the snow avalanche, which had dumped over me, accompanied by Ro's laughing.
She still held the branch, which she had shook in order to bury me and she had pressed her other hand against her stomach, almost bent double with laughter.
I laughed as well, trying to shake off the snow of me.
"Wait, wait, I'll help you!" she said through her laugher. She was about to approach me, but she let go of the branch, which went back on place hitting the other branches around and causing a new avalanche to crash on top of us both…
"Gyah!" she doubled up, shrugging her shoulders and laughing even more while trying to hide her head and most of all her neck under her hands.
She had told me that the worst thing is to have ice-cold snow in your neck…
I began helping her, carefully shaking the snow out of her hair and shoulders, while she tried to do the same with me… and we both kept laughing…
There was still snow on my head, Ro lifted on her tiptoes to reach it, and then, with a smile, she took my hand, "C'mon, we'll be late!"
I didn't move though and she tried to drag me again, "C'mon, Zee!"
"This is the place" I shrugged innocently my shoulders.
"Here?" Ro looked around. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was about to tell you…"
"Are we early?" she interrupted me.
"Yes, we are… as always when we have to meet your brother."
"Hmmm…" she put her hands on her hips, "Then we have time for…" she gave me a slight smile with one lifted brow, then she made fast a snowball and she threw it on me, "… that!"
I was able to avoid it, but I remained on place, pretending to be surprised, so the snowball hit me while Ro broke in laugh again.
I liked to have snowball fights with her and of course I was absolutely careful; I didn't hit her too hard, as long as she fought with all of her force. We both laughed, having real fun…
And… I knew what Ro tried to do - she wanted to throw me down to the ground, in order to roll me in the snow and turn me into a snowman… and we both laughed even more just on the thought of that…
But… she wouldn't be able to throw me down if I wouldn't allow her, so I let her to hit me with a snowball right on my face and then, pretending that I was sliding, losing my balance, I let her to push me and throw me down onto my back… but she didn't let go of me and involuntarily I dragged her along with me and… she fell over me… we broke into laughter again…
Ro was leaned against my chest; so close… that the warm breath of her lips touched my face…
She scooped up with her both hands as much snow as she could and she tipped it out on me…
"Zee?" said somewhere above both of us a familiar male voice, "Do you need some help there?"
Casey!
I… I had completely forgotten about him…
I really had absolutely no idea how, but… I had forgotten we were here to meet him…
Ro immediately stood up, and I stood up too. We both greeted Casey, while trying to shake off the snow of us… again…
This time though, I was really worried about Ro. Although I tried not to make her wet with the snowballs I threw at her, her fall in the snow had covered her clothes...
"Now what?" Ro asked Casey, teasing him with her usual sarcasm, "I think we are well seen enough from a long distance here, so where are the agents?"
Casey merely smiled mildly, "There are no agents this time, Ro, you can trust me."
Sometimes I was really astonished how a brother and a sister could be so different - not just because Ro was blonde and Casey's hair was sandy-reddish, but mainly because of their characters. As Ro was so sarcastic and… even rough at times, Casey was so good-natured…
"She means that… there's no too much things we three could do here in order to look natural…" I tried to cover her remark.
"Hmm…well…" murmured Ro thoughtfully, "As you, Casey, saved Zee from not being a snowman; I think we can make a real one. After all, we missed the right time for this."
"There's no need for me to be with both of you" I answered her back, "I'll stay in guard in a distance, I'll pretend I just walking around, you may feel free to talk to each other."
"Thank you, Zee!" Casey smiled at me obviously glad that I spared him from being embarrassed how to send me away.
"It's okay" I returned the smile, shrugging my shoulders. "I know you may want to talk privately."
And saying this, I made my way toward the alley. I would pretend that I'm waiting for someone there, looking carefully all around and of course casting a glance at Ro and Casey as well.
They both already talked while Ro had begun to make a huge snowball.
But...
Suddenly Ro looked at Casey, throwing away the snowball, obviously being very angry at him for some reason…
Of course I was able to listen at their conversation, but I didn't want to. I refused to pay attention to their words. I had promised them to let them to talk privately and I would keep my promise.
But… being even angrier, Ro made her way towards me, leaving Casey in the middle of the snow lawn.
That was weird…
I stopped; waiting for her… and I couldn't help but reached my hands toward her in order to take hers. It was a common gesture between both of us, she knew I was always here for her; I was ready to listen to her, to help her, to comfort her, so it was like a sign that she may share with me everything…
She took my hands, but she bit her lips with a confused expression.
"What's wrong, Ro?" I asked softly.
"Zee… I don't want you to be offended, but…" she bit her lips again, then she sighed, avoiding my eyes… and finally she looked up at me, "Casey wants to tell me something very private and… he feels uneasy because of your sharp hearing."
"You know I would not listen to any word of yours…"
"I know, Zee, but… he's not get used to be around you, it's not like he doesn't trust you… please try to understand him…"
"I can understand him, but… it's not wise to leave you…"
"I know, but he's insisting… I told him that I have no secrets from you, but it's something about him, he wants to share something with me. I know he could be your friend too, but please give him some time. Now just… you can go and buy some food for us, some pizza or whatever, or… merely a carrot for the snowman's nose… Zee, please, Casey's my brother after all and… somehow he wants to prove me and… to prove you that he can take care of me as you do. I know it's not the same, but… it's delicate, Zee. He's my big brother; we can let him to protect me instead of you for half-an hour, right?"
"Half-an hour? It's too much, Ro!"
"Please let him to do this! However, if the agents were on his tail, they had to come until now."
"Ro, I can't leave you, it's too risky for you, it's too dangerous…"
"I know it would be hard for you to do this, but I'm begging you, Zee, please, do it for of me!"
"I can't do this, exactly because of you!"
"Please, Zee!" and... she… she squeezed my fingers so… gently…
I didn't suppose, I… I didn't know… I… I had no idea that one caress of her hands could have such a strong effect on me…
I wasn't convinced to leave her, I wasn't agreeing at all, but… I merely heard myself how I said to her that I would leave her for half-an hour…
"Thanks, Zee!" Ro smiled, her sky blue eyes were brightening up with happiness and very quickly she…
She…
She kissed me on the cheek…
And then she ran back toward Casey.
I barely stopped myself of not touching my face on the place where she had kissed me… I… I didn't dare, knowing that Casey looked at me…
Ro kissed me…
In front of her brother…
Well… yes, it… it was just a kiss on the cheek, but yet…
It was a kiss.
She kissed me for the first time for all of those three years we were together…
So what? She had kissed Batman on the cheek as a sign of her thankfulness. She wasn't and she's still not in love with Batman, so that kiss now couldn't be a sign that she was in love with me.
I looked at her. She had continued to make the snowman while talking to Casey.
I slowly made my way toward… I had no idea toward what and where. I merely had to walk away from them enough as I had promised her…
Ro kissed me.
She kissed me.
She did it.
No matter that this couldn't be a sign for her real feelings towards me or no… she had kissed me.
Ro kissed me.
She kissed me…
Ro's point of view
The skin of his face was so soft and warm… and so real…
Of course his face was real as his hands; I had pressed my face to his so many times while he had hugged me in order to jump a long distance.
Yes, but…
I had never had touched his face with my lips, I had never had kissed him… and… the sensation was so… nice…
I approached Casey.
"Well? Zee will be back after a half-an hour." I said a little bit sullenly. "So now what?" And I took the huge snowball again, expecting that Casey would help me.
But my brother didn't move, he just remained still in front of me, like frozen.
"You kissed him?" he uttered, completely dumbfounded. It was as if he hadn't heard my question at all.
"Yes, I kissed him on the cheek, so what?"
"Ro, you kissed him!"
"Because I think he deserves it, because it's hard for him to leave me alone."
"Are you in love with him, Ro?"
"Casey, I'm expecting you to tell me why you and your girlfriend wouldn't come with Zee and me to celebrate my Birthday with Morgan, I thought you want to share with me something very important and very private!"
"Yes. And you just made things easier. I wanted to talk to you about Zee and that was why I didn't want him around."
"What? I thought you want to tell me something about you!"
"No, I want you to tell me something about you!"
"I have nothing to tell."
"No, Ro, you have! It's true that I allowed you to keep traveling with Zee, but the more I think about all this, the more I'm worried!"
"So you just have to calm down. Zee and I are just friends, okay?"
"You're in love with him, Ro!"
"No, Casey, I'm not. Don't be so childish, a kiss on the cheek couldn't mean anything!"
"But it just confirmed my suppositions."
"You journalists always overestimate everything!"
"And what about your fantasy? Why did you made him so handsome? Black haired, but blue eyed, with a perfect face, well-knit and 6' tall! You have to admit that he looks excessively handsome!"
"Of course he does! I have to have someone I really like beside me. You can't correct the appearance of your friends, can you? How could I lose such of chance to make him the way I wanted him to look like? I can't see what's wrong here! What do you want me to have as a companion? Someone ugly? Some loser? Some twerp? Do I have to be ashamed of having some jerk with me?"
"No, but… Ro, I don't want you to fall in love with him. Yes. That's it. He's not a human just in case if you had forgotten it."
"Thanks for reminding me. But I'm not falling in love with him and I don't plan it."
"It's not something you can plan, Ro."
"It's just crazy, Casey, I…"
"Ro, look, it's true that we don't spend too much time together, maybe I really don't know you very well yet, but you are my sister, and I can feel what happening with you. Even if I would ignore that kiss now, I can see how you looking at him, how your eyes changing when you talking about him. Don't lie to me, Ro, it's useless. You love him."
I didn't answer this time.
And I kept silence for some long minutes.
Then I said slowly, "Well… you're right. I don't have to lie to you. You are my brother and it's useless to deny anything. I love him. Is everything okay now?"
"No, Ro, nothing is okay, I…"
I interrupted him.
"Casey, look… I know all of the arguments you could state that I don't have to love him. But I don't need this. Zee is my best friend indeed, but I can't tell him 'You know, I love you, what you would say to that?' I have no one to share my love with. Don't think it's easy for me. It's not. I know better than anyone else who Zee is. But that's exactly why I love him. I need help, Casey. I need support. I need your help and your support. Don't try to convince me that I don't have to love him. It's hopeless. You better give me your encouragement that we'll get his freedom and he'll become a real human. You better help him. I suppose he loves me too, but I can imagine how hard it could be for him to confess it. You both could be friends. You can talk to him, as man to man, you can tell him that you're on his side, because I know you are. You can encourage him to keep fighting for his freedom, to keep hoping that he will become a living man. That is what we both need now - your help and your support. I can't tell you how you can do this, but I…"
The NSA van appeared from nowhere above us.
Oh, no…
"Ro!" Casey took my hand and we ran…
But Casey wasn't Zee… Casey could hardly run in the deep snow, he wasn't able to help me to move as easily as Zee could; we weren't as fast as we could be if I ran with Zee…
The agents surrounded us…
"Freeze, Zeta!" yelled Agent Bennet, with his laser gun aimed at Casey.
"He's not Zee!" I yelled back. "It's Casey, it's my brother, it's really him! Zee's not here!"
Maybe it was good that Zee wasn't here, Bennet will see this is not Zee and will go away…
"No funny stuff!" said Agent Bennet coldly, coming closer to us. "I know lately you manage to keep your material covering on you, Zeta, and it neutralize the effect of your hologram, so don't try to fool me!"
"I'm not Zeta!" yelled Casey, more angry than scared. Then he unzipped his jacked and he took out from his inside pocket his driving license. "Real clothes and real documents, you see?"
"You can wear real clothes Zeta, and you can even have real documents, that doesn't prove anything at all." Bennet frowned.
"He's not Zee! Don't you see?" I almost screamed, although… I clearly realized that there was no way for Bennet to make a difference here and now
"We'll check who he really is." said Bennet putting handcuffs on Casey's hands and leading him toward the van.
The second van had landed nearby and Rush dragged me toward it.
I tried, but… didn't manage to escape from Rush this time. She kept dragging me toward the van while I attempt to convince myself that maybe it was better that the agents thought that Casey was Zee. They would check and would realize it's not Zee. Then they would set us free. And I would be back to Zee. I merely hoped I would find him. I merely hoped he would watch us now from somewhere…
Please, Zee, you're somewhere nearby, aren't you? You'll see what's going on and you'll be there to meet me when I'll be set free. Please, Zee, please be there… please be there…
to be continued…
I have a plea - no matter how much time had passed since I posted this chapter, please, please review!